Fight off anemia with the right iron rich foods for your diet. Discover what foods are high in iron and the right way to introduce them into your diet for maximum iron absorption.
Mollusks
Try seafood when your iron blood levels are low. Clams and mussels lead the pack of foods high in iron, but you can also get a lot of this mineral from oysters, shrimp, cuttlefish and octopus.
Liver
Whether it comes from pork, chicken, lamb, beef or turkey, liver is a great source of iron from an animal source. When it comes to foods high in iron, the absorption rate is important as well and iron from meat sources is more efficient than from plant sources.
Whole Grains
Go for the vegan options for foods high in iron with whole grains, including quinoa, oatmeal barley and rice. You can also get extra iron from fortified cereals.
Dark Leafy Greens
Spinach and Swiss chard lead the list of foods high in iron when it comes to greens, but you can also get a lot of this mineral from turnip greens and raw kale.
Nuts and Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are an excellent options when you’re looking for foods high in iron to fit a balanced vegetarian diet. Nuts are also rich in iron with pine nuts, cashew, hazelnut, almonds and pistachios being the best choices.
White Beans and Lentils
Lentils are one of the best foods high in iron, along with kidney beans, garbanzo beans and lima beans. Black beans have considerably less iron.
Soybeans
Cooked soybeans are an excellent source of iron and so is tofu. Keep in mind that when tofu has added calcium, the absorption rate of iron is much lower.
Dark Chocolate
Cocoa powder and dark chocolate are amongst the most delicious foods high in iron and they also provide a very healthy dose of antioxidants having multiple beauty and health benefits.
Red Meat
When it comes to meat, most of it has plenty of iron, but the best option is the lean tenderloin from beef or lamb, to maximize the absorption of iron without eating too many fats.
Egg Yolks
At the bottom of the list of foods high in iron, egg yolks are a good source for this mineral, but you shouldn’t eat them excessively if you’re worried about raising you cholesterol levels too much.
When you want to focus on getting more iron from your foods the natural way, remember to mix them with foods rich in vitamin C. This powerful antioxidant increases the absorption rate of iron. Also avoid eating them with calcium rich foods, since calcium can affect iron absorption negatively.
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