Ferrous Foods: When it comes to foods that contain iron, many people think of spinach spontaneously. But there are many other iron suppliers. Here you can find out why iron is so essential for the body and which foods contain a lot of iron.
That’s right. Spinach was considered the iron-rich food for a long time until new calculations showed that a small mistake had crept in. Nevertheless, spinach is still one of the major suppliers of iron. But many other foods are rich in this trace element. For example, Meat and cereals or legumes, which are very important for vegetarians and vegans. But why should we even be careful to eat enough iron-rich foods? There are several reasons for this.
The most critical function of iron is to transport oxygen in the blood. If we do not take in enough iron with our food and are deficient, the body is poorly supplied with oxygen. We feel tired, have trouble concentrating, and are irritable. That’s right. Spinach has long been considered the iron-rich one. Food absolutely until new calculations showed that a small error had crept in. Nevertheless, spinach is still one of the major suppliers of iron. But many other foods are rich in this trace element—for example, Meat and cereals or legumes, which is very important for vegetarians and vegans.
But why should we even pay attention to enough ferrous Food to eat? There are several reasons for this. The most critical function of iron is to transport oxygen in the blood. If we do not take in enough iron with our food and are deficient, the body is poorly supplied with oxygen. We feel tired, have trouble concentrating, and are irritable.
Ferrous Foods: How Much Iron Do We Need?
To avoid deficiency symptoms in the first place, we should regularly eat foods that contain iron. This is the only way we can meet our daily iron needs.
However, our iron needs depend on various factors such as age and gender. For example, women need more iron than men, while children need less iron than adults.
The Iron Requirement Of Babies & Children (In Mg/Day):
- Infants up to 4 months: 0.5 mg
- Infants up to 11 months: 8 mg
- Children from 1 to 9 years: 8-10 mg
The Iron Requirement Of Adolescents (In Mg/Day):
- Boys from 10 to 19 years: 12 mg
- Girls from 10 to 19 years: 15 mg
The Iron Requirement Of Adults (In Mg/Day):
- Men aged 19 and over: 10 mg
- Women from 19 to 50 years: 15 mg
- Women> 50 years: 10 mg
Iron Requirement Of Women In Case Of Pregnancy (In Mg/Day):
- Pregnant women 30 mg
- Breastfeeding 20 mg
Studies show that the majority do not eat enough iron-containing foods and are therefore easily undersupplied. Vegetarians and vegans, in particular, should pay attention to their supplies and eat enough iron-rich foods. However, this is not a cause for concern! We’ll introduce you to iron-rich foods from Meat to vegetarian and vegan options so that you can prevent a possible iron deficiency.
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How Does The Body Best Absorb Iron?
It is best to eat all foods regularly because our body uses iron to different degrees.
The body absorbs iron from animal foods, while iron from plant foods such as vegetables or grains is tricky. But here, too, there is a trick: Combine predominantly plant-based iron-containing foods with some vitamin C, which improves iron absorption in the body. An
Good To Know:
Black tea, coffee or milk, on the other hand, impede the absorption of iron in the body! The body absorbs iron from animal foods particularly well, while iron from plant foods such as vegetables or grains is tricky. But here, too, there is a trick: Combine predominantly plant-based iron-containing foods with vitamin C. This improves the absorption of iron in the body.
Ferrous Foods: Legumes Such As Lentils
Whether red, brown or green: Lentils are excellent sources of iron and, since they are purely plant-based, they are particularly popular with vegans and vegetarians. On average, 100 grams of dried lentils contain around 8 milligrams of iron. However, the variant can only be 2.4 milligrams, so it is better to use the dried ones.
Other legumes, such as chickpeas, beans, and soybeans, are also rich in iron:
- White beans: 6.5 mg per 100 g
- Chickpeas: 6.0 mg per 100 g
- Soybeans: 6.6 mg per 100 g
- Tofu: 3.7 mg per 100 g
- Ferrous foods: oatmeal
Oatmeal is also a portion of excellent iron-rich food. One hundred grams equals 5.5 milligrams of iron. So eat oatmeal for breakfast again!
