Lucky Iron Fish

I always seem to have low iron, I'm not sure why but every blood test says that I am low in iron.  I eat well but think I have a higher need for iron than most people.  My wife always had low iron, and my youngest son had low iron.

I can tell when I am low in iron.  I feel off.  I know the feeling well but can't describe it.  When I am low I tend to eventually buy iron supplements.  I have to take them every day.  After a few weeks my iron levels increase and I feel ok.  When the supplements run out I don't buy any more and it normally takes a while for my iron to run low again.  Supplements aren't cheap, so I tend to buy them infrequently.

My son was so low in iron that his gums were very pale when they should be darker pink.  Pale gums are a sign of low iron levels.  Being a young child he needs enough iron to grow and develop properly.  Iron supplements are expensive, they take a few weeks to work, and are very difficult to get a young child to take regularly enough for long enough to make a difference.

For some time I have considered buying a Lucky Iron Fish.  They are a little fish shaped piece of iron.  You boil it in water, or cook with it, and it releases iron into to water/food.  When you drink that water, or eat that food, it increases your iron intake.  Sounds pretty cool.  Getting a child to drink water is easier than getting them to take supplements.

I did some research (not blogs like this, medical papers from peer reviewed journals) and read a lot about the Lucky Iron Fish before committing to trying one.  It seems like it is safe, and that using it increases blood iron levels in people whose iron levels were low due to inadequate iron in their food.  This is much like taking iron supplements, but it doesn't hurt your stomach and works out a lot cheaper in the long run.

Lucky Iron Fish - I have been using it every night for about five months

The Lucky Iron Fish was first developed to combat anemia in Cambodia, which is a huge issue over there.  To me this sounded odd because much of the food eaten by poor people in Cambodia is actually rich in iron.  Strangely enough most of the studies showed that the Lucky Iron Fish worked well in many countries, but had limited impact in Cambodia.  I found this intriguing.

After a lot more reading I discovered that most of Cambodia's anemia problem has nothing to do with low iron intake, and is mostly due to some genetic disorders that are common over there.  Research demonstrates that increasing the amount of iron in food has no effect on non iron-deficiency anemia that is prevalent in Cambodia.  This explains why the Lucky Iron Fish is of limited value in Cambodia but appears to successfully decrease anemia in other countries.  Similar to any supplement, it only helps if you are not eating enough of that nutrient.  I don't consume enough iron, which means that the Lucky Iron Fish should work for me.

Last year, after much research, I bought a Lucky Iron Fish.  

Each night as I wash the dishes I boil 2 liters of water with a few drops of lemon juice and the Lucky Iron Fish.  After 20 minutes (which is about the time it takes me to wash up the dishes) I take the pan off the stove and leave it to cool, I dry the fish and put it on the shelf.  Before going to bed I pour the cooled water in bottles.  The next day we drink that water.  You could use it for cooking, but we drink enough water that we easily go through that each day.

The photo above is of my Lucky Iron Fish.  I have been using it every night for about five months now.  I just dry it with a dish cloth when I have used it.  I didn't buy the protective oil or anything like that.  After five months of daily use it seems to be holding up pretty well.  I am told that after using it every day like this that after five years its smile will wear off, and that is when it is time to get another one.

The amount of iron that the Lucky Iron Fish releases is pretty impressive.  When combined with a varied diet it easily makes up for any shortfall in iron.

The water tastes like water.  I couldn't taste or smell anything.  If you put in too much lemon I guess it would taste lemony?  The instructions that come with the Lucky Iron Fish are really simple to understand and follow.

I felt low in iron when I started to drink the fish water.  At the start I could not drink enough of the water, I felt like I needed to drink it.  It was really weird, but makes sense that my body was low in iron and wanted more of it.  It took a few weeks, but after a while I didn't feel low in iron.  At that stage I no longer wanted to drink iron water, the craving to drink it had faded.  I now drink the Lucky Iron Fish water a few times per week (but I still make it every night for my wife and son) and feel like my iron level is always up.

I have been checking my son's gums ever few days over the past few years.  After using the Lucky Iron Fish water for a few weeks his gums went from almost white to a very healthy looking dark pink, indicating that his iron levels were much higher.  The difference is rather remarkable.  His behaviour changed over this time, but he is getting older so it may have nothing to do with the iron fish.  He is a growing boy, so I keep giving him the iron water.  The water is providing about half the iron he needs each day, he would be getting the rest from his food.

The below is a comparison table from the Lucky Iron Fish website. 

Iron from using a Lucky Iron Fish

If you are low in iron I completely recommend trying a Lucky Iron Fish.  For me it worked really well.  Other people may or may not have similar results.  One thing to remember is it isn't a magic bullet, you need to drink it every day (or every few days) for a few weeks before you will notice any difference.

The Lucky Iron Fish company used to donate money from each purchase to aid work in Cambodia.  I think they still do this, but it may change over time.  

The metal used to make Lucky Iron Fish is safe.  It has been tested by many labs over time and they all say that it is safe.  There are a few other companies who make iron fish, I could not find any research on them so was not certain that the metal used was safe.  I would hate for low levels of lead or cadmium or even if it was radioactive or something like that to be leaching into my drinking water!  There have been several instances that I am aware of where China sold scrap metal from deactivated nuclear reactors that is highly radioactive to an unsuspecting market, I would hate to buy a cheaper iron fish and have it made from that iron.

You can buy a Lucky Iron Fish from their website, I used to have a link to get people a discount, but they no longer do that as I am in Australia.