Don't ignore your doctor if they tell you your iron levels are low.

When my doctor first told me my iron levels were consistently low, in my normal ignore-what-the-doctor-says fashion, I didn't take it seriously. As far as I knew, anemia was common and it wouldn't really effect me. But let me tell you! I regret it, and the last year has shown me how ignoring your health can affect you slowly and silently.

It all started with constant fatigue. I felt dead tired for like a year. No joke. In addition to fatigue, I started to notice my skin becoming pale, brittle nails, almost weekly nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, cold hands and feet, headaches, and most recently, chest pain. All symptoms of anemia.

Now, the nausea was the part that got me to the doctor. Nausea means a few things for a woman and uh, let's just say I wasn't ready for one of them. Ladies, you know. I told her about my symptoms, she gave me nausea medication and sent me on my way. SMH. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I did a WebMD search on 'anemia + nausea' and I started to read the symptoms of anemia and realized that was it. My mom is also anemic, so it definitely makes sense. I also went to a new doctor and she confirmed my WebMD diagnosis. Womp. Don't judge. I'm sure y'all are WebMD certified, too. 

I share this because most of my readers are women (both men and women can have it, though), and we tend to be unaware of severity of anemia. And teens! Teens tend to have severely unbalanced diets so this includes them, too. I'm also kind of a nerd for this stuff so. 💁🏾  

My go-to healthcare remedies are usually at-home and all-natural, like eating certain foods. This is usually the best way to counter diet-related health issues, because taking supplements alone won't fix it. Supplements (like vitamins) are just that - supplements to the food you already eat.

Here's a simple list from the American Dietetic Association for the best natural sources of iron:

Any way, I bought these Iron vitamins by Terra Nova last year on my trip to London, and so far they are the best vitamins I've ever tried. The vegan capsules have no fillers, no binders, and no additives which means you get exactly what it says: iron, and iron only.

I wasn't sure how much I would like these, so I didn't buy enough to last me until I go back so I'll take any suggestions! Comment below.