iron intake

Iron is an important mineral to think about... especially for women.  As a non-red meat eater, I have thought about iron consumption my whole life.
What do you think of as foods with high iron content?

We have heme sources (animal) such as red meats, lean meats, seafood (shellfish or sardines) or organ meats.
And then we have non-heme sources such as dark leafy greens (kale! the super-food, broccoli, and collards), legumes, and iron-enriched grain products or yeast-leavened whole wheat breads.

We need approximately 18mg iron/day... so that could be a 2 cup spinach salad with 1/2cup chickpeas, 1 eggs, and 1/2 cup walnuts.  Your whole daily value of iron in one meal!

Equally as important as the AMOUNT of iron you consume is the absorption of iron.  Here are a few tips:

-Include Vitamin C with all meals. This increases how well iron is absorbed... and it's everywhere!  Bell peppers, kale, broccoli, strawberries, oranges, or kiwi, etc.  Seriously.  It's easy to find Vitamin C-rich foods!
-Try to have a heme-iron source at every meal if your diet permits.
-Avoid coffee and tea with meals.  This can affect the absorption.
-Avoid EDTA which is a chemical found in some processed foods.  Check your food labels.
-Decrease your milk consumption to 3 cups or less per day.
-And lastly, combine heme sources with non-heme sources to absorb as much as possible!

Also, if taking an iron supplement, try to take it on an empty stomach.  This may upset your stomach, so you can divide your dose into 3 doses throughout the day.

Hopefully these tips will keep you aware of iron sources and how to maintain them to keep up your energy and your mood steady!