31 iron rich foods to add to your diet if you are vegan or vegetarian.

I will divide this iron rich foods list into groups of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains, and others.

iron rich foods
Photo by Sara Cervera on Unsplash

Healthy iron rich foods for vegetarians and vegans are

  • Green leafy vegetables like cooked spinach.
  • fruits like pomegranate and apples
  • colored vegetables like beetroot and sun-dried tomatoes
  • pumpkin and flaxseeds
  • beans and lentils
  • dark chocolate

Iron is an essential mineral that is required by the body for oxygen transportation throughout the body. Without a sufficient amount of iron, our body cannot make healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

For people who are vegan or vegetarian, iron deficiency anemia is a big problem.

Why the vegetarian diet has problems with iron deficiency?

Why the vegan diet has problems with iron deficiency?

  • Dietary iron comes in two forms Heme and non-heme. Non-heme is more challenging for your body to absorb, and all plant-based sources of iron are non-heme sources.
  • Heme is more comfortable for your body to absorb, but it only comes from animal products.
  • Vitamin c is essential for digestion and absorption of plant-based iron. Therefore, eating a lot of vitamin C with your food is a must ritual to include in your food.
31 iron rich foods to add to your diet if you are vegan or vegetarian.
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

Well, now we know the problem is not entirely the vegan or vegetarian diet. We can easily nourish our bodies with iron by eating healthy and tasty food. There is no shortage of iron-rich food items for vegans and vegetarians.

I will divide this Iron rich foods list into groups of Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes and Grains, and others.

FruitsVegetablesLegumes and grainsDry fruits and seedsOthers
Pomegranate BeetrootSoybeansPumpkin seedsTofu
ApplesBroccoliLentilsSoaked RaisinsDark chocolates
MulberriesSpinachChickpeasFlaxseed Coriander and
Parsley
PruneKaleBlack beansPine nutsCoconut Milk
OlivesSwiss chardNavy beansDried thyme
CollardKidney beans
Sun-dried TomatoesCooked Quinoa
Black-eyed peas
Amaranth
Always add vitamin c rich food to increase absorption of iron.

Healthy food is the foundation of a healthy body.

Let’s take a look at this list of iron rich foods with some profound insight.

Fruits – We usually don’t think of fruits as an important source of iron. but change your thinking: Adding pomegranate, banana, and apple, prune, mulberries to your diet routine, you can include iron in your diet. Prune juice is a good laxative, along with an effective iron source. Overall, these fruits are an important source of fiber and many micronutrients such as potassium, zinc, vitamins, etc.

It is best to eat fruits as snacks; this way, you can also avoid eating junk food during snacking time. Please don’t take any tea and coffee with fruits.

Vegetables – There is no doubt that green vegetables are loaded with iron. For veggie lovers, there is a long list of tasty options available for iron-rich recipes. Beetroot, both red and green, is an excellent source of iron. Broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, spinach are few options easily available.

Green Salad with lemon dressing is always a good option for tasty lunch, a full iron package with vitamin c.

Legumes and grains –Everyone is familiar that lentils and beans are essential protein sources. But all kinds of lentils are excellent iron-rich food sources. Kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, soybeans, navy beans provide a fair amount of iron. Amaranth and quinoa contain iron.

Squeeze some lemon on kidney beans curry and lentil gravy can enhance its taste as well as its absorption.

Dry fruits and seeds – Dry fruits and various nutritional seeds are an easy way to comprehend iron in our daily diet. Pumpkin seeds, hemp seed, flaxseed come up with a higher amount of iron. soaked raisins are outstanding iron sources.

Soaked 5-6 raisins / per person in the water overnight or for 6-8 hours.

Others – Tofu, Dark Chocolate, Coconut Milk, Dried Thyme, Coriander, and Parsley are good sources of Iron.

Important things to keep in mind.

  • Combine iron rich foods with vitamin c is the perfect way to increase iron absorption. Vitamin C is not only citrus oranges. Red Bell Pepper contains three times more than a lemon. Mix red pepper with beans.
  • Never take tea or coffee with your food. Tannins compound found in caffeine can block the absorption of Iron.
  • If you suffer from iron deficiency anemia, try to maintain a dairy-free diet until your iron situation recovers.

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Comments ( 19 ) -

Comment User Monica
Monica

Want to congratulate you for these wonderful articles, I have read three articles and learnt many new things, simple vocab & small sentences, easy to understand. great work sherry 👏

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