Hi Ladies,

I'm under the belief that as said the 'black' is from the excess iron that your body has not absorbed from the supplements.

Just make sure you don't take your vitamins at the same time as any caffeine - especially coffee. And including chocolate, tea etc. Caffeine hugely prevents iron absorption. Try to avoid caffeine at least an hour/two before and after taking your supplements to allow time for your body to absorb it properly.

I have been a vegetarian for more than 15 years and have always had supplements to ensure I get adequate iron & B vitamins. I always found when I increased my intake of caffeine my #2's were blacker from my body not absorbing the iron supplements sufficiently. This has been confirmed many times to me over the years from health professionals and they all recommend consuming vitamin c (ie glass or orange juice) with meals or supplements as this promotes iron absorption.

In saying that.. iron supplements definetely cause constipation so you must be getting some of it! I'm with the other girls and say go for Metamucil or something to help with the constipation.

HTH!

Mel x