Have you been feeling more tired than usual lately and have a pale complexion, shortness of breath, headache, irritability? They could be the first symptoms of a iron deficiency in the blood, essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to cells. No alarmism, but watch out for the causes. Except for more specific reasons, adiet low in iron, can cause a type of anemia due from deficiency of this element in the blood.
Just because you chose to do not eat meat it doesn't mean your body can't absorb iron from other foods.
How to fix it then without changing the Vegetarian diet?
Here is well 12 foods of plant origin with the highest iron content:
- Spirulina (1 tsp): 5 mg
- Soy (1/2 cup): 4,4 mg
- Pumpkin seeds (28 g): 4.2 mg
- Quinoa Salad (an abundant hectogram): 4 mg
- Molasses (1 tablespoon): 4 mg
- Tomato paste : 3,9 mg
- White beans (1/2 cup) of 3,9 mg
- Spinaci (1/2 cup): 3,2 mg
- Dried peaches (6 halves): 3,1 mg
- Plum juice (two hectograms and 25 g): 3 mg
- Lentils (an abundant hectogram): 3 mg
- Dark chocolate (100g): 17 mg
Other anti-anemia tips are:
Improve the absorption of iron by combining with these alimony those with a higher content of vitamin C which helps the body to take iron more completely.
To avoid tea o coffee near the intake of foods rich in iron because these drinks contain polyphenols which, by binding to iron, make it difficult to absorb.
Curiosity: cooking i acidic foods (vinegar, red wine, lemon, lime juice, tomato sauce) in cast iron pots increases the iron content of the final cooking (due to the reactivity of the material).
Did I miss other iron-rich foods? For scrupulous vegans and more, here's one table even more thorough!
We remember that the World Health Organization stated that in the most underdeveloped countries, it causes unrest and nutritional deficiencies , there is a greater loss of iron in the body (as many as 80% of the population is deficient and 30% has iron deficiency anemia). For specifics on the subject and the details of the publications you can directly consult the official website of the World Health Organization.
Michela Silvestri
- Anemia: 10 natural remedies and cures for iron deficiency
- Anemia: several causes, the most common being a lack of iron
