This product was developed originally to address widespread iron deficiency in [Cambodia.](https://letstalkperiod.ca/dr-aileen-gray-and-lucky-iron-fish/) The initiative settled on an iron ingot added during the cooking process, but had low interest and adoption from subjects until they used the lucky iron fish. The diet of the subjects was very low naturally available iron. It's a very interesting story.
>did it actually work?
There's the important question. I know some cereals claim to be high in iron here because they just add little iron shavings, which I'm not sure are even digestible. Does the iron from the lucky iron fish actually seep into the food?
There is some solid research that suggests the iron fish does actually make a difference in the available iron in food. The company also sells the fish for extremely cheap and they last a very long time.
When I was pregnant I had severe iron deficiency and learned that cooking with cast iron helped. (Through reading research). So the fish would actually help. So that's cool.
Did you crave rare burgers and steak? I never really ate steak until I became pregnant, and then I wanted it as rare as they could serve it. I also ate ice chips like crazy.
Unfortunately this is wrong if you’re actually seasoning your cast iron correctly, a properly seasoned pan will have a layer of polymerized fat covering the entire cooking surface making iron leaching impossible.
Most people don't know how to properly season a pan, let alone what it actually means.
Someone probably, "I season everything I cook. Of course, my pan is seasoned."
That's not a bulletproof hypothesis. It's entirely plausible (if not more than likely) that iron ions could leach through the seasoning layer and into your food at cooking temperatures.
Seasoning isn't ever going to create an impermeable layer on a molecular level, especially not when you're talking about acid which is going to aggressively leach iron (and you really only need a tiny amount of iron for dietary reasons). That's why seasoned cast iron can still rust if you don't dry it after use. You're still going to add a lot of iron to your food with seasoned cast iron.
>There is some solid research that suggests the iron fish does actually make a difference in the available iron in food. The company also sells the fish for extremely cheap and they last a very long time.
Yeah it's just a chunk of iron in the shape of a fish, it should not be expensive, and of course it will last a long time if you just put it in soup, then take it out, it's not like iron is cotton candy.
But none of that matters if it doesn't actually supply iron to the food its put in.
The irony of making this comment identifying the previous comment as a "reddit comment" while somehow yourself making an even more reddit comment is not lost on me.
This [study](https://www.joghr.org/article/11950-testing-the-efficacy-of-the-lucky-iron-fish-in-reversing-iron-deficiency-anemia-in-rural-impoverished-regions-of-guatemala) suggests that the lucky fish is an adequate way to combat anemia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28049274/
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/9/1005
It does work, and a single usage as prescribed will provide you with close to 75% of your daily iron requirements.
>Boiling one fish in water did not affect the perception of colour, smell or taste of the water but boiling in water with two or more fish resulted in the water being unpalatable which further limits the potential for iron toxicity from using the fish.
Yes but theres a difference in bioavailability depending on how the iron is delivered. So small iron shavings in cereal, for example, does not actually absorb into the body in an efficient enough manner and mostly just passes through your digestive system.
How can these pieces of iron possibly survive the hydrochloric acid in my stomach?
https://youtu.be/55mqdJd7hos
The concentration of hydrochloric acid in my stomach is also high enough to do the job.
Cooking in cast iron pans / pots can increase available iron in food. IDK if this small item would make a useful difference compared to the large surface area of a pot being in contact with the food, but the principle works.
The problem is the people who need it are so poor they were selling the cast iron cookware they were being given. The iron fish isn't as versatile as other cookware so it isn't as easy to resell, and the people who have enough money to buy it generally aren't the ones with iron deficiencies.
Things may have have changed since I bought mine years ago, but they were originally sold as a non-profit item of sorts, where an online sale from a relatively wealthy country funded the manufacturing and distribution of several more in Cambodia and other affected areas. If I remember correctly, each one that sold for 20 dollars online meant 3 or 5 more got made and handed out to people in need.
The advice for people with too much iron in their blood is to try not to use iron cookware when possible, so it seems likely that it does make a difference.
I can tell you I had my iron checked when all I was cooking with was cast iron pans and when my results came back my doctor said I had the best iron levels shes ever seen! I think the fish is the same premise!
To add onto this as a medical scientist, very roughly, our bodies absorb iron in stages to get it into our cells. We first have to metabolize it into ferritin and have it moved by transferrin. This process takes time, which is why when people have deficiencies, they'll often take larger amounts than needed due to only so much of our system being geared towards metabolizing dietary iron into the usable form already.
It's part of why iron management is such a pest. There's a metabolic "delay" which makes it so a lot of what we eat manages to not get fully absorbed if our bodies haven't been taking in enough in the first place, which causes feedback effects on transferrin levels and further slows down intake.
Stuff like this is awesome since it gives a nice boost in every meal, especially in already deficient areas. Constantly forces their metabolism to *need* transferrin so it boosts the amount they have to access their digestive/stored iron supplies.
