Need Recipes That Are High in Iron for a Toddler

I sneak spinach in so many things! I do fruit smoothies with raw spinach liquified - can't taste it (especially with a banana in there, too! I put it in my spaghetti sauce. Anything with a red sauce is easy to hide spinach in. I used to have to liquify it for my spaghetti, too, but once my kids said they liked my spaghetti better than anyone else's, I was able to tell them my 'secret ingredient', and they won't eat it any other way.

By all means look for recipes, but don't forget how much toddlers like to graze! Try some of these: smoked oysters (not too many - high salt content), broccoli with lots of ranch dressing (if she doesn't like it raw, steam it a little), raisins (in her cereal, in muffins, on peanut butter stuffed in celery). Don't forget that higher iron can lead to constipation, so it would help to incorporate some oatmeal into her diet. Good luck!

Hi M.! I would suggest Cream of Wheat. She can add nuts, raisins and other dried fruits to it. I usually put milk, butter and brown sugar in it. I think Splenda makes a brown sugar now if you want to limit her sweets. It's very high in iron and makes a good breakfast! It comes in a big box or in individual packets like instant oatmeal. Hope this helps!

Iron Rich Foods
Foods that are a good source of iron include:

* liver
* lean red meats, including beef, pork, lamb
* seafood, such as oysters, clams, tuna, salmon, and shrimp, etc.
* beans, including kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto, soy beans, and lentils
* iron fortified whole grains, including cereals, breads, rice, and pasta
* greens, including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens
* tofu
* vegetables, including broccoli, swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, watercress, brussel sprouts
* chicken and turkey
* blackstrap molasses
* nuts
* egg yolks
* dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes, dates and apricots

Check food labels to find foods fortified with iron, including:

* Instant Oatmeal
* Ready-to-eat Cereals, such as Total, Product 19, Raisin Bran
* Grits
* Iron Kids Bread
* Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix
* Pasta
* Iron Fortified Toddler Formula, such as Enfamil Next Step or Similac 2

for the spinach & greens you could put them into a meatloaf to "hide" them

did the dr. not want to try an iron supplement as well? i would think that they would try a supplement at least for a short time before doing a transfusion...

good luck!!

2 ideas-
1) Cheerios happen to be very high in iron (I was surprised)

2) I make a "spinach/ pumpkin bread" I know it sounds disgusting but it is actually very good. Just use a zucchini or banana bread recipe and use well drained frozen spinach and canned pumkin instead. I usually 1/2 the amount of sugar teh recipe calls for and add extra cinnamon and all spice for flavor. Anyway, my 16 month old can't get enough of this stuff

Try going to http://www.recipezaar.com, then click on the recipe section.

Then look for green button that says "Open the Recipe Sifter Tool".

Then click on "Filter by Nutrition".

You can enter the mg of Iron that you are looking for in a dish. It should then give you lots of recipes for High Iron count recipes. I sure hope this helps you out. God Bless you and your daughter. I'll keep you guys in my prayers.

You can find Grandma's Unsulpherated Black Strap Molasses at nearly every grocery store. It can be added to alot of things, especially smoothies. If she's not a smoothie drinker, make her some molasses cookies! They are wonderful!
My little one is anemic too, but she is only 11 months. I feed her the baby cereal with a scoop full of Enfamil's Next Step, which is made for older babies. She has been a breast-fed baby only, and will not take the Poly-vi-sol, or formula in any way except hidden in cereal. Maybe you could disguise the formula somehow like that for a while till she gets better?

Here is a suggestion, puree the spinach (blanched) and add it to a pasta sauce. And lots of cereal, I know they are iron fortified. If I think of anything else, you'll be the first to know! Good luck, I am sure you are worried!! ~A.~

Not sure if anyone else posted this, but cooking with cast iron is a good way to boost the iron content in food. If you don't have cast iron, you can buy it pre-seasoned. Just make sure you never ever clean it with soap. You can use it for more than just frying food. We make soups, stews, corn bread, casseroles, cobblers and all kinds of things.

The gerber instant baby oatmeal has 60% of a toddler's daily requirement in one serving. You can mix that cereal with anything. Also, cheerios is high in iron. Add a few cups as a snack daily.

