Ways to Get Iron From Vegetarian Foods

Iron is an essential mineral in the human diet, as it is vital to blood production. Without it, people develop a disease known as anemia, which leads to weakness and fatigue. Because iron is most commonly found in meats in the American diet, anemia is sometimes thought of as a vegetarian sickness. With a little attention to your diet, however, you can find many sources of vegetarian iron. Many greens, beans, and other vegetables are high in iron content. The recommended daily intake of iron is 14 milligrams for men and post-menopausal women, and 33 milligrams for women prior to menopause.

Beans

• Most beans are high in iron. Soy beans lead the way with 8.8mg per cup, while other beans such as black or pinto have 3.5mg per cup. Lentils have 6.6mg. Likewise, bean products such as tofu and tempeh have iron contents of 6.0mg and 4.8mg, respectively.

Blackstrap Molasses

• Molasses is a common sweeter, noted for its thick viscosity and black hue. It is ideal for pumpernickel bread and dark cookies. It also has a high iron content at 7.2mg for every 2 tablespoons.. However, it should be noted that some name-brand "molasses" products are heavily diluted and low in iron as a result.

Greens

• Greens are also a healthy source of iron. A cup of Swiss chard has 4.0mg of iron, while turnip greens have 3.2mg and beet greens, 2.7mg. Greens can be eaten raw in a salad or lightly steamed and served with a sauce. Cooking greens can leach the minerals from their leaves, so be sure to either use the water for cooking absorptive grains, such as rice, or even for drinking.