Non Meat Sources Of Dietary Iron

Iron in the vegan diet.

Non meat sources of dietary iron. Heme iron comes from animal products including meat eggs dairy fish shellfish and poultry. Sources of iron food. A glass of orange juice or some tomato sauce mixed into your meatless meal can provide the vitamin c necessary to free up iron and improve your body s. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin c along with foods containing iron.

The richest sources of heme iron in the diet include lean meat and seafood. Aside from being better for the environment cheap and lower in calories these plant based foods will help improve your health for the better. The first is heme iron which is easily absorbed by the body. Cup cooked soybeans.

Dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables are especially good sources of iron even better on a per calorie basis than meat. 4 4 mg cup of raisins 1 6 mg cup of sunflower seeds 1 2 mg cup of almonds 1 5 mg cup of cashews 2 1 mg cup cooked lentils 3 3 mg cup of fresh cooked spinach 3 2 mg cup of cooked chickpeas 2 4 mg cup of prune juice 2 3 mg cup. Meat is a natural source of many nutrients your body needs including iron. Eating meat free doesn t mean you ll be skimping on protein and iron.

Non meat sources of iron. When it comes to dietary sources of iron there are two types says feller. A 3 5 ounce 100 gram serving of ground beef contains 2 7 mg of iron which is 15 of the dv meat is also rich in protein zinc selenium and several b. Dietary sources of nonheme iron include nuts beans vegetables and fortified grain products.

To choose non meat sources of iron look for leafy green vegetables and other plants such as soy that also are high in protein. Add a small portion to your menu. The second is non heme iron which isn t as easy for your body to absorb. Red meat is satisfying and nutritious.

By reed mangels phd rd from simply vegan 5th edition updated august 2018. You can boost the availability of non meat iron in your body by consuming vitamin c rich foods at the same time. In fact there are many non meat protein and iron sources some that kick meat and other animal products right out of the water. Our bodies are less efficient at absorbing nonheme iron but most dietary iron is nonheme iron.

In the united states about half of dietary iron comes from bread cereal and other grain products 2 3 5. Nuts and seeds are good sources of non heme iron as well as an array of other vitamins minerals fiber healthy fats and beneficial plant compounds.