As for the Poly-visol, it has a very bitter, vitamin taste. It must be taken with food or it will upset the stomach.

If you want to add red meat into her diet, try mixing hamburger into mac & cheese or into instant potatoes augratin.

Hope this helps!

Apricots and raisins are high in iron. Have her snack on raisins and dried apricots between meals. Spinach salads are great with strawberries and a raspberry dressing. If she will eat burritos, enchiladas, pizza, lasagna, slip in as much spinach and meat as you can get her to eat. Good luck.

I make a "green" smoothie for my picky son and me every morning and we love it. Put lots of spinach, add a little orange juice or whatever juice she likes and add any kind of frozen fruit (I like bananas and blueberries). Throw in a yogurt for the probiotics. You can also add other greens but spinach is the least flavorful one and you cannot taste it at all!

Beleive it or not, you can cook spinach into cake -- the canned kind after it is ground up in the food processor (beats too, but I am not sure if they are high in iron or not). Also, I beleive that Cheerio's are iron fortified.

I hope it helps. :o)

Blessings,

P. <><

Do an internet search on high iron foods. I just looked these up a few days ago and it seems like there are several foods that are higher in iron that red meat and spinach. I think chicken liver was high (good luck getting her to eat that one) and dried fruits, especially prunes, was high. She'd probably go for that because they're so sweet.

Also, I'd recommend that you get a second opinion and a second iron check done on her before you allow a transfusion (unless it is a life or death situation, obviously. You are probably already in the process, but just in case, be sure to research this whole thing a lot before you go ahead with this treatment.

Good luck momma. I feel for you. I can almost hear the panic when I read your request. Hugs****

Like others have mentioned, dairy products can interfere with iron absorption so I suggest limiting those.

Add a high vitamin C fruit or vegetable with every iron-rich food you serve. 1 - 2 tbs blackstrap molasses with 250 mg vitamin C daily(chewables are yummy for short term use.)

**Yellow Dock (an herb; get in the supplement section at Whole Foods or Sprouts Market) is extraordinary for addressing anemia. You can make your own iron tonic with yellow dock and dandelion down the road but for right now, I'd get the tincture. Add a bit of boiling water to burn off the alcohol and then let her drink it sweetened with molasses or honey. It worked for my anemia even when a several month course of iron supplements, Floradix, and dietary changes failed.

Seriously, molasses, vitamin C and yellow dock for a few days could raise the numbers enough to avoid hospitalization.

Other ideas:
Prunes soaked in apple juice
Kidney beans/red beans
Blackstrap molasses

Good luck!

Will she eat tacos? I usually ground sirloin meat, like a steak in my food processor then grill it like taco meat. You can serve it in a shell that is crunchy or over salad or with chips. Also they have this polyvisol baby drops that are vitamins that you drop into a drink it is high in iron. My child is picky too, check parent center .com and see if they have any ideas on high iron diets or foods. Or google high iron foods. I googled it and here are some things I cam eup with. Try to slip some Kidney beans in a soup or into something? Here are the iron contents for some thing maybe you could add to her regular diet. Good Luck.Other Iron rich foods Iron content RDA % Calories
Thyme ground 124mg 688% * 276
Curry Powder 58mg 321% * 233
Oat & Wheat Bran 45mg 250% * 330
Cinnamon ground 38mg 210% * -
Garam Masala 33mg 183% * 380
Rosemary 30mg 167% * 330
Oxo cube 24.5mg 136% * 230
Paprika 24mg 133% * 290
Bran Flakes 20mg 111% 320
Ready Brek 13.2mg 73% 373
Special K cereal 13mg 73% 370
Bran Wheat 13mg 73% 205
Sesame Seeds 10mg 55% 11
Black Treacle 9.2mg 54% 260
Soya flour low fat 9mg 50% 350
Wheatgerm 8.5mg 49% 300
Liquorice 8mg 44% 310
Cashew Nuts 6.2mg 34% 610
Blackcurrants canned 5mg 28% 45
Figs dried 4.2mg 23% 205
Bombay Mix 3.8mg 21% 500
Lentils boiled 3.5mg 19% 100
Apricots ready-to-eat 3.5mg 19% 160
Hazelnuts 3.2mg 19% 650
Almonds 3mg 17% 600
Twiglets 3mg 17% 380
Soya beans 3mg 17% 140
Malt bread 2.8mg 16% 270
Wholemeal bread 2.7mg 15% 215
Red Kidney beans 2.5mg 14% 100
Watercress 2.2mg 14% 23

i have a few friends that have purchased Jessica Seinfeld's (Jerry's wife) new cookbook for children and families. The website is www.deceptivelydelicious.com
I've tried a few things and it's pretty good. The secret is adding steamed pureed veggies, and there are lots w/ spinach and broccoli, etc. I hope that is helpful for you!

