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If you're anemic, it's important to eat a variety of iron-rich foods each day and pair them with their ideal counterparts to boost absorption. Here are 10 easy tips and tasty recipes to get more iron.
If you need to amp up your iron stores, keep in mind that there are two types of iron:
• Heme iron comes from animal sources and is most easily absorbed by the body.
• Nonheme iron is found in plant sources, such as vegetables, cereals and legumes. It is not as easily absorbed as heme iron.
If your doctor recommends adding more iron to your diet, here are 10 ways to increase your iron intake.
1. Eat iron-rich foods for breakfast
Registered dietitian and nutrition consultant Shannon Crockersuggests these two breakfast ideas for a great dose of iron early in the day.
1. Hot cereal sprinkled with wheat germ, pepitas (raw pumpkinseeds) and slivered apricots, plus a small glass of orange juice. Try Oats-Plus Porridge.
2. Almond butter on whole-grain toast with a side of strawberries.
2. Eat iron-rich foods for lunch
For a midday boost of iron, Crocker recommends either of these lunches.
1. Pasta tossed with canned tuna, white kidney beans and roasted cherry tomatoes. This recipe for Pasta with Tuna is great cold or hot!
2. Leftover roast beef, broccoli slaw and pepper slices wrapped in a tortilla, with a cup of reduced-sodium tomato juice on the side.
3. Snack on iron-rich foods
If you're hungry between meals and trying to increase your iron intake, Crocker suggests pairing a handful of almonds, raisins or iron-enriched dry cereal with an orange.
4. Eat iron-rich foods for supper
When you're tired at the end of the day, Crocker suggests any of thesequick-and-easy supper ideas, all with lots of iron.
1. Vegetarian or beef chili (with lots of legumes).
2. Baked potato topped with leftover chili.
3. Tofu stir-fry with broccoli and lots of red pepper. (Chinese "Family-Style" Tofu fits the bill.)
5. Sync your iron and vitamin C intake
Pair your plant-based iron sources (nonheme iron) with food chock-full of vitamin C.
"Foods rich in vitamin C are considered iron enhancers," says Crocker.
At breakfast, toss some strawberries into your cereal bowl and add red pepper to your spinach salad at lunchtime. Try Spinach and Orange Salad with Goat Cheese.
6. Avoid coffee and tea at mealtime
Your favourite cuppa contains naturally occurring polyphenols, which inhibit your body's ability to absorb iron.
Stick with drinking water with your meals and, if possible, avoid coffee and tea one to two hours before and after. infusing your water with lemon, lime, cucumber or mint.
7. Don't mix iron-rich foods with calcium supplements
"If you'e taking calcium supplements, don't take them with meals that include mostly vegetable or plant sources of iron," says Crocker. Take your calcium supplement separately.
And, although the vitamin C in orange juice may help your body absorb iron in other foods, calcium-enriched OJ won't do the trick.
8. Don't rely on leafy greens
Popeye may have grown superstrong from spinach, but it's not reasonable to depend on leafy green vegetables for all of your iron.
Leafy greens may have higher iron content than other vegetables, but that iron is also harder for your body to absorb than iron from sources such as red meat, lentils or tofu. Try Curried Lentils and Vegetables.
Aim to get your iron from eating a variety of iron-rich foods every day.
9. Eat iron-fortified foods
Many cereals, breads, pastas and crackers are enriched with extra iron, so take a look at the nutrition labels of your pantry favourites. You may be surprised to see some of your fave cereals contain 50 percent of the recommended daily intake of minerals such as iron.
10. Cook in cast iron
Some foods will absorb some iron if they're cooked in a cast-iron or stainless-steel pot. "Especially acidic foods like applesauce, tomato-based foods like spaghetti sauce or chili and foods with higher water content," .
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Originally Posted by RajatSingh
