Alternative sources of iron
If you have chosen a vegetarian or vegan diet or you simply lack of iron, you should introduce in your daily diet these foods rich in iron. Not only the famous spinach, but also tofu, dried apricots, dried fruit and lentils.
Pay attention to the pairings
To assimilate the iron in vegetables and legumes it is useful to pair them with foods rich in Vitamin C and avoid, instead, those foods that slow down its assimilation. For instance, do you know that spinach, rich in iron, contains also oxalates that stop the assimilation of the organism?
6 foods rich in iron
1. Tofu and soy
We’ve already talked about vegetal proteins, but it is important to remind that tofu, obtained from yellow soybeans, transformed into coagulated milk, rich in iron. In 100 gr, there are in fact, more than 5 mg, moreover it gives to the organism also other essential nutritive principles.
2. Cauliflower and chard
Wide room to green vegetables, like cauliflowers and chards that not only are rich in vitamins but they have also a good percentage of iron. To gain a great quantity of iron in a single meal eat cauliflowers and chards adding also potatoes, given that they contain more than 3 mg per 100 gr.
3. Pumpkin seeds
All the seeds are good, but these ones are really rich in iron! Choose the most natural seeds, without salts which excess cause water retention. Use them as you like most: in salad, in yogurt or bread and dough. Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan that help sleeping, magnesia, Omega 3 and zinc. In 28 gr, the suggested daily version, there are more than 4 mg of iron.
4. Dark chocolate
Greedy and foodies, celebrate!! Dark chocolate seems to be a super food! Not only it is a great way to defeat stress but also a tasty remedy against anaemia, 100 gr have, in fact, 17 mg of iron.
5. Spirulina
You find it for sale as a bright green velvety powder, but also as single-dose pills. Spirulina is the discovery of the last years, a micro seaweed that born spontaneous in salt lakes that is harvested, dried and grinded. In addition it can be worked to extract the properties. It contains even vitamin E, C and B.
6. White beans
All the legumes are a perfect source of iron, but the white beans stands out (with 3,9 mg each 100 gr), followed by lentils (3 mg). White beans, big and tasty, are a real cure-all because they supply a great quantity of proteins, vitamins and iron, in fact they can be considered great substitutes of meat.