Re: Why Atkins suggests ZERO iron multi-vitamine?

DJ Delorie wrote:
| "John E" <[email hidden]> writes:
|| Why is that? What are the consequences of ignoring this
|| recommendation? i.e taking multi-vitamine with iron.
|
| Low carb diets have more iron anyway (more meat) so additional iron
| isn't needed. In fact, too much dietary iron can cause its own
| problems.

Not necessarily. I don't eat any more meat on Atkins than I did prior to
low carb. I just eat less starches and no sugar. Low carb is not the
equivalent of high protein; this is the myth that perpetuates the image of
low carbers with kidney failure, gout, etc.

My diet is high-fat/mnoiderate protein/low-carb. Althought the concept of
eating high-fat will give more undereducated people conniptions than the
thought of high protein, I guess.

--
Peter
270/215/180
Before/Current Pix:
http://users.thelink.net/marengo/weightlosspix/weightlosspix.html

"DJ Delorie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Low carb diets have more iron anyway (more meat) so additional iron
isn't needed. In fact, too much dietary iron can cause its own
problems.

Actually, these days most experts recommend NOT taking iron-containing
supplements unless you have been diagnosed with low iron stores. Some OK
iron-containing multivitamins for preganant, nursing, and menstruating
females. People on standard diets, including a low-carb diet, should not
typically be in danger of low iron stores from dietary causes.

Quoted message said:

Unless you're really careful about balancing your diet for proper
micronutrition, you end up with a vitamin deficiency. *Everyone*
should take a daily multivitamin of some sort.

It's kind of like insurance, I guess. However, there seem to be conflicting
research re the benefits of supplementation. Clearly there can be harm from
overdoing supplements, based on studies I've seen lately. Best to design a
diet that supplies lots of veggies and other good nutrient sources, rather
than relying on supplements. A LC diet can provide everything you need.

HG.

marengo said:

Not necessarily. I don't eat any more meat on Atkins than I did
prior to low carb. I just eat less starches and no sugar. Low carb
is not the equivalent of high protein; this is the myth that
perpetuates the image of low carbers with kidney failure, gout, etc.

Mine was more meat only because the crappy diet I was told to eat
before didn't have enough. Now, if I eat enough *lean* meat to get
sufficient protein, my physician complains I'm going to have a heart
attack (she's a vegetarian). Sigh.

But then again, I never took an iron supplement before. Of course, I
don't bleed one week out of each month either.

DJ Delorie said:

Unless you're really careful about balancing your diet for proper
micronutrition, you end up with a vitamin deficiency. *Everyone*
should take a daily multivitamin of some sort.

Name the last time you heard of someone being hospitalized for "improper
micronutrition".

MU said:

Name the last time you heard of someone being hospitalized for "improper
micronutrition".

It doesn't usually work that way. You just get a little weaker, get
sick more often, recover slower, that sort of thing.

OTOH I have a prescription for folic acid. If I don't take it, I
could end up in the hospital for liver failure because of the other
meds I'm on (yes, I have lab tests regularly too). But, my case is
uncommon.