Foods high in iron?

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callieadams79
callieadams79 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Specifically vegetarian. I can't seem to reach my iron goals!

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  • tonya1263
    tonya1263 Posts: 6 Member
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    Callie:
    I am not a vegetarian but suffer from anemia so I can tell you that you are in a tough spot. If you add whole grain breads that include riboflavin supplements that may help. But you should consider a iron supplement. Anemia is horrible and can lead to serious health problems. Good luck.
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
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    Spinach and chickpeas
  • olymp1a
    olymp1a Posts: 1,766 Member
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    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Spinach and chickpeas

    those were my favorite sources when I was vegetarian, I also ate cereal and almond milk enriched with iron and B12.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    assume horse meat is not considered vegetarian?!
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Pulses including chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans and tofu. Sprouted beans and seeds such as aduki beans, alfafa and sunflower seeds. Cereals and products such as breakfast cereals and bread. Green leafy vegetables including spinach, kale and cabbage and also broccoli. Nuts, in particular almonds and cashews. Dried fruit especially apricots, dates and raisins. Date syrup and molasses are good sources of iron. Vitamin C which helps with absorption of iron is present in citrus fruit and juices as well as salad items like sweet peppers, lambs lettuce and tomatoes as well as broccoli and leafy greens.

    edit: also iron can be hard to absorb especially when taken with caffeine, calcium, tannin, proteins. Vitamin C can help absorption.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited August 2016
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    callieadams79 wrote: »
    Specifically vegetarian. I can't seem to reach my iron goals!

    Also remember that foods from the database on MFP don't include iron as most people when they add the foods to the database aren't interested in iron, or don't have the iron info. Your best bet is to enter all your foods manually including the iron where possible for a more accurate number for iron.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Not sure if Wheat Chex are vegetarian-friendly, but 1 serving (47 g) has 80% iron.
  • double_dash88
    double_dash88 Posts: 33 Member
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    Have you been to your doctor to have your levels tested? I've been anemic for years and years and no matter how hard I try to hit iron goals with food, I just can't seem to turn those levels around. If you're vegetarian there's an even higher chance you're going to be low iron and it's really hard on your body. For most things, I agree that you should rely on your balanced diet as the source of the vitamins your body needs. But, if you're low (and with your dr's ok), you may want to consider taking a supplement. I take Feramax and find that it's better than some of the generic iron salts for avoiding digestive issues. Proferrin works well too but it's NOT vegetarian!

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