Why Iron rich foods should be part of your diet?

There is a big debate on whether plan based diet offer enough iron our body demands with lot of people believe that your diet should be a mix of animals & plant based diet to get enough iron. However before getting into this discussion, let’s find out why iron is important for our body & what to do if your are iron-deficient. Let us dig into this deeper.

Iron is an essential part of our diet & its main function is to carry oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. It is also part of enzymes that is required for improving our digestion & overall body health. Without sufficient iron, your red blood cells are smaller & fewer which means your cells are not transporting enough oxygen where it needs to go. When this happens your organs & tissues cannot work well.

Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency in the US leading to delayed motor & mentor functioning in infants, preterm babies for pregnant women, fatigue, headaches, inability to concentrate, and impaired mental clarity in adults and teens. Signs of Iron Deficiency can be pale skin, heavy breathing & irregular heart beat. Also get test done for internal bleeding.

So how to have iron rich plant based diet?

Vegan diet have as much iron as omnivore diet offers. In fact Vitamin C helps in better iron absorption. Let us look at the plant based diet that are iron rich: 

1. Lentils cooked(½ cup)-3.3 mg
2. Chickpeas cooked(½ cup)-2.8 mg
3. Kidneybeans cooked(½ cup)-2.2 mg
4. Dried Apricots( 40 grams)-1.0 mg
5. Sesame Seeds(28 grams)-4.2 mg
6. Spinach cooked(½ cup)-3.2 mg
7. Quinoa cooked(½ cup)-1.4 mg
8. Pumpkin seeds (28 grams)-1mg

How much iron you need daily

1. Infant( 6 to 12 months)-11 mg
2. Kids( 1 to 8 years)- 7 to 10 mg
3. Adolescents( 9 to 13 years)-8 mg
4. Females( 14 to 50 years)-15 to 18 mg, 51 plus women require 8 mg
5. Pregnant females( all ages)-27 mg
6. Males( 14 years & above)-8 to 11mg

There may be situations that you are having recommended iron intake but you are still anaemic( iron deficient). This happens due to poor digestive system attributed to celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or any other disease that causes unsatisfactory stomach acid. In such cases you need 25 to 50 mg iron supplementation daily. This can be cut down if supplemented by vitamin C rich green juice.

Do you need animal protein to meet your iron needs?

Answer to this question is no. Let’s clarify this. There are two types of iron:

1. Heme Iron: This found in meat, fish & poultry. This type of iron is in foods containing hemoglobin. The body absorbs 7% to 35% of heme iron.
2. Non-Heme Iron: This is found in plant foods. The body absorbs 2 to 20% of this form of Iron. The absorption rate is now since non-heme iron is sensitive to other dietary factors that may limit its absorption.

Although meat protein doubles iron absorption, consumption of vitamin C increases iron absorption without any associated risk of increasing heart disease. Just consider the following Iron boosters & blockers while consuming plant based diet & your should be good as far as iron absorption is concerned:

Iron Boosters

Vitamin C: The absorption of non-heme iron can be enhanced when those foods are eaten with vitamin C-rich foods such as papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, pineapple, citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, strawberries), and cauliflower.

Iron Blockers

1. Tannins found in tea leaves, chocolate & coffee block iron absorption by 50%. However consuming them 1 hour before or 2 hour after having iron rich plant diet has no impact of iron absorption.
2. Phytates are important antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents found in highest quantities in wheat bran, soybeans, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, and peanuts. 
3. Egg protein( both white & yolk).
4. Calcium supplements & dairy foods.
5. Zinc & Manganese supplements
6. Peppermint