Vegetables high in iron
Vegetables high in iron: deliciously healthy!
An average adult needs about 15 to 11 milligrams of iron daily. Iron is important for the formation of hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells that in turn transports oxygen through our bodies. Iron also provides more energy, a healthy tan in your skin and better condition. It also prevents restless legs and poor concentration. Reason enough to eat a lot of iron. We would like to tell you which vegetables contain a lot of iron.
What does iron contain?
But first we will take a step back. Namely, it is good to know that iron occurs in two forms. We know it as heme iron and as non-heme iron. Heme iron is only found in animal products, such as meat, fish and poultry. This type is somewhat better absorbed by our bodies. Non-heme iron, on the other hand, is found in plant foods, such as vegetables, and meat substitutes. We get about 90 percent of our iron from such plant-based ingredients.
Iron-containing vegetables
To give you an idea: in a 100-gram piece of beef steak, there are about 2.7 milligrams of iron. In a salty herring, it’s 1.4 milligrams. And in a piece of chicken breast of the same weight, 0.7 milligrams. So it’s safe to say that each of these is very iron-rich food. But you don’t have to eat meat, fish or chicken to get enough iron. Foods high in iron also include a number of iron-rich vegetables. Examples include spinach (3 mg), kidney beans (2.5 mg) and arugula (2.6).
More vegetables high in iron
Other vegetables high in iron are asparagus (1 mg), kale (1 mg), endive (0.8 mg), beet (0.8 mg), broccoli (0.7) and sweet potatoes (0.6 mg). In addition to kidney beans, white and brown beans are also very iron-containing vegetables. Especially for vegetarians, young children and pregnant or menstruating women, it is important to take care to take in enough iron. For them, all these vegetables high in iron are a nice addition to their daily diet.
Nutrients for better iron absorption
Are you sure your body absorbs enough iron? Then you can increase your absorption by eating fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of vitamin C, which enhances the absorption of non-heme iron. It is also better to drink a glass of water or a cup of green tea with lemon while eating than a cup of coffee or black tea. The polyphenols in the latter two drinks can reduce your iron absorption by up to 60 percent. So rather save those for another time.
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