Many toddlers enjoy the taste of red meat. Since this iron is readily assimilated, you might want to try serving small soft meatballs made with finely ground beef and iron-fortified cereal.
Use iron skillets for cooking. Foods, especially those with a tomato base will pick up some iron from the skillet.
To improve iron absorption, choose a vitamin C-rich food, such as orange juice to eat along with iron-rich foods. (Make sure these foods have already been safely introduced into baby's diet.)
Serve an animal source of iron along with a non-animal source together in the same meal. (For example, serve chili, which contains both beef and beans -- and may contain vitamin C rich peppers and tomatoes.) This type of combination will significantly increase the absorption from the non-animal source.
Best Sources of Iron:
Beef or chicken liver
Beef
Lamb
Pork
Egg
Chicken
1 oz.
2 slices
2 slices
1 chop

2 slices
2.5 mg
3.6 mg.
3 mg.
1.8 mg.
0.9 mg.
.8 mg.

Other Sources:
Whole grain bread
White bread
Peanut butter
Baked beans
Branflakes
Cornflakes
Lentils/soy beans/red kidney beans
Spinach
Broccoli
Green peas
Baked potato with skin
Sesame seed paste (tahini)
Dried apricots
Blackstrap molasses
Prune juice
Cream of Wheat cereal
2 slices
2 slices
2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
2/3 cup
1 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
2/3 cup
1/2 cup

1 tablespoon
10 halves
1 tablespoon
1/3 cup
3 oz.
1.4 mg.
0.6 mg.
1.0 mg.
2.0 mg.
5.0 mg.
2.5 mg.
2.2 mg.
2.2 mg.
1.0 mg.
1.2 mg.
2.75 mg.
2.1 mg.
2.2 mg.
3.2 mg.
3. 5 mg.
2.5mg.

Hope these tips will be of help.
Infant Cereal mixed with things she will eat.
Check food labels to find foods fortified with iron, including:

* Instant Oatmeal
* Ready-to-eat Cereals, such as Total, Product 19, Raisin Bran
* Grits
* Iron Kids Bread
* Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix
* Pasta
* Iron Fortified Toddler Formula, such as Enfamil Next Step or Similac 2
What You Need To Know

* Risk factors for iron deficiency include toddlers and older children who drink more than 24 ounces of milk each day and have a diet low in iron and Vitamin C.

* Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron, so it is a good idea to pair iron rich foods with foods that have a lot of Vitamin C, including citrus fruits and iron fortified orange juice.

* It is harder for the body to absorb the nonheme iron that is found in fruits, vegetables, and grains, than the heme iron that is found in animal foods, including red meats, poultry, and fish.

* Remember that nuts and shellfish can pose a food allergy danger for younger kids and too much seafood can expose younger kids to mercury, so follow current fish and mercury warnings when feeding children seafood.

* Keep in mind that the %DV for iron on food labels is based on the adult needs of 18mg or iron a day, while a toddler only needs about 7 to 10mg a day. So while an egg provides 4% DV of iron for an adult, it would actually provide about 7 to 10% DV of iron for a toddler.

I am assuming that you are providing her with an iron suppliment? My daughter was anemic; however, not severly. We have been giving her Poly-Vi Sol with Iron for the last year. That has helped in addition to offering her foods that are high in iron. I would mix spinach into foods that she likes. I know my toddler will not always eat spinach on her own; so I have mixed it into eggs before (she loves eggs). You may even consider mixing spinach into pancakes and load it down with syrup! I have not had to go to that extreme as of yet; however, you get the idea. Also, my toddler loves oatmeal - you may want to consider giving her oatmeal. I would give her the baby oatmeal b/c that has more iron in it than the adult. My toddler eats oatmeal for breakfast about 4x per week.

