Do you remember the day a physician suggesting iron rich food for anemia for you? From the next day, you should drink a fortified drink which is very unpleasant. Whatever may be the ailment, the physicians recommend women to have some most Iron rich foods. It is because 90% of the women will have one or the other type of anemia. So, to improve the blood content, hemoglobin content iron is very essential. But, most of us rely on the fortified drinks instead of acquiring it naturally which So, know the Iron rich foods list which is tasty and gives you enough amount of iron.
Iron rich foods list for Women
A healthy male should consume 2-40 milligrams of Iron a day, but for female, the minimum amount of iron required is 18 milligrams a day. This simple equation says it all about the necessity of Iron for women. Iron is the one which carries oxygen to all parts of our body. So, for better circulation, we need iron abundantly. Iron is a sensitive mineral which degrades faster when exposed to heat. So, know What foods are rich in iron and include them in your diet. Here is the list of iron rich foods for vegans, vegetarians, and non-vegetarians.
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Spinach:
Spinach is the best of all iron rich foods for vegetarians. In fact, all the green leafy vegetables have appreciable amounts of iron. So, for vegetarians, leafy having a green leafy vegetable daily in any of the meal is the best way to get sufficient amount of iron. Here the quantity is also very important. Every half cup or 125 ml cooked spinach can render 3-3.5 milligrams of Iron. As these vegetables are less in calories, you can eat them in high amounts without any hesitation. It is also a best iron rich baby foods, for toddlers and pregnant women.
2. Instant oatmeal:
Instant oatmeal is the best gift for those who are on a low-calorie diet because it is low in calories, high in fiber and iron. Nowadays everyone is into this dieting regimen, but because of the lack of knowledge, they have some tasty flavored oats which have fewer benefits. So, eat an instant cooked plain oatmeal (you can add some boiled vegetables and fruits) to meet your daily requirement of Iron. 175 ml or 3/4th cup of instant oatmeal will provide you nearly 6 to 6.6 milligrams of energy. Due to this reason, It is one of the best iron rich breakfast recipes for pregnant women, toddlers. Add this to your Iron rich foods list and have it in any of your meal.
3. Liver:
If you are a meat lover, then have a good amount of liver at least thrice a week. Of all the livers, pork liver is rich in Iron content. 75 gm of pork liver comprises of 13.4 milligrams of Iron. 75 grams of each of the Lamb liver, turkey liver and chicken liver will have around 6-10 milligrams of Iron. So, whatever may be the liver it consists of a right amount of liver, and you can have it for your lunch or dinner every day. It is the best food rich in iron and protein which an individual in strict fat-free diet can include in their diet.
4. Pumpkin seeds:
It is the best food rich in iron that everyone can have in their snack time. If you have a particular inclination towards snacks, then you can eat this simple snack every day. Apart from the nutrition, these pumpkin seeds are delicious and healthy. Every quarter cup of pumpkin seeds is made of 8.6 milligrams of Iron. So, this will be one of the foods rich in iron to give to toddlers and teenagers as they have special love for snacks. This iron rich food for kids will help in excessive oxygen supply and make them healthy.
5. Prunes:
Do you know that what is the important factor that enhances the absorption of the Iron? It is none other than the water-soluble Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid. So, you can get enough of Vit C and Iron at a time with these prunes. Besides the prune juice tastes delicious which is an extra benefit. When compared to the normal prunes, dried prunes are more beneficial. So, have a cup of prune juice to get 3.5 milligrams of Iron regularly. It is best to iron rich food for toddlers and elderly people who can’t swallow the food. So, add this to your Iron rich foods list for infants and babies and give them regularly.
6. Tofu:
Tofu is nothing but a food prepared from Soya milk or Soy milk. Just like paneer, tofu is also a product obtained from curdling of soy milk. So, all the vegans out there can enjoy this Iron rich food is which is utmost delicious and healthy. As the vegans can’t take paneer, they miss out the delicacy of the paneer. But, tofu can replace the place of paneer regarding taste and minerals. Every 150 grams of cooked tofu possess 3-8 milligrams of Iron which may fulfill half of the daily need of Iron. So, tofu products are the best iron rich foods for vegans and toddlers.
Foods that act as Iron Absorption Enhancers
As mentioned earlier, intake of Iron is not just enough, we should also monitor its absorption also. So, for this Vitamin-C rich foods are very helpful. Besides this, there are few foods that enhance iron absorption process of Iron. So, when you take any of the products in the Iron rich foods list also have the below-given foods in combination. They are
- Meat: Fish and Poultry dishes help in Iron uptake.
- Fruits: Vitamin C family i.e., Citrus fruits are the best. Besides, Strawberries, Cantaloupe are also beneficial.
- Vegetables: Brussels, sprouts, Broccoli, tomato, potato, Bell peppers.
Iron Absorption Inhibitors
If there is a hero, definitely there will be a villain too. In the same way, there are few foods which inhibit the Iron absorption and shows some ill effects. So, we should avoid these foods along with Iron rich foods.
- Red Wine, Coffee, and Tea.
- Vegetables: Rhubarb and sweet potatoes
- Milk or calcium rich foods.
- Phytate rich foods like walnuts also block iron absorption.
So, these are the Best Iron rich foods list for vegetarians which you can include in your diet regularly. For pregnant women, the iron requirement is more compared to any other individual. So, Have plenty of Iron rich foods during pregnancy to avoid the complications at the time of delivery. Also, to avoid anemic problems every woman should have these regularly.