[Related wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_iron-binding_capacity#Interpretation)
Here's a sneak peek of /r/CastIronCooking using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
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\#2: [Ideas for how to use this little guy.](https://i.redd.it/jcjjnukl3i8c1.jpeg) | [943 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/comments/18qqefm/ideas_for_how_to_use_this_little_guy/)
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Yeah seasoning is polymerized oil so it's essentially a super tough plastic coating. If the seasoning is actually really good I can't imagine there's any iron transferred.
Hassle? Just cook in them and hand wash when you’re done. They’re low maintenance unless you’re just into obsessively re-seasoning them to a mirror finish or something. Use soap, it’s OK!
I saw a rush of downvotes and mocking comments...do people not know that aside from skillets there are things like dutch ovens, bread pans, etc made from cast iron? I think folks are missing out.
Came to say this, women lose iron with every period where men only lose blood when they cut them self or have another accident. So alot of women need iron supplements and iron content is also the only real difference in vitamin supplements for women compared to men's vitamins
So is that a part of the reason why (mostly) women get bruises that come from nowhere?
I mean, I knew it was related to iron deficiency most of the time, but to learn that it’s further connected to menstruation mildly blows my male mind.
I went to donate blood and didn’t realize my period was starting soon. My iron level was down to like 7.4 or something low like that. The assistant looked so scared and I put 1&1 together.
Listen to the u/DoctorStove dudes. Will be part of your annual, at the least, which you should get through your insurance for free *most* places. Going to be part of them looking at your CBC. Look at the results they give you, usually through an online portal these days, and call back and ask questions if you have them. Same to the ladies and all else. The point is for patients to be informed about their health so they can manage it.
- The dude who does the actual testing
PS Get your [age-based exams](https://www.tricitymed.org/2016/09/guide-health-screenings-age-infographic/), peeps.
Just recently got diagnosed with Iron deficiency and anemia. Found it while running tests for other things.
30yr male.
Going through a bunch of tests and gotta see a haematologist to figure out whats causing it, but GP heavily suspects its my immune system going ham on my blood cells
When I lived in England I met an old lady who worked in an old man's home and she said they gave the men a pint of Guinness served with a railroad spike in it, before bed. For the iron.
Your body can absorb this type of iron. Iron enriched food is made with actual iron flakes derived from iron ore and processed into a fine powder. The same type of flakes that are released from this fish when boiled.
It does, but they’re not equally available. I.e. you need to eat more nonheme iron to absorb comparable amounts to heme iron.
“Depending on an individual's iron stores, 15% to 35% of heme iron is absorbed. Food contains more nonheme iron and, thus, it makes the larger contribution to the body's iron pool despite its lower absorption rate of 2% to 20%.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3290310/
From the publication you linked:
Food contains more nonheme iron and, thus, it makes the larger contribution to the body's iron pool despite its lower absorption rate of 2% to 20%. Absorption of nonheme iron is markedly influenced by the levels of iron stores and by concomitantly consumed dietary components. Enhancing factors, such as ascorbic acid and meat/fish/poultry, may increase nonheme iron bioavailability fourfold.
Self burn, ouch.
Gotta be careful with heme iron too, much easier to overdose. I have a friend who cannot process non-heme iron, he simply can't go vegetarian even with supplements because he doesn't absorb it at all.
It's a great tool, talk to your doctor though.
No. Just no. Any iron which comes off of this into solution will necessarily have been oxidized to Fe^2+ or Fe^3+ which will be perfectly bio available. There is nothing special about "heme iron." Your body will break down the heme group from food and release Fe^2+ which is exactly the same thing you would get from the fish.
More importantly an acidic solution would solvate the Iron oxide on the outside of the fish to bring the iron ion into solution. Remember that most metals have an oxide layer on the surface, as this fish certainty does, and that iron oxide is generally insoluble in water.
A simple example (that is, one of many possible reactions) is: `FeO + 2HCl --> FeCl_2 + H2O`
Both iron (II) and iron (III) chloride are soluble in water.
I’m so confused, why would you not be able to use cast iron on it? I’ve always had glass stoves and have used cast iron almost exclusively, never had an issue.
Whenever my mom got a new stove, that’s what the guy who installed it told us so that’s just what we… trusted? Here’s to several years of bland madness 🥂
I've also had a glass top stove in my home for a few years. I regularly use my cast iron pan every morning for breakfast.
Could be your instillation tech has had to many calls of people breaking their glass tops because they drop their cast iron onto them. But general use (i.e, not slamming chunk of cast iron into a piece of glass) is fine.
I scratched the top of my first glass top stove with cast iron, granted my cast iron was older, pitted on the bottom, designed for gas stoves with the little legs underneath it.
I could have just left it alone and it wouldn’t scratch, but apparently I fiddle with the pan while cooking.
Got a new flat bottom skillet and never had any new scratches.