OK - first off, calm down. Low iron is an issue, but it's not a life threatening issue without giving some definite signs and symptoms. The biggest thing is to pair vitamin c (tomato, orange juice) with any plant sources of iron (peanut butter, beans, spinach) because of the 'type of iron'. You can also cook anything in a cast iron skillet - the foods will absorb some of the iron.

I finely chop and steam fresh spinach (stays sweeter) and stir it into spaghetti sauce - my kids love spaghetti, and the vitamin C is right there.

Red beans and rice - soak the beans over night, saute some sausage, onions, celery, and bell pepper the next day - add beans and cook for 2 - 5 hours, until done.

Peanut butter on graham crackers with a glass of orange juice.

Refried bean sandwich - take some left over red beans and a little bit of juice, mix in the blender, spread on toast and top with cheese - melt the cheese. Serve with OJ.

When you're serving her something creamy, mix a little iron fortified infant cereal in with it... or make a snack of the iron fortified rice cereal with apple sauce.

So far as red meat - there's meat sauce, meat loaf, pot roast, bean and beef burritos.. so many to pick from.

Stay away from soy products, too - they inhibit iron absorption from other food.

S.

Hello M.,

There are many ways to increase iron consumption.
Also, I read that in iron deficient individuals, vitamin C greatly enhances iron absorption from foods when consumed in the same meal.

check out the USDA National Nutrient Database for the iron content of foods. (today it's not working very well...hopefully it will be working later this week)

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869

here are other links:
http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/FeZnbioavail.htm
http://www.outlands.co.nz/ironfor.htm
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5559.html
pdf version:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5559.pdf

Also, soy milk is high in iron.
mal-o-meal is high in iron too.
think out of the box... try and sneak foods in a bit at the time. if your daughter likes chocolate milk, you can use soy milk instead of regular milk and add the chocolate flavor.
I wish you luck! ~C.~

I know a couple people have already mentioned this, but I want to reiterate: go out and buy yourself a cast iron pot NOW, and cook everything you can in it. It should be plain cast iron, NOT ceramic coated. Ideally, get a big pot for making soups, stews, etc, and a frying pan as well. Our family doesn't eat red meat, and I've had problems with anemia in the past, but none at all since we've started cooking much of our food in cast iron. I'd concentrate specifically on making soups and stews, if your daughter will eat them, because the iron from the pot will absorb into the broth. You do have to clean them differently than more modern, non-stick pots, but they're relatively inexpensive, and very easy to clean once you get used to it (like the other poster said, no soap--I use a wire brush and lemon juice). Like many things in life, what our grandmother's did actually works best! Just cook whatever you know Brooke likes in the pots, and she'll get some iron with everything! GL!

Raisins and beans are also high in iron, maybe she would like one of these. Also try broccoli either cooked or fresh with some yummy dip. As for the red meat, try hamburger meat it is very kid friendly. Offer her spaghetti, meatloaf, or any other casserole that you can hide some meat in. Tuna is also high in iron. One other suggestion, what about some V8 Splash juice, it tastes really sweet but is made from fruits and veggies.

M.,
I agree with one of the other Moms who said that you this may not be able to be fixed with just nutrition. All the posts from the moms about high iron food are excellent. However, iron levels dont come up too quickly when they are being absorbed from the GI tract. They have to go from the GI tract into the blood to the Heme in blood which is the red blood cells ability to carry iron. Did they mention was she iron deficient? Please take the advice of the other mom that said to contact Cooks childrens and get an opinion regarding her blood work. If it is just nutrition, then great, if it is something more, then you will be ahead of the game. I hope that all will be well. Also know that oral iron will turn the stool back and also can constipate people, so dont be surprise about that. My daughter at 1 was iron deficient after she went off formula. We gave her oral iron, and lots of pasta and black strap molassas. (I know I didnt spell that right). Now I make sure she eats spinach at least twice a week, which she loves. Please let us know how this turns out.

