Iron Rich Plant-Based Foods
Iron rich vegan bowl made with greens (fresh dill, mint, sorrel, leafy lettuce, fiddleheads), vegan tzatziki, gyros tofu cubes, hummus sauce, pomegranate seeds, and wheat, barley and oat grain blend
How to meet your iron intake recommendations with a plant-based diet
Did you know, according to the World Health Organization, that 25% of the world population suffers from anemia? Furthermore, more than half of these cases are due to an iron nutritional deficiency.
Summer salad with pears, green oakleaf lettuce, endives, black radish sprouts, watercress, mint leaves, and roasted walnuts. The light creamy dressing is made with avocado, lime juice, walnut and olive oil, coarse Himalayan salt, filtered water, and fresh dill.
Iron deficiency and anemia
Iron helps maintain your blood cell health and builds blood proteins essential for good digestion, metabolism and circulation. It’s an essential mineral that’s needed to make proteins, such as hemoglobin and myoglobin.
Hemoglobin is the protein present in red blood cells that carries oxygen from our lungs to our tissues, while myoglobin helps supply oxygen to our muscles.
Anemia is a relatively common condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Having anemia may make you feel tired and weak. If that is the case, eat more iron-rich foods!
The two types of iron found in food
Some people seem to believe that if they stop eating meat, their diet will be iron deficient. In fact, plants are an excellent source of iron and can very well meet your needs.
These are 2 types of iron found in foods :
Heme iron is found only animal protein (meat, poultry, seafood, and fish).
Non-heme iron, by contrast, is found in plant-based foods like grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs and milk.
Plant-based sources of iron are drawn into plants from the soil. Eating sources of vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, at the same time as a plant-based source of iron, will improve the body’s absorption of the mineral.
Garlic lemon brown rice pasta with chickpeas, fresh parsley, roasted pine nuts, and pepper flakes
25 plant-based foods that are rich in iron (non-heme)
Mixed vegetable bowl with lupini beans, roasted red peppers, eggplant and parsnip, green leaf lettuce, slow roast tomatoes, Brussel sprout chips, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and a tahini dressing
Recommended intake
According to Health Canada, men over the age of 19 have a recommended daily allowance of 8 mg of iron. Premenopausal women have a much greater iron requirement than men. Women aged 19-50 have an RDA of 18 mg. After age 50, the number falls in line with men at 8 mg/day. Requirements are different for children under 18, as well as for pregnant or lactating women.
Kale ceasar salad made with onions which were fermented in miso for 1 month. The taste is very similar to anchovies. This salad is also made with homemade coconut bacon, vegan parmesan and a creamy ceasar salad dressing made with cashews, capers and roasted garlic.
You can easily meet your daily iron requirements by eating a green salad everyday with ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds, combined with tomatoes, strawberries or a little lemon juice.
Finally, if you reduce your consumption of meat, fish and dairy products, you will not become anemic. A well-balanced plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients your body needs, including iron. Add a little green salad with a dab of lemon juice in your daily ritual and it’s smooth sailing from here on.