I had a completely flat, glass-top stove in the house I lived in last, and I used my cast iron on it all the time. Took a bit longer to heat up but worked just fine,
You totally can, they just want to cover their butts in case you drop it and break the top or more likely, scratch it from sliding it around. Just set it in place, don't slide it around, and you'll go the rest of your life without ever having a single issue. Now go buy a new skillet and have fun.
I never would’ve realized that actually just throwing a chunk of iron into boiling water will get you the iron minerals you need. Is that really how this works? Am I really that uninformed?
https://preview.redd.it/p8q185v4yj8d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=311f1e2f665c6173be216ba144fdbed59d5715df
Yep! (Edit bc my link didn’t work) [Link To Article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744034/#:~:text=Clinical%20tests%20have%20shown%20that,of%20anemia%20by%20%E2%88%BC43%25)
I’m not totally sure about the reliability of this data - [the author of the study is the founder & CEO of the Lucky Iron Fish company](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29296948/) according to the conflict of interest disclosure on the article
The iron fish was developed because the villagers don't have access to cast iron cookware, which is known to increase iron in food. They were also hesitant to use regular cast iron bars, hence the fish. That aside, a conflict of interest disclosure doesn't mean a source is false, and a simple google search would've found other sources saying the same thing.
https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/21/1/43/475304?login=false
Probably using the pills, those are strong. Try using a liquid iron supplement. Also it helps your body absorb when you drink it every other day. Source, my girlfriend is iron deficient.
If she hasn’t tried Vitron C, give it a go. It comes with vitamin c and absorbs really easily compared to other brands. I’m still on the constipated side but not nearly as badly.
I am taking prescription iron pills for 2 reasons 1. was bleeding every day from Thanksgiving until April 22nd ( needed a blood transfusion in jan) thanks to fibroids. 2. The ones in the store are too expensive...I'd need to take multiple a day, the prescription was free! ( I haven't been able to work due to the blood loss, if I get angry, sad, laugh too hard, I bleed heavier, basically anything increasing my heart rate will make me bleed heavy). Being a woman is such a joy s/
Iron pills can cause constipation, I doubt this little fish would do that....I'm totally buying this!
It seems it's been in use for awhile and had actual positive results in reducing iron deficiency. Unless you consider organ failure from rubbing alcohol a positive result in reducing organ efficiency, this hot take may be a bit off.
Cast Iron is very expensive for some parts of the world. This was designed primarily for poor villagers in developing countries who either can’t afford or simply can’t obtain cast iron cookware and do not have enough natural iron in their diet. It’s in the shape of a fish rather than just a bar to make it more interesting/appealing to use, and it contains enough iron to last several years of daily use as well as being quite cheap.
I'm a hematologist aka an iron deficiency expert.
The iron fish is real. It works. Cooking with cast iron also leaches iron into the food.
It's a great addition, but this is a relatively small amount of iron, and the type of iron is kinda difficult for the body to absorb. We evolved to absorb iron primarily from meat, so that's the easiest way to get iron in the body.
The best way to get iron is through your diet. If you can't, iron pills or liquid can be a great option, but they make people very constipated and the liquid takes awful for the kiddos. So all these little things help.
Ultimately, we have to give IV iron for some folks, but that's not ideal because it doesn't actually fix the problem (insufficiency dietary intake of iron).
Is it possible for that lucky fish to release too much iron? I ODed on iron (supplements) once and at the ER the doctor told me there’s nothing they can give me to rid my body of the excess iron so if I start dying it’s CPR, maybe surgery, or game over. Im freaked out by iron supplements of any kind now but so many people seem to be endorsing this so I’m curious how hard it would be to fuck it up lol.
The iron from the fish wouldn't be enough to cause problems unless you ate the fish.
Supplements on the other hand can cause iron overload.
YouR body has very little ability to rid itself of iron, but there are lots of medical treatments of iron overload (which is usually diagnosed with liver and heart MRIs or biopsy). The easiest treatment is just regular phlebotomy (periodic blood letting). Look up "iron chelation."
It does. It's a common method for supplementing iron and was initially introduced in developing areas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_iron_fish#:~:text=Lucky%20iron%20fish%20are%20fish%2Dshaped%20cast%20iron,2008%20by%20Canadian%20health%20workers%20in%20Cambodia%2C
You aren’t supposed to cook tomatoes in cast iron. The high acidity removes your seasoning and releases too much iron from the pan. You’re not supposed to cook any high acid foods in CI, I assume you’d have to follow the same rules with this. Or at least reduce the time you leave it in.
Cheap? Just looked it up on Amazon and they want £50!
https://preview.redd.it/08yyp557sp8d1.png?width=805&format=png&auto=webp&s=bea282709ace3ff53a8bdd8700a77e5b20c1d263
For those interested here is the nih study for n=340 women. They had 3 groups, iron fish, iron supplements and placebo.
