Iron is an essential mineral to the body. Its primary role is to carry oxygen throughout your body and to help make red blood cells.

You have to eat healthy foods that are high in iron, knowing that the recommended daily intake is 18 mg. Some are listed below:

Spinach

Did you know that 100 grams of cooked spinach contain 3.6 mg of iron, which is 20% of your recommended daily intake?

Beside this, spinach provides many health benefits, such as:

  • High in antioxidants
  • Reduces the risks of cancer
  • High in vitamin C
  • Decrease inflammation

Legumes

There are several types of vegetables such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils. One cup of cooked lentils contains 6.6 mg of iron.

Legumes are rich in magnesium, potassium, and folate, these are the benefits:

  • Reduces inflammation
  • Decreases heart disease risk
  • May help in losing weight.

It’s important to consume vitamin C with legumes to boost iron absorption.

Pumpkin Seeds

Twenty-eight grams of pumpkin seeds contains 4.2 mg of iron.

Pumpkin seeds are high in vitamin K, manganese, magnesium and zinc, and this may help with reducing the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes, and depression.

Shellfish

It contains high levels of heme iron which your body can absorb more efficiently than the non-heme iron found in plants.

Not only that, but shellfish is high in nutrients and helps increase the level of healthy HDL cholesterol in your blood.

Red Meat

One hundred grams of ground beef contains 2.7 mg of iron, which is 15% of your recommended daily intake.

It’s rich in selenium, zinc, protein and vitamin B group.

Red meat is essential for people who are prone to anaemia because it contains heme iron.

Liver and Organ Meats

It’s very nutritious and contains high levels of iron, B vitamins, selenium, protein, and copper.

The liver is explicitly high in vitamin A. That’s why pregnant women have to consult a doctor before eating it.

Broccoli

One cup of broccoli contains 1 mg of iron. The same amount of broccoli has 168% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, which helps your body absorb iron.

Broccoli has several health benefits:

  • Essential for many proteins functions involved in blood clotting
  • Builds collagen
  • Promotes digestive health
  • Helps lower cholesterol levels
  • Maintains healthy body cells

If you want to know more about iron and its role in your body, please consult one of our Okadoctors.