But the other types of grain do not have to hide:
- Wheat: 3.2 mg per 100 g
- Rye: 2.8 mg per 100 g
- Barley: 2.8 mg per 100 g
- Green spelled: 4.4 mg per 100 g
Ferrous Foods: Chanterelles
It’s a shame that the chanterelle season is only so short! Brown mushrooms are excellent sources of iron. One hundred grams contain about 6.5 milligrams of iron. In the case of the dried version, the value even increases: 100 g of dried chanterelles contain 17.2 milligrams of iron.
Other types of mushrooms cannot compete with this. Mushrooms and the like contain only around 1 milligram of iron on average.
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Ferrous Foods: Millet
Have you ever eaten millet? If not, then you should try the little yellow cereal. It tastes wonderfully nutty and is exceptionally healthy, thanks to the high iron content. One hundred grams of millet contains 7 milligrams of iron.
You can prepare millet just as quickly and efficiently as couscous or bulgur. Cook in vegetable stock according to the instructions on the packet and serve as an accompaniment to vegetables, Meat or fish.
In addition to millet, two other pseudo grains belong to the iron-containing foods group: quinoa and amaranth:
- Quinoa: 8 mg per 100 g
- Amaranth: 9 mg per 100 g
Ferrous Foods: Salsify
Black salsify has also earned a regular place on our plate because fresh is one of the excellent sources of iron for vegetables. One hundred grams have about 3.3 milligrams of iron.
Other iron-rich vegetables are:
- Purslane: 3.6 mg per 100 g
- Lamb’s lettuce: 2 mg per 100 g
- Ferrous foods: spinach
For a long time, spinach was considered THE iron supplier until it turned out that the green vegetables are not as bursting with iron as Popeye had us believe.
Nevertheless, when it comes to iron-rich foods, spinach shouldn’t be missing. After all, it contains around 3.4 milligrams of iron per 100 grams.
Ferrous Foods: Whole Grain Rye Bread
Who would have thought: Even a slice of bread can help fill our iron stores. But only if it is whole grain bread. You won’t get very far with a croissant. One hundred grams of whole-grain rye bread contain 2 milligrams of iron.
Other types of bread:
- Pumpernickel: 1.9 mg per 100 g
- Graham bread: 1.6 mg per 100 g
- Whole wheat bread: 2.0 mg per 100 g
Ferrous Foods: Poultry
Often people think of beef when it comes to Meat and iron content. But poultry also contains some iron. One hundred grams of roast chicken drumsticks for 1.8 milligrams of iron. It gets more with the liver: 100 grams contain around 7.4 milligrams of iron.
Other types of poultry:
- Duck: 2.5 mg per 100 g
- Goose: 1.9 mg per 100 g
- Turkey: 1.5 mg per 100 g
Ferrous Foods: Meat
Meat is considered the best supplier of iron because the body can best utilize iron from animal foods. The refuse, which has the highest iron content, is ideal. But innards like the heart and kidneys are not for everyone. That being said, you shouldn’t eat them regularly either, as they can contain large amounts of harmful substances.
Which Meat you choose is up to you. As far as the iron content is concerned, there are hardly any differences.
- Veal (breast, knuckle): 3 mg per 100 g
- Veal (cutlet): 2.1 mg per 100 g
- Veal (liver): 7.9 mg per 100 g
- Beef (fillet): 2.3 mg per 100 g
- Ground beef: 3 mg per 100 g
- Beef (prime rib): 1.9 mg per 100 g
- Beef (kidney): 9.5 mg per 100 g
- Pork (fillet): 1.5 mg per 100 g
- Pork (schnitzel, comb): 1.7 mg per 100 g
- Pork (liver): 17 mg per 100 g
- Ferrous foods: seafood
Oysters, mussels, prawns and the like are also good sources of iron.
- Oysters: 3.1 mg per 100 g
- Mussels: 4.2 mg per 100 g
- Deep sea shrimp: 5 mg per 100 g
- Shrimp: 1.5 mg per 100 g
- Crabs: 1.7 mg per 100 g
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