13 Vegan Foods Packed With Iron
Iron is an essential mineral that we need for our red blood cells to function properly and transport oxygen around the body. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in North America so it’s something that we all need to make sure we stay on top of, especially as vegans and vegetarians.
It’s extra important for non-meat eaters to make sure they are getting enough iron because the recommended daily allowance for vegetarians is 1.8 times higher than for meat eaters. This is because the form of iron found in meat is more bioavailable than the form that is found in plant-based foods.
According to the NHS* the amount of iron you need as a meat-eater is:
- 8.7mg a day for men over 18
- 14.8mg a day for women aged 19-50 years
- 8.7mg a day for women over 50
That means that vegetarian woman aged between 19-50 need 33mg of iron a day. This should not be an issue though as there are still plenty of plant-based sources of iron! We have put together a handy list of our favorite 13 for you right here:
1.
Just 1 cup of cooked spinach contains 6.4mg of Iron.
2.
1 large potato contains 2.9mg of iron.
3.
1 cup of boiled chickpeas (164g) contains 4.7mg of iron.
4.
100g of oats contains 4.7mg, whilst 1 cup of cooked oatmeal contains 0.9mg of iron.
[divider style=’full’]
Get Our Top 21 Vegan Recipes Sent Straight To Your Inbox:
[thrive_optin color=”blue” text=”Join Now!” optin=”20″ size=”medium” layout=”horizontal”]
[divider style=’full’]
5.
1 cup of boiled lentils (198g) contains 6.6mg of iron.
6.
1 cup of cooked kidney beans (178g) contains 3.9mg of iron.
7.
1 cup of boiled soybeans (172g) contains 8.8mg of iron.
8.
1 cup of pumpkin seeds (64g) contains 2.1mg of iron.
9.
1 cup of cooked quinoa contains 2.8mg of iron.
10.
1 cup of green peas (145g) contains 2.1mg of iron.
11.
1 cup of almonds (143g) contains 5.3mg of iron.
12.
1 cup of swiss chard (36g) contains 0.6mg of iron.
13.
1 cup of figs (261g) contains 0.7mg of iron.
Hopefully, you found this list helpful. Just making a point to regularly add these ingredients to your recipes can help you to keep on top of your iron intake.
If you would like us to send you our favorite vegan recipe each week, then subscribe to our mailing list below.
Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iron/
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?SYNCHRONIZER_TOKEN=e8f2fb8e-1561-42ec-a001-0a1028a44f29&SYNCHRONIZER_URI=%2Fndb%2Fsearch%2Flist&qt=&ds=&qlookup=&manu=
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00051880.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php
Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
Hallberg L. Bioavailability of dietary iron in man. Ann Rev Nutr 1981;1:123-147.