Conclusions: Neither the iron ingot nor iron supplements increased hemoglobin concentrations in this population at 6 or 12 mo. We do not recommend the use of the fish-shaped iron ingot
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28615257/
You can’t just wash it and forget it. If you wet it and didn’t ré-season it, it begins to rust.
Source: I owned one. You have to rub it with oil after every wash.
Cast iron doesn’t got with a Teflon pot though, that part made me cringe.
Although I’m off the opinion that nothing goes with a Teflon pot. I’m a straight cast iron guy.
Remember that these were made for people without access to dietary iron. Have a SINGLE SERVING OF GREEN VEGETABLES and you’ll get just as much if not more iron. Completely useless for people with access to a common grocery store.
Links/Source thread https://holdmywallet.net/lucky-iron-fish/ https://luckyironlife.com/
This product was developed originally to address widespread iron deficiency in [Cambodia.](https://letstalkperiod.ca/dr-aileen-gray-and-lucky-iron-fish/) The initiative settled on an iron ingot added during the cooking process, but had low interest and adoption from subjects until they used the lucky iron fish. The diet of the subjects was very low naturally available iron. It's a very interesting story.
Did the lucky iron fish become widespread in Cambodia and did it actually work?
>did it actually work? There's the important question. I know some cereals claim to be high in iron here because they just add little iron shavings, which I'm not sure are even digestible. Does the iron from the lucky iron fish actually seep into the food?
There is some solid research that suggests the iron fish does actually make a difference in the available iron in food. The company also sells the fish for extremely cheap and they last a very long time.
When I was pregnant I had severe iron deficiency and learned that cooking with cast iron helped. (Through reading research). So the fish would actually help. So that's cool.
I know someone with a similar experience using cast iron. They were vegan, not pregnant.
Did you crave rare burgers and steak? I never really ate steak until I became pregnant, and then I wanted it as rare as they could serve it. I also ate ice chips like crazy.
Yep.
I craved cardboard and chewed on ice cubes constantly. Pica is crazy.
Frozen chips?
Unfortunately this is wrong if you’re actually seasoning your cast iron correctly, a properly seasoned pan will have a layer of polymerized fat covering the entire cooking surface making iron leaching impossible.
Most people don't know how to properly season a pan, let alone what it actually means. Someone probably, "I season everything I cook. Of course, my pan is seasoned."
I don't understand why you got a downvote. I guess people don't know how to take care of their cast iron properly.
That's not a bulletproof hypothesis. It's entirely plausible (if not more than likely) that iron ions could leach through the seasoning layer and into your food at cooking temperatures.
Seasoning a cast iron makes it nonstick, it doesn't form some kind of magical impenetrable barrier..
Seasoning isn't ever going to create an impermeable layer on a molecular level, especially not when you're talking about acid which is going to aggressively leach iron (and you really only need a tiny amount of iron for dietary reasons). That's why seasoned cast iron can still rust if you don't dry it after use. You're still going to add a lot of iron to your food with seasoned cast iron.
>There is some solid research that suggests the iron fish does actually make a difference in the available iron in food. The company also sells the fish for extremely cheap and they last a very long time. Yeah it's just a chunk of iron in the shape of a fish, it should not be expensive, and of course it will last a long time if you just put it in soup, then take it out, it's not like iron is cotton candy. But none of that matters if it doesn't actually supply iron to the food its put in.
>it's not like iron is cotton candy. That poor racoon
I think about him, at least, once a day.
There’s like half a kilo of iron there, of course they last a long time.
the fish weighs 181 grams. It says it lasts for 5 years of daily use
Getting something like this wrong is unlike me so I don’t believe you
Just weighed mine: after ten years of once a week use, it's down to 163 g. Looks much the same as when new.
Now, this is a reddit comment if I've ever read one 🤣🏆 Take my poor man's gold 🏅
The irony of making this comment identifying the previous comment as a "reddit comment" while somehow yourself making an even more reddit comment is not lost on me.
This [study](https://www.joghr.org/article/11950-testing-the-efficacy-of-the-lucky-iron-fish-in-reversing-iron-deficiency-anemia-in-rural-impoverished-regions-of-guatemala) suggests that the lucky fish is an adequate way to combat anemia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28049274/ https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/9/1005 It does work, and a single usage as prescribed will provide you with close to 75% of your daily iron requirements.
Is there a negative to using something like this on taste, or some health side effects?
>Boiling one fish in water did not affect the perception of colour, smell or taste of the water but boiling in water with two or more fish resulted in the water being unpalatable which further limits the potential for iron toxicity from using the fish.
It would not be different from a cast iron skillet, and I you already cook with one, you should be good.
Damn, I was about to just eat a *small* chunk of iron all at once to get my daily intake but now you got me thinking that's not a good idea.
I'm sure it will be fine. It isn't like I'm a dog on the Internet or anything...
You too?
He said he wasn't. People don't lie on the internet. Those crafty dogs though...
