I'm getting next to no Iron in my diet. Help?

MarieMcCormack

Hi All,
I was hoping someone would be able to suggest a way for me to get more Iron in my diet. I've been using My Fitness Pal for 5 days and the most Iron I have managed is 34% of my goal. Most days I don't get any Iron at all! I'm a vegetarian so don't eat meat or fish. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Marie

daffodilsoup

Lentils are little vegetarian iron powerhouses (3mg per serving) and delicious when made into lentil loaf, sloppy joes or lentil soup.

Also on the list:

Spirulina (1 tsp): 5 mg
Cooked soybeans (1/2 cup): 4.4 mg
Pumpkin seeds (1 ounce): 4.2 mg
Quinoa (4 ounces): 4 mg
Blackstrap molasses (1 tbsp): 4 mg
Tomato paste (4 ounces): 3.9 mg
White beans (1/2 cup) 3.9 mg
Cooked spinach (1/2 cup): 3.2 mg
Dried peaches (6 halves): 3.1 mg
Prune juice (8 ounces): 3 mg

danikanoodles

Dates! Dates are great in iron. Also lots of leafy greens. Not everyday has to be on target. It's more like over the coarse of time.

langsyne

Well I am a bit of a spinach freak, so I'll say spinach. Spinach salads, steamed spinach, baked peppers stuffed with spinach, spinach omelette (not for vegan though).

hendinerik

Total Cereal - has 100% of your iron... other people have good suggestions with real food, but that's a quick one - easy to just buy the cereal and mix it in things or have for breakfast..

cleotherio

Unsweetened cocoa. A tablespoon has up to 10% RDA of Iron. You have to look at the label though. I've seen some brands as low as 2%, and some up to 10%. I use Ghiardelli (sp?). I add a spoonful to smoothies or make hot cocoa with it.

sekhmet13

Multivitamins are a must for everyone

StonesUnturned

Beans and spinach. And I just discovered I am getting a decent iron amount from cocoa powder. Yeah!
Also, if you are not low-carbing it, bread and pasta have a fair bit of iron as well.

endlesoul

The easy fix is a multivitamin and there are many on the market geared towards vegetarians. Please read the following it is from Mayo Clinic. Even though you have the correct amount of iron mg eaten from non meat sources it doesn't mean it is all absorbed.

Because iron isn't as easily absorbed from plant sources, the recommended intake of iron for vegetarians is almost double that recommended for nonvegetarians. To help your body absorb iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli, at the same time as you're eating iron-containing foods.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/hq01596/nsectiongroup=2

Docmahi

Just a note with MVA - a lot of them don't actually contain iron, I think most prenatals don't but I can't recall. So just make sure you get one with iron in it.

You can also consider an Iron supplement just be aware they can cause constipation sometimes

roodica

I second/third a multivitamin or fortified cereal. Pretty hard to get in meat eaters diet and very hard in a veggie diet

Princess4Run

I have issues with anemia, found this to be helpful. You don't have to necessarily eat meat to increase iron levels. Eggs/legumes/whole grains/beans have a decent amount as do green leafy vegetables and dried fruit.