Dietary Iron For Vegetarians
And since non heme iron tends to be less easily absorbed by our bodies than heme iron the rdi for vegetarians and vegans is 1 8 times higher than for meat eaters.
Dietary iron for vegetarians. The vegetarian resource group vrg is a non profit organization dedicated to educating the public on vegetarianism and the interrelated issues of health nutrition ecology ethics and world hunger. Vegetarians who eat a varied and well balanced diet are not at any greater risk of iron deficiency anaemia than non vegetarians. The dietary iron intake was assessed by a 24 h dietary recall. Vegans get the most because the dairy products that other vegetarians eat contain.
Vegetarian nutrition information recipes books and publishers of vegetarian journal. The mean daily intake di of iron was significantly higher in the female vegan group compared to the control group. Vegetarians and vegans should be concerned about the iron status and intake. In addition to publishing the vegetarian journal vrg produces and sells cookbooks other books pamphlets.
Because iron isn t as easily absorbed from plant sources the recommended intake of iron for vegetarians is almost double that recommended for nonvegetarians. The mineral is found all over the earth and is essential to red blood cells transporting oxygen and nutrients to every cell in our body connecting us directly to the land we live on. To help your body absorb iron eat foods rich in vitamin c such as strawberries citrus fruits tomatoes cabbage and broccoli at the same time as you re eating iron containing foods. Here is a list of 21 plant.
Vegetarian and vegan sources of iron include beans lentils tofu dark leafy greens dark chocolate whole grains mushrooms seeds nuts pumpkin squash and salad greens. Vegetarians who eat a varied and well balanced diet are not at any greater risk of iron deficiency anaemia than non vegetarians. A diet rich in wholegrains legumes nuts seeds dried fruits iron fortified cereals and green leafy vegetables provides an adequate iron intake. Iron hepcidin 25 ferritin and transferrin receptor in serum remained within their normal ranges.
Vitamin c and other org. Surprisingly vegetarians tend to get substantially more iron in their diets. 1 dried seaweed spirulina 28 5 mg of fe 100g also called ancient super food seaweed has been a part of the japanese diet for centuries due to its wide array of minerals and vitamins. Iron is greatly misunderstood as a nutrient especially when it comes to vegetarian and vegan diets and by those trying to adopt a plant based diet.
Dietary sources of iron for vegetarians. Vegetarians need more iron in their diets than nonvegetarians because the iron in plant foods is not absorbed as efficiently as the iron in meat.