To boost the amount of iron in your diet, try these foods:
Red meat (think lean cuts with little fat)
Egg yolks (boiled eggs for breakfast or lunch)
Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards)
Dried fruit (prunes, raisins)
Iron-enriched cereals and grains (check the labels - Rice Chex are iron-fortified AND gluten free!)
Mollusks (oysters, clams, scallops)
Turkey or chicken giblets (ok, I have to draw a line here, but the dark meat is richer than white in iron, so have a drumstick)
Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans
Liver (hmm....no thanks!)
Artichokes (are you thinking spinach artichoke dip??)
And here's a tip: If you eat iron-rich foods along with foods that provide plenty of vitamin C, your body can better absorb the iron.
So, here's your list of foods packed with Vitamin C:
broccoli
tomato
citrus
strawberries
mango
jicama
potatoes
kiwi
red, yellow, orange peppers
You know, I just read some interesting info on the Iron Disorders Institute (IDI) website regarding the Iron Avidity diet, and it suggests that the following foods impede iron absorption:
coffee, tea, chocolate, dairy, eggs, animal fat, alcohol, and sugar.
A Word About Eggs:
Interestingly, I have seen previously that egg yolks are good to boost dietary iron, so I thought a bit of research was in order. Here's what I found:
Heme iron, which is found in meat, fish, poultry, and shellfish, is most easily absorbed by the body. The iron found in eggs, dairy products, and plants is non-heme iron and is not as easily absorbed by the body (but does still provide a source of iron). Notice that the foods listed by the IDI as those that impede iron absorption are non-heme iron foods. The problem with these is that some of them also contain phytates, which are antioxidant compounds found in certain foods, mainly cereal grains and legumes. Phytates have the ability to bind to other compounds such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, and carry them out of the body before they can be absorbed through the intestines, thus rendering them ineffective as a nutrient. In other words, the phytates in legumes will bind iron eaten at the same time (and that which is in the legumes) and carry it out of the body unabsorbed. Studies have shown that eating vitamin C foods with the non-heme iron foods can reverse some of the phytates anti-absorbing action. It appears that regardless of what one finds on the phytate issue, red meat is still the #1 way to consume absorbable heme iron, and eating this along with foods rich in vitamin C are even better for absorption!So, what is dinner tonight? Steak a l'orange?
