This one was from Wild Oats- their brand- and it said gluten free on the label. It is seriously the craziest capsule I’ve seen. The outside is clear and it is filled with different brightly colored beads. The nice thing is that it said slow-release, and the capsule contains vitamin C, folic acid and b12 to aid absorption… so I was thinking it would cut down on the amount of pills I take at night. (Although I do enjoy my chewable vitamin Cs!)

I might give these the benefit of the doubt… since it is almost that time of the month and my stomach might be ultra sensitive. I even had to stop doing the mile repeats in the workout yesterday because my tummy was making so much noise… PAINFUL!
So, I’ll give them to till the end of the week…maybe I won’t take any Friday night since I’ve got a tempo Saturday morning. Then it is back to the Gentle Iron for me.

uggh.

Midday or later morning:
Vitamin D
Zinc
Omega 3
L-Tyrosine (Thyroid support)
Kelp (Thyroid support)

Before Bed at Night:
Iron
B-Complex
Vitamin C
Rhinocort Aqua Nasal Spray (for my allergies)

I don’t take a multi because I don’t like having everything in one pill. It is convenient though! I just want to make sure that I give myself a fighting chance at absorbing everything… especially since my intestines are in a rough shape.

Any to add?

As a general rule, I avoid tablets whenever possible. They are the hardest of the forms to digest and often leave me with stomach pain. I also figure that the less my body has to work to break the product down, the more potent it will be. I’m not saying that the liquids won’t give you a stomachache! Many of them surely will, but depending on the type of iron it contains- you are probably absorbing more of it.
(For me, liquid ferrous sulphate is like taking a black enema in a bottle- sorry to be graphic.)

Here are the best Iron Supps I’ve taken (and I still have a cabinet full of others!):

1) Floradix- This stuff is expensive, especially when you consider how much elemental iron you are getting per serving. However, it works great if you are not terribly low and don’t mind the cost. They even have a version gluten and yeast free version called Floravital. Gentle enough to be taken after meals, this was my old standby in college.

2) SSS Iron Tonic- Another liquid. I ordered a few bottles along with the liquid B-complex. I was attracted by the claims that it works better than injections. It surely did work for me, right away I felt my iron come up and noticed a difference on runs within a week and a half. It did, however, give me a very constant stomachache for the month that I took it. Although there are no gluten containing ingredients on the label, the manufacturer cannot confirm that it is GF…. which was enough for me to stop taking it.

3) Hema-plex- I know, this is a tablet… but it is a good one. There are tons of beneficial ingredients packed into this little pill. It includes other blood builders such as beets and greens, as well as vitamins that enhance iron’s absorption. Another plus is that one tablet has 85 mg of iron as an amino acid chelate! Hemaplex is also wheat and yeast free, but they do not say gluten free. The ingredient in question for me is the barley grass juice, while I know that it shouldn’t contain gluten… if the grass had sprouted before it was juiced…. then there is a small chance. Uggh. Click here for a link to purchase.

4) Gentle Iron- This bottle was actually the first iron supplement that I ever purchased. I was in college and severely anemic… I couldn’t keep my eyes open in class and thought I had mono. Looking back, I’m sure it was the celiac disease, because I went through six-week stretch of everything running straight through me. Ironically, I started to cut out anything with fiber, fruit, then veggies, then nuts, and finally I was down to plain bagels. And nothing helped! I even had to go to the doctor for stool samples! (they told me I must have had a food born bacteria, but that it had worked its way out). Needless to say my track season was literally in the toilet that year. Anyways- As much as I’ve strayed, I keep coming back to this old standby. It is even Gluten-Free. Unfortunately each pill is only 25 mg…. but true to its name, it is truly the most gentle.

If you don’t have a sensitive stomach, then you can go the cheap route and get a ferrous sulfate liquid or the super cheap route and get ferrous sulfate tablets. Again, you should see faster results with the liquid, but it might also be harsher on your stomach. If the cheap iron tablets are a bit much for you, there’s always the extended release option too.

How to take Iron:

My stomach is so sensitive that I only take mine at night before bed. I left my dinner digest a little first, just because I think the less you have in your stomach the better it is absorbed.

Take the iron with Vitamin C. Try it with OJ or an Emergen-C. If you take a liquid iron, you can even make a little cocktail.

Take your iron with a B-complex vitamin and make sure it contains plenty of B12.

Do not take other minerals with your iron! Minerals, especially calcium and zinc can block iron absorption. You’ll also probably hinder the absorption of the other minerals as well. Make sure your OJ isn’t fortified with calcium. Save that one for breakfast only.

Do not take iron with coffee, tea or soy milk. Caffeine is another substance that seems to hinder iron absorption. The same has been found with the tannins in tea (black and green, not herbal), and soy protein. Try not to consume any of these substances within 2-3 hours of taking your iron pill. This is also true with absorbing the iron from food- try not to drink caffeinated beverages or teas (herbals are OK) with meals.

Better get to the afternoon run. Cheers!