An Alternative To Iron Supplements

About 80 percent of the world's people have iron deficiency and as many as 30 percent have iron-deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency can lead to a lack of oxygen in your cells, causing reduced immune health and fatigue. For this reason, teenage girls, women with heavy periods, pregnant women and people with kidney failure, might need extra iron. If you choose not to take iron supplements, there are alternative methods to increase your iron supply through diet or other types of supplements. However, too much iron can cause toxicity and possibly death, so talk to you doctor before increasing your iron intake.

Leaf Concentrate

Lucerne leaf concentrate might be a viable alternative to iron supplements. It contains many nutrients, including iron, and has helped people combat anemia in many cases. A March 2010 study in "Public Health Nutrition" tested leaf concentrate on 102 adolescent girls with mild to severe anemia in India. The leaf concentrate significantly improved iron levels in anemia of varying severity, and worked as well as iron and folic acid supplements.

Dietary Heme Iron

Instead of taking supplements, you might be able to obtain enough iron from your diet. There are two different types of iron. Your body absorbs heme iron, which is found in animal sources, better than it does non-heme iron from plant sources. Therefore, eating animal sources might help you increase your iron levels. Strong animal sources of iron include red meat, poultry, liver, eggs and oysters, clams and tuna.

Dietary Nonheme Iron

If you want to maintain a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, it is still possible to obtain iron from a variety of non-heme plant sources. Find this type of iron in foods such as fortified cereals and bread, legumes, spinach and raisins. Take vitamin C along with these sources to increase the amount of iron your body absorbs. Foods such as legumes, soybeans and grains decrease iron absorption. Beverages including coffee, tea and red wine may also interfere with non-heme iron.

Herbs

Certain herbs might help your body maintain healthy levels of iron. Dandelion, burdock, yellowdock, alfalfa, gentian and blue-green algae, also known as spirulina, are all herbs used for iron deficiency and anemia. Talk to your doctor before using any of these herbs, as all herbs have the possibility to cause side effects or interact with medications you are taking.