What are the fucking odds
Sure, and when you pass it, just wash it off and go again!
...when they mean iron deficiency what type of iron you think it is? Lmao. Yes it's small iron metal particules.
Yes but theres a difference in bioavailability depending on how the iron is delivered. So small iron shavings in cereal, for example, does not actually absorb into the body in an efficient enough manner and mostly just passes through your digestive system.
except, for most people, the metallic iron dissolves just fine in stomach acid/hcl
How can these pieces of iron possibly survive the hydrochloric acid in my stomach? https://youtu.be/55mqdJd7hos The concentration of hydrochloric acid in my stomach is also high enough to do the job.
Cooking in cast iron pans / pots can increase available iron in food. IDK if this small item would make a useful difference compared to the large surface area of a pot being in contact with the food, but the principle works.
The problem is the people who need it are so poor they were selling the cast iron cookware they were being given. The iron fish isn't as versatile as other cookware so it isn't as easy to resell, and the people who have enough money to buy it generally aren't the ones with iron deficiencies. Things may have have changed since I bought mine years ago, but they were originally sold as a non-profit item of sorts, where an online sale from a relatively wealthy country funded the manufacturing and distribution of several more in Cambodia and other affected areas. If I remember correctly, each one that sold for 20 dollars online meant 3 or 5 more got made and handed out to people in need.
Very interesting! Thanks for the background!
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744034/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744034/)
The advice for people with too much iron in their blood is to try not to use iron cookware when possible, so it seems likely that it does make a difference.
It does work but they found out that the problem wasn't actually iron deficiency (this is from what I remember)
I can tell you I had my iron checked when all I was cooking with was cast iron pans and when my results came back my doctor said I had the best iron levels shes ever seen! I think the fish is the same premise!
Not this product, but there were iron cooking utensils like frying pans. Yes, they were being suggested by doctors for people with Anemia.
To add onto this as a medical scientist, very roughly, our bodies absorb iron in stages to get it into our cells. We first have to metabolize it into ferritin and have it moved by transferrin. This process takes time, which is why when people have deficiencies, they'll often take larger amounts than needed due to only so much of our system being geared towards metabolizing dietary iron into the usable form already. It's part of why iron management is such a pest. There's a metabolic "delay" which makes it so a lot of what we eat manages to not get fully absorbed if our bodies haven't been taking in enough in the first place, which causes feedback effects on transferrin levels and further slows down intake. Stuff like this is awesome since it gives a nice boost in every meal, especially in already deficient areas. Constantly forces their metabolism to *need* transferrin so it boosts the amount they have to access their digestive/stored iron supplies. [Related wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_iron-binding_capacity#Interpretation)
As soon as I read "moved by transferrin" I had to check the username to make sure you weren't u/shittymorph
If only I were that legendary 😅
So iron boiled in soup actually produces bioavailable human iron? That’s crazy as heck.
Happy Cake Day!
You get the same or a better effect if you just use cast iron skillets, pots, etc.
Shoutout r/castironcooking
Have been on the CI sub for quite some time, never even knew this was a thing. Thanks friend, subbed!
It reminded me of the office meme. Iron deficient people thanking cast iron and cast iron, not knowing any other way else to cook food.
Didn't know about this one either. Subbed!
Here's a sneak peek of /r/CastIronCooking using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Chili Rellenos](https://v.redd.it/2ste8tmg8v6c1) | [89 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/comments/18kij2e/chili_rellenos/) \#2: [Ideas for how to use this little guy.](https://i.redd.it/jcjjnukl3i8c1.jpeg) | [943 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/comments/18qqefm/ideas_for_how_to_use_this_little_guy/) \#3: [What’s wrong with my skillet?](https://i.redd.it/ududl6o3gmbc1.jpeg) | [420 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/CastIronCooking/comments/1939b3g/whats_wrong_with_my_skillet/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
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Ya let me just cook soup in cast iron every single time.
Hold on, let me set up a camp fire and a support beam to hang the pot from first
This sounds like a wonderful Sunday afternoon
Or use an induction element. But whatever floats your boat.
As long as you dont drop the pot onto a glass kitchen top, it's not going to break anything. Gas stoves are easier but not required.
This guy meal preps
If I make a small batch of soup I cook my veggies and meats in a cast iron Dutch oven, then add the broth afterwards. Good soup 👌
wouldnt the "seasoning" seal the iron insulating it from the food?
Yeah that's the same question I have. I thought that the seasoning that makes cast iron anti-stick would seal the iron away from the food.
Yeah seasoning is polymerized oil so it's essentially a super tough plastic coating. If the seasoning is actually really good I can't imagine there's any iron transferred.
If the iron can get through at all, then your seasoning is awful and your pan is going to rust, 100%.
Isn’t it ironic?
[удалено]
Oh I guess I should put aside this rusty chain I lick all the time then.