I beleive legumes, as in beans, lentals, peas are high in protein and iron. These can be mashed or blended up and put into sauces, soup, etc. I hope things improve, but if not you need to pursue the issue to find the reason. There could be other issues involved, but hopefuuly not. Hope this helps. Raisins are good also i think.

A.

You have been given many great suggestions, mine is not about food but actually about your daughter and you doctor. Is this a new problem? What prompted your physican to check for this? Is she having any kinds of symptoms? Why 10 days or a blood transfusion? how low are the values really? If you don't have the answers to these questions, I would probe your doctor further and if you don't get an immediate appropriate response, find another doctor and get a second opinion. Also, vegetable sources of iron are more easily absorbed, followed by red meat and last is iron from supplements. Try not to feed her food high in calcium with iron foods as calcium interferes with iron absorption (like cheeseburgers, not spinach. single foods high in both are ok). I would encourage you to get as much information as possible about your daughters lab values and symptoms, if she has any, and research the subject on your own. If she truely is anemic and really does need a transfusion, it is probably more than diet can solve. There is probably also some sort of causitive factor. A transfusion may only serve as a temporary fix. If it really does come to the point of transfusion, you may conider asking to consult with a hematologist, they specialize in these things, there is a group at Cook's and I'm sure there is a group at Dallas Children's. Good luck!

My son had the same problem. He was also on iron med. for about a year. One food that he loved was eggs. They were great because they are easy and you can make them so many ways. Hope this helps. I'll be praying for you and your family.

Have you ever heard of Liquid Chlorophyll ? It is fresh mint flavor and works really well . I have fought anemia all my life esp. when i am pregnant. when I have to get it up NOW like you do I have quite a few pills that i could pretty much tell you will up your little girls iron If she can take them with yogurt or ice cream Let me know an i will get you the info you need on them ----S.

M.,

I have a skin care, health and wellness company.

We have an excellent supplement for kids. It gives them all their daily allowance of vitamins and minerals that they should get from fruits and vegetables.

It comes in a powder that is berry flavored that can be added to water or milk. I was talking to one of my business sisters tonight and she said she freezes it in to ice cubes and also mixes it with jello.

All of our products are botanically based, hypoallergenic, never tested on animals, no animal products or by-products, dermatologist tested, ph correct and have no mineral oil. Every ingredient in every product has to be pure, safe and beneficial.

Please let me know if you'd like more information.

Thanks and God bless!

Does she like raisens? I was told to eat them for 2 reasons *I am pregnant and run anemic*. For the iron, and the help to loosen the bowels. If she likes raisens, give her a couple of handfuls to snack on a couple times a day. I don't like grape jelly yet I like raisens or grapes mushed into the peanutbutter of my sandwich.

M.,

Here are a few more thoughts:

1. Get a proper diagnosis. Here is an article on how to PROPERLY and ACCURATELY evaluate whether there is an iron deficiency problem. Check the test that was done and make sure it is what is recommended in this article:

http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/how-do-you-know-if...

2. Careful not to dump massive amounts of iron into her little body in response to a diagnosis of anemia. This kind of panic can cause a MORE severe problem of TOO MUCH iron in her body. Take your time and do it right. See above article.

3. Look for the underlying cause. This, your doctor won't help you with. They don't do this for a living. They only treat symptoms. If your daughter has low iron, ask the question WHY? Don't assume she simply has poor nutrition intake, though poor diet doesn't help matters. She may have poor absorption. Doctors don't look at issues of absorption. We are not what we eat, but rather what we absorb. One major malabsorption cause is a gluten intolerance. Notice the above article mentions this as an underlying cause (celiac disease). Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley and rye. See this website for testing: www.enterolab.com. You'll notice under FAQ section of the website, anemia is a warning sign. The Owner/Director of Enterolab (Dr. Kenneth Fine) believes gluten intolerance occurs in about 1 in 3 people in our society. It is hardly ever diagnosed. For those lucky enough to get a diagnosis, it usually takes an average of 11 years. Do your daughter a favor and get her tested. The best solution is to improve her absorption by repairing her gut, while you try to get the good food into her. This means cream of wheat is absolutely the WORST thing you could feed her. You would eliminate all gluten, give her a quality probiotic supplement to restore gut health and improve digestion and absorption, and try to get her quality nutrition through gluten free foods (not crackers and processed gluten-free junk food, but whole foods). Grass fed meat is a great source of iron. Buy it ground at Whole Foods and hide it in stuff (in pasta, soups, etc.)

