One of my neighbors had a hematocrit of 12. It should have been at least 38. He asked if he could go back to work and they asked him how he was managing to walk. He regularly gets transfusions and iron IVs. He has tried several different brands of iron supplement, both with and without Vitamin C to help it absorb. No one knows why his levels are so low.

At one point I suggested getting an iron skillet and cooking tomato products in it. I have to wonder, though, if it would be cheaper and easier to get fairly big pieces of iron and put them in a slow cooker to avoid the splattering.