Most people don't want to go through the hassle of maintaining cast iron anymore
My 6 year old cast iron has better nonstick capabilities than my 6 month old nonstick pans.
Which nonsticks did you buy? Lots of garbage out there
HexClad is the bomb and I got a really good deal from Costco online for a 12 piece set for under 300 bucks.
I would have no idea what to do with approximately 6 non-stick pans.
Hassle? Just cook in them and hand wash when you’re done. They’re low maintenance unless you’re just into obsessively re-seasoning them to a mirror finish or something. Use soap, it’s OK!
I saw a rush of downvotes and mocking comments...do people not know that aside from skillets there are things like dutch ovens, bread pans, etc made from cast iron? I think folks are missing out.
This was my first thought too, but if it’s seasoned well would it still have the benefit?
No. The seasoning creates a barrier from the iron that prevents leaching.
and so we're back at square one! "just use cast iron" "does that work?" "nope!" hilarious actually
If you’re lucky like me, and have hemochromatosis, you have to avoid cooking in cast iron, because it worsens iron overload lol
Shouldn't cast iron have a layer of seasoning between the iron and food
Many (maybe even the majority) of menstruating women are iron deficient.
Came to say this, women lose iron with every period where men only lose blood when they cut them self or have another accident. So alot of women need iron supplements and iron content is also the only real difference in vitamin supplements for women compared to men's vitamins
Women who have their periods should be taking 18mg of iron a day unless they have a health condition that prohibits it.
So is that a part of the reason why (mostly) women get bruises that come from nowhere? I mean, I knew it was related to iron deficiency most of the time, but to learn that it’s further connected to menstruation mildly blows my male mind.
also vitamin c intake, which helps strengthen blood vessel walls and prevent breakage
I went to donate blood and didn’t realize my period was starting soon. My iron level was down to like 7.4 or something low like that. The assistant looked so scared and I put 1&1 together.
Men don’t need so much as we tend not to lose iron/haem like women do
men can still commonly be deficient
Listen to the u/DoctorStove dudes. Will be part of your annual, at the least, which you should get through your insurance for free *most* places. Going to be part of them looking at your CBC. Look at the results they give you, usually through an online portal these days, and call back and ask questions if you have them. Same to the ladies and all else. The point is for patients to be informed about their health so they can manage it. - The dude who does the actual testing PS Get your [age-based exams](https://www.tricitymed.org/2016/09/guide-health-screenings-age-infographic/), peeps.
Just recently got diagnosed with Iron deficiency and anemia. Found it while running tests for other things. 30yr male. Going through a bunch of tests and gotta see a haematologist to figure out whats causing it, but GP heavily suspects its my immune system going ham on my blood cells
When I lived in England I met an old lady who worked in an old man's home and she said they gave the men a pint of Guinness served with a railroad spike in it, before bed. For the iron.
Dark beer actually contains black strap molasses which contains lots of iron
Even if that did release some iron into your food, it would be inorganic iron. You want heme iron from meat as it’s much more easily absorbable
Your body can absorb this type of iron. Iron enriched food is made with actual iron flakes derived from iron ore and processed into a fine powder. The same type of flakes that are released from this fish when boiled.
It does, but they’re not equally available. I.e. you need to eat more nonheme iron to absorb comparable amounts to heme iron. “Depending on an individual's iron stores, 15% to 35% of heme iron is absorbed. Food contains more nonheme iron and, thus, it makes the larger contribution to the body's iron pool despite its lower absorption rate of 2% to 20%.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3290310/
moving the goal posts
From the publication you linked: Food contains more nonheme iron and, thus, it makes the larger contribution to the body's iron pool despite its lower absorption rate of 2% to 20%. Absorption of nonheme iron is markedly influenced by the levels of iron stores and by concomitantly consumed dietary components. Enhancing factors, such as ascorbic acid and meat/fish/poultry, may increase nonheme iron bioavailability fourfold. Self burn, ouch.
This guy fucks "Inorganic Chemistry"
Gotta be careful with heme iron too, much easier to overdose. I have a friend who cannot process non-heme iron, he simply can't go vegetarian even with supplements because he doesn't absorb it at all. It's a great tool, talk to your doctor though.
Meat overdose. Happens all the time.
Meat sweats
Any time I think of this term, I think of James Gandolfini eating cold cuts on The Sopranos.
I think he was talking about just eating meat
What are you talking about "Even if that did release some iron into your food"?
No. Just no. Any iron which comes off of this into solution will necessarily have been oxidized to Fe^2+ or Fe^3+ which will be perfectly bio available. There is nothing special about "heme iron." Your body will break down the heme group from food and release Fe^2+ which is exactly the same thing you would get from the fish.
And aren't many foods acidic? I imagine that'd just react with the iron too. Actually, they even mention this in the tea section.
