How to add more Iron to my diet?

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

I recently decided to check out the iron part of my food diary, and in total, most days it is in between 5-10 and on some days it was counted as 0.

What foods can I add in to my diet that is Iron? (Preferably not tablets).

Thank yew all :)

Replies

  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Are you vegetarian? Beef is loaded with iron, but it's in pretty much any meat you eat.

    My favorite iron source is Green & Black's 80% cocoa dark chocolate. Six small squares is 20% of your iron for the day, plus some calcium and protein. Also, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and an appetite suppressant, so you feel satisfied and don't have the energy crash other candy gives you.

    The Green & Black's is VERY rich, so just a little goes a very long way.
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    Im anemic and have to take a ferrous gluconate pill each day to not feel like crap.

    However, these foods Ive always been told by my dr have iron:
    peanut butter
    spinach
    eggs
    nuts
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
    I have the same problem many days, because I don't eat red meat. Try a breakfast cereal fortified with iron, such as Raisin Bran. Iron and fiber together.
  • smashleymcgee
    smashleymcgee Posts: 135 Member
    Top 10 foods with Iron (according to a google search):

    Red meat
    Egg yolks
    Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards)
    Dried fruit (prunes, raisins)
    Iron-enriched cereals and grains (check the labels)
    Mollusks (oysters, clams, scallops)
    Turkey or chicken giblets
    Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans
    Liver
    Artichokes

    Be careful that iron doesn't make you violently ill though. I can only have iron in small doses, otherwise I throw up almost immediately.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Years ago I tested borderline anemic and always keep these foods in mind as being iron rich:

    Beef
    Leafy greens (kale, spinack, collard greens, chard, etc.)
    Pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas)
    Shellfish (scallops, clams, shrimp, etc)
    Beans (lentils, garbanzos, etc.)
    Fruit (raisins, prunes, peaches)
    Organ meats (liver especially, but I HATE liver!)
  • Brannock8
    Brannock8 Posts: 170 Member
    I had the same problem, now I do it popeye style, and just always keep a bag of spinach in the fridge to snack on
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I do eat red meat, just not very often.
  • Uk_Yogini
    Uk_Yogini Posts: 167
    Lentils
    Pumpkins seeds
    Soy beans
    Quinoa
    Spinach
    Dried peaches
    White beans
    Spirulina
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Also keep in mind that many of the entries in the database may not contain the iron. Not everyone fills out the entry completely, they only put what THEY track.
    I have seen milk without sodium on there, eggs too, and they both do naturally.

    Check your labels and find the BEST entry.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    The bio-availability of the nutrients in grains are very, very low. In fact the phytates in grains are mineral binding and iron is one of the mineral that get bound up and taken out of the body with the grains. We do not contain the necessary enzymes to break down grains so we can't benefit from the nutrients in them.

    Eat meat. That is the best source of iron and the body digests it and absorbs the nutrients (ingestion does not equal absorption or digestion).
  • breezysoul
    breezysoul Posts: 159 Member
    Cooking in cast iron skillets and pans can add significant amounts of iron to your food and into your body. Especially if the food is acidic like tomatoes and tomato-based sauces.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories