I do a blood test every so often to check for any deficiencies and year after year my ferritin scores come back low. For example when I first started a plant based nutritarian diet 8 years ago my score was 130 ng/mL then a few years into it I checked it and it dropped to 8 ng/mL and I now the latest score was 17 ng/mL - the 'normal range' in the lab report is 20-345 ng/mL I would like to know if you encounter other people who have low ferritin scores after adopting a plant based diet. Also what you would suggest people with low ferritin do to bring their levels up.

Hi Eugene. Unfortunately, eating plant-based alone (without an emphasis on nutrient-rich plants) may not be enough to keep your ferritin levels up. For instance, if you rely on grains or protein powders for much of your calories, you might not get enough iron. Make sure to eat lots of iron-rich foods like spinach, asparagus, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, bok choy, tofu, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and kale. Also, you might consider a low-dose iron supplement until your ferritin levels return to normal.