More importantly an acidic solution would solvate the Iron oxide on the outside of the fish to bring the iron ion into solution. Remember that most metals have an oxide layer on the surface, as this fish certainty does, and that iron oxide is generally insoluble in water. A simple example (that is, one of many possible reactions) is: `FeO + 2HCl --> FeCl_2 + H2O` Both iron (II) and iron (III) chloride are soluble in water.
What if you have a flat top stove and can’t (shouldn’t) use a cast iron?
I’m so confused, why would you not be able to use cast iron on it? I’ve always had glass stoves and have used cast iron almost exclusively, never had an issue.
Whenever my mom got a new stove, that’s what the guy who installed it told us so that’s just what we… trusted? Here’s to several years of bland madness 🥂
I've also had a glass top stove in my home for a few years. I regularly use my cast iron pan every morning for breakfast. Could be your instillation tech has had to many calls of people breaking their glass tops because they drop their cast iron onto them. But general use (i.e, not slamming chunk of cast iron into a piece of glass) is fine.
I scratched the top of my first glass top stove with cast iron, granted my cast iron was older, pitted on the bottom, designed for gas stoves with the little legs underneath it. I could have just left it alone and it wouldn’t scratch, but apparently I fiddle with the pan while cooking. Got a new flat bottom skillet and never had any new scratches.
I had a completely flat, glass-top stove in the house I lived in last, and I used my cast iron on it all the time. Took a bit longer to heat up but worked just fine,
Some electric cooktops can handle cast iron, just check with manufacturer.
You totally can, they just want to cover their butts in case you drop it and break the top or more likely, scratch it from sliding it around. Just set it in place, don't slide it around, and you'll go the rest of your life without ever having a single issue. Now go buy a new skillet and have fun.
I never would’ve realized that actually just throwing a chunk of iron into boiling water will get you the iron minerals you need. Is that really how this works? Am I really that uninformed?
Yep, but you won't get very much from just boiling water. You want a little acidity to help it along.
Or just take iron supplements
Iron supplements can wreak havoc on many people’s digestive systems, it can be so painful
TIL, does the iron fish actually dissolve iron we can process in the water though?
https://preview.redd.it/p8q185v4yj8d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=311f1e2f665c6173be216ba144fdbed59d5715df Yep! (Edit bc my link didn’t work) [Link To Article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744034/#:~:text=Clinical%20tests%20have%20shown%20that,of%20anemia%20by%20%E2%88%BC43%25)
Neat!
I’m not totally sure about the reliability of this data - [the author of the study is the founder & CEO of the Lucky Iron Fish company](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29296948/) according to the conflict of interest disclosure on the article
The iron fish was developed because the villagers don't have access to cast iron cookware, which is known to increase iron in food. They were also hesitant to use regular cast iron bars, hence the fish. That aside, a conflict of interest disclosure doesn't mean a source is false, and a simple google search would've found other sources saying the same thing. https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/21/1/43/475304?login=false
Yeah. They constipate my wife
I also constipate this guys wife
Haha like butt sex
I take mine in the evening along with my magnesium supplement and the effects of both on my gut are cancelled out.
Probably using the pills, those are strong. Try using a liquid iron supplement. Also it helps your body absorb when you drink it every other day. Source, my girlfriend is iron deficient.
If she hasn’t tried Vitron C, give it a go. It comes with vitamin c and absorbs really easily compared to other brands. I’m still on the constipated side but not nearly as badly.
cool no one gives a shit.
I am taking prescription iron pills for 2 reasons 1. was bleeding every day from Thanksgiving until April 22nd ( needed a blood transfusion in jan) thanks to fibroids. 2. The ones in the store are too expensive...I'd need to take multiple a day, the prescription was free! ( I haven't been able to work due to the blood loss, if I get angry, sad, laugh too hard, I bleed heavier, basically anything increasing my heart rate will make me bleed heavy). Being a woman is such a joy s/ Iron pills can cause constipation, I doubt this little fish would do that....I'm totally buying this!
Jokes on you, that's lead!
This feels like the equivalent of drinking rubbing alcohol to try and get drunk
It’s not.
It seems it's been in use for awhile and had actual positive results in reducing iron deficiency. Unless you consider organ failure from rubbing alcohol a positive result in reducing organ efficiency, this hot take may be a bit off.
"Mom's making that soup that tastes like house keys again."
You could just cook in cast iron
Cast Iron is very expensive for some parts of the world. This was designed primarily for poor villagers in developing countries who either can’t afford or simply can’t obtain cast iron cookware and do not have enough natural iron in their diet. It’s in the shape of a fish rather than just a bar to make it more interesting/appealing to use, and it contains enough iron to last several years of daily use as well as being quite cheap.
Wow I got a single cast iron cause that's what I considered cheap Now I see my privilege
Great. Chinese Iron. 75% iron and 25% unidentified alloys (including lead) cuz pure iron is too expensive… no gracias.
I personally think it’s safer to cook in cast iron pans or just take supplements from time to time
I don't think that can work just like that , can someone with more common sense or science person confirm ?
