Iron Rich Foods for Vegans

Nutritional iron is a mineral that transports oxygen in your blood to all parts of your body. Anemia occurs when your stores of iron become depleted. You may feel fatigued, breathless and unable to sleep. Your appetite may also decrease. If you're a menstruating woman, the recommended daily allowance for iron for you is 18 milligrams. But if you're a man or post-menopausal woman, eight milligrams of iron a day is enough. If you eat a vegan diet, here are the best sources of iron for you.

Fruits

• Eat about four dried figs or eight dried apricots and you'll be taking in 2.1 mg of iron. A half cup of raisins provides 1.7 mg while the same amount of dates and prunes have 2.4 mg. You'll get 3 mg of iron from eating a 6-inch slice of watermelon.

Vegetables

• In general, green leafy vegetables are rich sources of iron. For instance, you'll get 7 mg of iron from a head of Belgian endive; a cup of cooked spinach has 4 mg while a cup of cooked Swiss chard gives you 3.2 mg. If you enjoy a baked potato with the skin on, you'll eat 4 mg of this mineral. If you prefer the sweet, earthy beet taste, have a cup of this purple root vegetable and be rewarded with 1.8 mg of iron.

Legumes

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are a great source of iron, so if you like hummus, don't be afraid to indulge. One cup of this cooked legume offers you 6.2 mg. You'll also get plenty of this mineral from 1/2 cup of any of the following cooked legumes: black-eyed peas (3.8 mg), lentils (3.4 mg), kidney beans (3.3 mg) and lima beans (2.9 mg). One cup of cooked black beans has 3.2 mg of iron.

Grains

• If you fancy grains, quinoa and millet are your best options. One cup of each will give you 5.3 and 2.2 mg of iron, respectively.

Nuts

• Unless you're allergic, snack daily on nuts. Two tbsp. of the following nuts provide you with 1 to 2 mg of iron: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts (dry roasted), raw macadamia nuts, pine nuts and pistachios.

Seeds

• Some seeds are also rich in iron. You can have them as single foods or as a tasty addition to salads and baked treats. Two tbsp. of either roasted pumpkin seeds or toasted whole sesame seeds deliver 4.18 mg of iron. The same amount of toasted sunflower seed kernels gives you 1.91 mg.

Final Tip

• Get in the habit of reading labels at the supermarket. It has become common for manufacturers to enrich certain foods. For instance, you may get a good helping of iron from your cereal, non-dairy milk and bread.