What Did You Eat?

Iron Rich Food: My Big Fat Bison Burger

First, let's get the important business out of the way.  It was announced today that William Peterson is leaving CSI Crime Scene Investigation this season.  No more Gil Grissom?  Nooo!  Noooooo!

Favorite CSI line ever:  When Gil sincerely asks an exterminator, "Does it ever bother you that you kill insects?"  Loyal CSI viewers know why that was so funny.

OK, on a slightly less important level, my anemia is getting better.  Today, I felt almost energetic.  I went to the ER last week and they ran a blood test, which showed my hemoglobin has risen from 8 to 11.  Thrilling!   I'm still anemic, but it's such a relief to see that this problem will be resolved in the near future. Of course, I have to get rid of the cause of the anemia, my psycho uterus.  The hysterectomy is next month. 

One food that I've discovered is bison, or buffalo meat, which turns out to be a Super Food .  It's much lower in saturated fat, calories, and cholesterol, but higher in protein, iron, and  Vitamin B-12 than beef, pork, or chicken. It even beats salmon in every area, except Vitamin B-12.  And bison are given no antibiotics, and spend few punishing days in feed lots.  Of course, they do give their lives to us, so it's not perfect. 

WHB: Lentil And Spinach Patties (Cumin)

I'm trying to stay positive.  My anemia will eventually be a thing of the past.  But, right now, I'm feeling blue about the whole thing.  True, my restless legs are improving, but I'm tired all the time.   If I have to walk farther than twenty feet, I grow extremely tired and lightheaded.  My right foot is often numb because my hemoglobin is so low, it can't get oxygen to my extremities very well.  I don't like to be an object of pity, but feel free to shake your head and say, "How pathetic."  But, I will take my supplements, eat iron rich food, and use the example of Scarlett O'Hara to improve my blood.  As God is my witness, I'll never be this tired again!

These lentil and spinach patties are loaded with iron, but I didn't know if I would  enjoy them as much as chickpea patties. They were a little tricky to form into patties, but came out of the skillet nicely.   I used puy lentils, but would like to try red lentils, (my favorite) next time.  The original recipe used curry powder, but I didn't have any, and substituted cumin.  I think cumin is perfect with legumes, so I was quite pleased with these nutty patties  I had cherry tomatoes from my garden, which contain lots of vitamin C, and help plant based iron absorb into the body quickly. I used a cilantro salsa from Dos Coyote,  a local Mexican restaurant.  But, any salsa would taste great with this dish.

PPN: Linquine With Smoked Clams And Spinach

Ever since I became anemic, every meal I prepare is vetted to make sure it contains a lot of iron.  I take iron supplements twice a day, but I've always believed that vitamins and minerals are best for your body if consumed in food.   I was surprised to learn that mollusks are one of the highest sources of iron, beating out liver and beef.  This was a happy discovery because I love clams, oysters, and mussels.  Too bad I can't get my hands on cockles, they may be the highest iron source of all.  The fact is, I've never seen a cockle in my entire life, but  like most kids, I learned about them from the folk song Molly Malone.

I've long enjoyed eating smoked oysters, mussels, and clams.  So, this recipe seemed like it would taste very good, plus it contains the requisite high levels of iron from the smoked clams and spinach.  It was delicious and took barely ten minutes to prepare.

Iron Rich Food: Chopped Chicken Liver

My posts will likely be hit or miss well into the next month.  My anemia is quite overwhelming at times, and I spend a lot of time watching Law & Order, drifting in and out of consciousness. (This I know to be true: much as I love you Chris Noth, Vincent D'onofrio is simply amazing, with his updated Columbo act.)  My GYN doctor informed me that a hysterectomy looms in the near future.  I'll have to be transfused for that, because my hemoglobin is so low.  So, my time is now spent trying to eat iron rich foods, along with my odious iron supplements.  Naturally, if you're thinking of eating food packed with iron, liver is right at the top of the list. I hated it as a kid, and my mom never forced me to eat it, after I threw up her (by all accounts) wonderful liver and onions. 

I'm still not crazy about it, but decided to make some chopped chicken liver. It was easy and fast to make, and was a major part of my diet for the last two days. For a liver hater, I found it.....sort of good. Liver lovers might enjoy it a great deal more than me.  As I ate this, on matzo of course, I thought of my sister. She loved chicken livers, and would have made little noises of pleasure as she gobbled it down.

Iron Rich Food: Beef And Broccoli, With Oyster Sauce

Well, this explains a lot of things.  My visit to the doctor on Friday revealed that I have anemia.  And not  mild anemia.  Oh no, my hemoglobin is half of what it should be, as are the other levels they measured in my blood test. My doctor expressed amazement that I'm not flat on the floor, which alarmed me, as well as making me realize that I'm very stubborn...and stupid.  So, this is why I'm so absent minded, dizzy, and just plain exhausted most of the time. It's also likely the cause of my restless leg syndrome. And the cause of this anemia...well, it's a female thing.  All women hear me now, make sure you're getting enough iron, or you could wind up like me. 

I'm now taking awful tasting iron supplements, and researching iron rich foods on Google.  It so happens that beef and broccoli are both a good source for iron, and this recipe is a favorite of mine.  It tastes like beef and broccoli from Chinese restaurants, but I was able to make it with almost no oil.  And I did that because absent minded, anemic, me forgot to buy oil.

You might be on to the fact that I'm milking the anemia a bit. My cousin was chastising me for something today and I replied, "Hey, I'm anemic, cut me some slack!"  It's no fun being anemic, but it's rather freeing too. I do what I feel like doing, and no one can make me feel lazy or incompetent. 

I'm anemic, so cut me some slack.