What are the best sources of iron? Do you remember the cartoon Popeye the Sailor man? And how when popeye ate his spinach, he became extremely powerful, superhuman and strong. And was able to fight his enemies like Bluto and was able rescue his girlfriend olive oyl.
Well spinach does the same thing when fighting iron deficiency anemia. Spinach is a high iron rich food and gives you that superhuman iron that we all need circulating inside our body.
Your body needs iron for making hormones, for growth and development. Iron is an essential mineral, and it helps to transport oxygen throughout the body. Your body needs iron in your diet to make hemoglobin. And it is a protein in red blood cells that helps to push the oxygen throughout the body.
Iron rich foods can be found in:
- Red meats,
- Seafood,
- Fish
- Chicken
- Liver,
- Fortified breakfast cereals
- Nuts
- Dried Fruit
Animal foods typically contain hemoglobin that your body needs. One of the reasons why vegans and vegetarians are iron deficient is because of do not consume animal foods.
Vegetarians and vegans alternatively get their iron rich foods from plant foods such as:
- Beans such as kidney beans, edamame beans
- Chickpeas,
- Spinach
- Lentils
It is not like there is the abundant amount of plant foods where vegetarians can get their iron. So, it is limited unfortunately and that is why quite a bit of vegans/vegetarians are iron deficiency anemia.
How much iron do you need daily?
- A man over 18 years old needs at least 8.7mg a day
- A woman from 19 years to 50 years old needs 14.8mg a day. Women who lost a lot of blood during their period may need to also take an iron supplement as an additional mineral source.
- A woman over fifty needs 8.7mg a day
What are the best sources of iron?
Too much iron leads to:
- Stomach Pain
- Constipation
- Feeling ill
And this happens if you take more than twenty grams of iron per day which could be dangerous and potentially fatal especially among children. If you have iron supplements at your house keep them away from young children at best as possible.
“Foods that are high in iron are fish, chicken, red meats, seafood and nuts.”
Studies have shown that the percentage of people that are iron deficient are 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women and 3% of men. They need to eat more foods rich in iron. And if you have a problem obtaining a reliable source of iron from foods then you may need an iron supplement. The bottom line to be healthy you need to consume foods high in iron.
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