4. Consider a physician who is more informed than yours seems to be. A good pediatrician who understands food, and food food intolerances, is Dr. Deborah Bain in Frisco, www.healthykidspediatrics.com

Good luck!

I would add a teaspoon of black strap molasses to some oatmeal, or on her breakfast cereal, or just add to her milk. Try to get a teaspoon in twice a day morning and night. This is usually the fastest way to raise the blood counts. I have alot of clients with low counts due to their treatments and this can work very quickly.

Other foods high in iron include: eggs, fish, meats, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, cereals, almonds, avocados, dates, kedney and lima beans, peaches, pears, pumpkin, dried prunes, raisins and rice. I wish her a quick recovery. Blessings, J.

My kids loved it when I made spinach lazagna (no meat). I'll look up the recipe and send it later today.

A.

PS whenever I make it people usually like it very much and ask for the recipe.

Also high in iron are Total and Multi-grain Cheerios. See if she'll eat them dry (without milk) because I've heard taking iron with calcium reduces absorption. Total has a yummy cinnamon-flavored cereal that are bite sized.
Good luck to you and your daughter!

Go to the health food store and buy some liquid stevia, clear, not with glycerin. It tastes like sugar and it won't raise your blood sugar. Frappe your spinach and meat into a soup like consistency and add it. It tastes sweet.

Avoid giving her anything else, no sugar candy, cookies. Don't let her eat these, she will hold out for this. I bet she is smart. Tell her if she eats this (spinach and meat)you will give her a treat, (that means toy, bottle, piece of fruit or something she likes).

I've had to do this with my son and it works. Never give them anything but their baby food or basics when they are little. They will always hold out for the cookies, candy, cake, chocolate, cocoa, to the point of being stubborn. You get the idea.

Since you already have a child that looks to have developed poor eating, try the stevia with the spinach and meat.

May God Bless you and your child.

And if you have to, quit work and do everything you can. This sounds serious.

There is no magic answer here.

Observation, time, patience and consistency may be the only answer.

If you have to go through a blood transfusion, your little girl will be able to relate this to the fact she is not eating. You need to tell her this. She still may have to learn the hard way. Follow up with the strict rules as stated earlier.

Pray to God and ask for him to show his mercy on her and help you in your resolve to see this through.

Hope this helps.

Kat

I highly recommend the cookbook with recipes specifically for getting healthy veggies, etc. into kids. "Deceptively Delicious" was written by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) and contains terrific recipes for all types of foods. I use them not only for making healthier food for my grandchildren and elderly, anemic parents but also for getting more good nutrients including spinach which I don't like into my own diet. Your little one will never know! I bought my cookbook but you may be able to find it at your local library. Hope this helps!

Try tacos with spinach as the lettuce, If she eats mac& cheese add spinach in as well you can add spinach to almost anything. Just make red meat for every meal use anything that she has ate in the past that she likes. Have her drink things with Vit C with these meals to help her absorb the iron. Cream of wheet for breakfast. Beans, (Pinto, Black) add these to tacos anything that she might eat. Best of luck! Hope this helps!
Lou Ann

Did they not give her a liquid iron supplement for that? A diet high in iron is good, but they also should have given her a supplement!

So glad so many have offered help. Possibly this is in one of them, but just in case.... Spinach does have a lot of Iron in it. Ask your daughter to drink Orange Juice afterwards. Do the same after she eats spag sauce. Reason is because the acidity in the OJ helps absorb the iron in the spinach and in the spag sauce. Also, start looking at the foods she eats. Many cereals and breads are fortified with Iron. The amounts are small in comparison to spinach and red meat, but you'll know that she's getting Iron a little bit everywhere. Another thing is cook food in an Iron skillet. Crazy as it may seem, but the Iron in the skillet does get into the food. Healthy thing so don't worry. Take care.

When I was anemic, I googled high iron foods and found a lot. I do know that dried fruits are high in iron and kiddos love them. Try a trail mix of apricot, raisin and cranberry or something like that! Good luck.