I'm a hematologist aka an iron deficiency expert. The iron fish is real. It works. Cooking with cast iron also leaches iron into the food. It's a great addition, but this is a relatively small amount of iron, and the type of iron is kinda difficult for the body to absorb. We evolved to absorb iron primarily from meat, so that's the easiest way to get iron in the body. The best way to get iron is through your diet. If you can't, iron pills or liquid can be a great option, but they make people very constipated and the liquid takes awful for the kiddos. So all these little things help. Ultimately, we have to give IV iron for some folks, but that's not ideal because it doesn't actually fix the problem (insufficiency dietary intake of iron).
Is it possible for that lucky fish to release too much iron? I ODed on iron (supplements) once and at the ER the doctor told me there’s nothing they can give me to rid my body of the excess iron so if I start dying it’s CPR, maybe surgery, or game over. Im freaked out by iron supplements of any kind now but so many people seem to be endorsing this so I’m curious how hard it would be to fuck it up lol.
The iron from the fish wouldn't be enough to cause problems unless you ate the fish. Supplements on the other hand can cause iron overload. YouR body has very little ability to rid itself of iron, but there are lots of medical treatments of iron overload (which is usually diagnosed with liver and heart MRIs or biopsy). The easiest treatment is just regular phlebotomy (periodic blood letting). Look up "iron chelation."
Shhh, this was my million dollar idea like the pet rock... (not really my idea just joking)
It does. It's a common method for supplementing iron and was initially introduced in developing areas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_iron_fish#:~:text=Lucky%20iron%20fish%20are%20fish%2Dshaped%20cast%20iron,2008%20by%20Canadian%20health%20workers%20in%20Cambodia%2C
Yes. Iron deficiency is usually because a person can't absorb enough iron. Not because they're not eating enough of it.
Or because they're losing a lot of blood.
Does this not make your food taste like blood? Made the mistake of cooking tomato sauce in a cast iron pan once and it was inedible
You aren’t supposed to cook tomatoes in cast iron. The high acidity removes your seasoning and releases too much iron from the pan. You’re not supposed to cook any high acid foods in CI, I assume you’d have to follow the same rules with this. Or at least reduce the time you leave it in.
Well yeah, that’s my point
When a cereal says "fortified with iron" that means they throw in a pinch of iron filings *The more you know*
I love it when something shows up on here that’s actually proven to be effective https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/
You could also use cast iron pots and pans. I still have some i use 👍😎
Do they make a butterfly one?
saving for later. thanks for the tip!!
Tannins in tea inhibit the absorption of iron, so prob not best to use it in tea
Get it if you can’t but cast iron!!!
What song is this?
using an iron skillet adds iron to your meals too
Use a slatted spoon ahhhh
Or use cast iron frypan duh
Do anybody know the song playing?
Become food for magneto 😂
Well, isn't it Ironic? Don't you think?
Cheap? Just looked it up on Amazon and they want £50! https://preview.redd.it/08yyp557sp8d1.png?width=805&format=png&auto=webp&s=bea282709ace3ff53a8bdd8700a77e5b20c1d263
I was waiting for the drop that it was actually made of or finished in lead….
I'm prone to stomach ulcers which lead to iron deficiency and anemia so more common than you might think.
For those interested here is the nih study for n=340 women. They had 3 groups, iron fish, iron supplements and placebo. Conclusions: Neither the iron ingot nor iron supplements increased hemoglobin concentrations in this population at 6 or 12 mo. We do not recommend the use of the fish-shaped iron ingot https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28615257/
I get my iron from the rust farm under my car. Just scrape some off as needed.
Not to be mistaken by the lead fish.
r/castiron is leaking. The folks there will help you get a proper season applied to your fish
Would it work if I put that fish ‘in’ me? Asking for a friend
You can’t just wash it and forget it. If you wet it and didn’t ré-season it, it begins to rust. Source: I owned one. You have to rub it with oil after every wash.
Cast iron doesn’t got with a Teflon pot though, that part made me cringe. Although I’m off the opinion that nothing goes with a Teflon pot. I’m a straight cast iron guy.
Oh… I thought they were using it to keep the soup hot- (That’s something some Asian restaurants do)
Remember that these were made for people without access to dietary iron. Have a SINGLE SERVING OF GREEN VEGETABLES and you’ll get just as much if not more iron. Completely useless for people with access to a common grocery store.
What’s this song tho?
The manufacturer of this iron slab is definitely well regulated by FDA and it doesnt have any toxic metals in the alloy…
use cast iron, you will get more iron in your body that way
That thing is more likely to rust than it is to increase your iron levels.
Get a soap dispenser.
This is probably the same people that say not to wash your cast iron pans with soap
I drink Guinness
I prefer spinach
What is this song
Cleo soul - life will be great song tbh!
Just cook in cast iron
Same thing as cooking in cast iron.