Fortify your daily diet right at home

Step 1 of 2 - Choose your shape

Search

Getting to Know Our Customers: Tannis Reddy

  • 3 min read

Strong. Healthy. Energetic. If you’re anemic, these are words you may have difficulty using when describing yourself. Iron deficiency anemia affects 2 billion around the world, with women and children being most at risk. Maintaining proper nutrition and exercising is important to feeling your best, and iron deficiency anemia can make daily activities challenging to keep up with.

We love hearing positive feedback from people who have used the Lucky Iron Fish to improve their lives, and when we heard Tannis Reddy’s story, we thought it was an important one to share. Tannis sat down with us to discuss how she conquered iron deficiency anemia and in turn, is using her newfound energy to help others overcome their own obstacles.


Q: How long have you been running for and how many times a week do you usually run?

A: I started running in High School, but seven years ago was when I really caught the running bug. I try to run three to four times a week, often for one to three hours at a time.

Q: Where are your favourite places to run in Toronto?

A: My top two favourite place to run are High Park and the Lakeshore. I love that you can run East or West and there’s great routes wherever you go. Sometimes I also run in Lawrence Park, which has a nice running trail.

Q: How would you describe your lifestyle?

A: I try to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. I have a very busy schedule and I find when I’m treating my body well, I feel better physically and mentally. As far as my nutrition goes, I follow a pescatarian diet and don’t eat any dairy. It's what works for me.

Q: What was your journey to an anemia diagnosis?

A: I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia over 10 years ago now. I noticed I was feeling super tired and lethargic all the time. I was young, so it didn’t make sense that I would have such low energy. I was becoming very frustrated, so I went to the doctor for some tests. As it turns out, I have a lot of allergies and I’m not able to absorb sources of iron properly like other people.

Q: How did you hear about the Lucky Iron Fish and how long have you been using it?

A: I have a friend who is vegan and she recommended the Lucky Iron Fish. She uses it to get more iron in her diet and said it worked really well for her, so I thought I would try it too! I’ve been using it for just over a year now and have been loving how easy the Fish is to use. And how I feel.

Q: What difference have you felt since using the Lucky Iron Fish?

A: I have my energy back, which translates to so many other great things. When you have more energy, you feel like you can accomplish so much more. Since I feel stronger, I’ve been able to push my running to new levels. I ran my first full marathon in October, and due to my rigorous training schedule, I don’t know if that would have been possible without the energy I’ve gained from using the Lucky Iron Fish.

Q: Why did you decide to run a marathon?

I never had a goal in life of running a marathon. I’m not very competitive and I usually like to run because it makes me feel good. However, my good friend Mandi started a foundation called Ur Enough, which she founded to celebrate overcoming obstacles in life. She overcame an eating disorder herself, but the foundation includes other obstacles people are facing like alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental health. I found myself touched and inspired by her choice to come forward with her story, and as I have struggled with anxiety myself, I related to this concept wholeheartedly. Since I was feeling healthier than ever, I thought running the Scotiabank Marathon would not only challenge myself physically, but would help raise awareness to opening a dialogue about the challenging times in life. We had a team of people who ran various distances of the marathon, and we raised over $16,000 for the National Eating Disorder Information Centre. I couldn’t be more proud to have been part of that journey, and am so happy that my anemia didn’t hold me back from contributing to a cause I feel so passionate about.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tannis!