Others have already suggested this - but I've heard that hiding nutritious foods in other dishes in situations like this really works. A friend of mine bought me the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. It has GREAT ideas. Check it out, and good luck!

I am sorry to hear about your daughters health crisis. First off, ermember that you can fix this, so embrace it and learn from it. It's the only was 'us moms' are able to learn.

Now, for the advice. Jessica Seinfeld has a great cookbook out called Deceptively Delicious and it teached us moms how to sneak foods like spinach into the diets of our children. (www.deceptivelydelicious.com)

The best route I've found is to replace all lettuce recipes with spinach. Also, spinach can be pureed and the kids don't taste it at all. Brownies, chocolate pudding, jello. It's a wonderful start.

Good luck. It will be ok.

Bless your heart! Can you buy some sort of iron supplement? I am not sure...

Can you try an iron supplement? My son's have had anemia problems. I gave them the poly-vi-sol until they were 2. Once they turned 2, I gave them the My First Flinstones vitamin for kids 2-3 years old, and now my 6 year old takes Flinstones Complete. They are both picky eaters, so this was the best solution for us.

Try Jessica Sienfeld's cookbook - Deceptively Delicious. It has several recipies that contain alot of spinach and other high iron foods. I use it because my kiddos don't like veggies. How about doing a web search for toehr quick solutions?. I know this is not an umcommon condition for little ones and someone else has had to been there before.

Good luck.

look for anything fortified with iron (iron kids bread etc...) I know it SOUNDS gross, but Grandy's sells liver on their menu and my anemic father eats it once a week to give him a boost. Maybe it isn't too bad from Grandy's. Best of luck... wish I could be more helpful.

Jerry Seinfield's wife has a cook-book about sneaking veggies into all sorts of wild things, like spinach puree in brownies. I saw her on TV recently, I wish I knew the name of the book, but I 'm sure you can just google it. GOOD LUCK

Get the book Deceptively Delicious. I think it's exactly what you need. You can check it out at http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/ . I never watch daytime TV, but needed a little distraction from a very hectic real estate day so I turned on my TV. Oprah was on with the author of the book and it looked like a fabulous way to get kids to eat spinach and other veggies and things that they need.

There are already some great recipe ideas posted. Make sure you don't mix your iron-rich foods with dairy products! She won't be able to benefit from the iron.

Try using an iron frying pan when preparing your meals. Check it out on the web. Good luck to you. The other S.

M., what kind of anemia does your daughter have? Is it just an iron deficiency? Thalacymia Minor runs in our family along with iron deficiency. It is a blood cell disorder... me, my mom, sister, cousins, nieces, and one of my daughters all have it. I was on every kind of iron supplement imaginable in pregnancy-- even liquid iron! Nothing helped. With TM, taking iron doesn't help. Some of my family members have had iron shots, even transfusions... but it is only a temporary fix. So, many of us, like me, just live with it. You get accustomed to being severely anemic, although it isn't always pleasant. I'll never run around or be too physically active, nor will my daughter. Anyway, if it is solely iron deficiency, that normally wouldn't be so severe, and I doubt it can be fixed in 10 days with diet changes. Some of the grossest food are ones high in iron, like liver (ish), and I would never eat that. But honestly, again, when it is that severe, a bit of red meat and spinach will likely not work, so look into it more. Good luck....

You can make fruit smoothies and add spinach to those - she will never taste the spinach!

Did the doctor give her iron pills?! It seems like a blood transfusion right off the bat is a little dramatic!

Rachael Ray has a good Mini Cannelloni recipe that has spinach in it. My 5 and 6 year olds loved it...and they don't even like spinach...or so they think.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mini-cannellon...

I hope you can get her blood count up quickly.

Did the doctor say why she would want to eat chalk, etc? I've heard of women craving "odd" non food items while pregnant but not kids.

I hope she gets better soon! Stay encouraged.

Get a second opinion before you allow your doctor to do anythin drastic

JUICE JUICE JUICE. If there are things that she won't eat like spinach. Juice it with things that she will, like a apple or carrots. You can get iron that way and from good sources without cooking the heck out of it. I would google sources of iron or something to that sort and see what you can use. Remember that oatmeal is a good source of iron as well. Hope this helps.