iron in food

Question
Hello, I am currently having a vegan diet and I would like to know what kind of plants for eating are rich in iron? How can I maximize iron absorption without taking pharmaceutical supplements? Thanks a lot !

Regards.

Answer
Hello Jack!

  Thank you for your nutrition question.  Plant Foods High in Iron Content

Here抯 some high ticket, iron-rich plant foods:

Grains:
  

Iron (milligrams)

Brown rice, 1 cup cooked
  

0.8

Whole wheat bread, 1 slice
  

0.9

Wheat germ, 2 tablespoons
  

1.3

English Muffin, plain, 1
  

2.4

Oatmeal, 1 cup cooked
  

1.6

Pita, whole wheat, 1- 6 1/2 inch
  

1.9

Spaghetti, enriched, 1 cup, cooked
  

1.9

Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup
  

4.5

Legumes, Seeds, and Soy:
  



Sunflower seeds, 1 ounce
  

1.9

Soy milk, 1 cup
  

2.7

Kidney beans, ?cup canned
  

1.5

Chickpeas, ?cup, canned
  

1.6

Tofu, firm, ?cup
  

2.0

Tempeh, ?cup
  

2.2

Soy burger, 1
  

1.8 -3.9*

Vegetables:
  



Broccoli, ?cup, boiled
  

0.5

Green beans, ?cup, boiled
  

0.4

Peas, ?cup frozen, boiled
  

1.2

Lima beans, baby, frozen, boiled, ?cup
  

1.8


*Can vary with brand. Check nutrition label.

Eating a fortified cereal along with a varied, balanced diet is probably going to be the best way to help you meet your daily iron needs, if you wish to switch over to a totally plant-based diet.

Here抯 another important tip, you can double the amount of iron absorbed from a plant-based meal by adding foods that contain a mere 25 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C. And get this: Your absorption of iron can increase as much as three-to-six fold by adding vitamin C-rich foods that contain 50 mg or more in each meal!

Each of the following foods provide over 50 milligrams of vitamin C: 1/2 cup cooked broccoli, 8 ounces of grapefruit, orange or vegetable juice, a cup of either cantaloupe or strawberries, a kiwi or orange, or a sweet pepper.

Since iron is listed on the nutrition fact panels of food products, you can easily keep track of the iron in your diet. The iron content on the label is provided as a percentage of the daily value, which is set at 18 milligrams. For example, if the label states that a serving of pasta provides 10 percent of the daily value for iron, it will serve up 1.8 mg of iron.

For more answers to your nutrition questions check out "Ask the Nutritionists: Answers to Your Nutrition Questions" available at www.authorhouse.com, online, or at your favorite bookstore.  

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