Food High in Iron: Can It Help Make You Healthier?

Americans today are more health conscious than ever. Part of this includes eating a diet that is full of all the necessary vitamins and minerals for maintaining a healthy body. Iron is a key component of that lifestyle and eating food high in iron is an important part of a healthy, well balanced diet. Iron is carried through the blood to the cells of the body and prevents conditions such as anemia, also known as iron poor blood, which leads to exhaustion, severe headaches, and mood changes. there are many foods that are full of iron and will help provide the recommended daily allowances in your diet. Let’s look at some of these iron-rich foods.

First are the meats. Liver is a food high in iron and is actually close to the top of the list for iron-rich foods, coming in second only to oysters. Red meats such as steak and hamburger, chicken, turkey, seafood, shellfish, eggs, poultry gizzards and livers are all great sources for iron.

Next are the vegetables and iron enriched foods. Dark, leafy greens such as spinach and turnip greens are great examples of food high in iron. Other vegetables include beans such as lima, soy, lentils and chickpeas. Artichokes and dried fruit such as prunes and raisins are also high in iron, as is molasses. Most flour loses its iron content during processing, so many companies replace it through an enriching procedure. The same is true for many breakfast cereals, with a number of them enriched to contain 25-30% of the recommended daily allowance of iron, making them a popular option for supplying this important mineral to children.

Lastly, it is important to note that some foods actually block the body’s ability to absorb iron and should be avoided. Coffee, tea and milk should be left out of an iron rich meal and consumed at a later time. Also, most doctors do not recommend iron supplements for adults as high levels of iron may cause liver and heart damage. Most adults can consume their recommended daily allowance of iron simply by eating a healthy diet containing food high in iron.

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Iron-Rich Foods to Build Hemoglobin

Your body uses iron to manufacture hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the element in your blood that bonds to oxygen and carries it throughout your body via your blood stream. Food high in iron helps your body to continue to build the hemoglobin it requires. When you don’t have enough iron in your blood stream, your whole body suffers and you become anemic. Increasing your intake of Food high in iron is generally the easiest way to reverse iron deficiencies.

Food high in iron like dark, leafy greens is a great addition to your diet. Turnip and beet greens, spinach and Swiss chard all very high in iron. Vegetables are a source of non-heme iron, which means the iron does not absorb into your body as easily as it does from other Food high in iron. Combining iron-rich vegetables with certain other foods helps the iron absorb into your body better. Pair beans and spinach, for example, to maximize the iron absorption from both the beans and the spinach.

Red meat is an obvious choice when you talk about Food high in iron, but other foods are surprisingly higher in this important mineral. Wheat germ, bran and pasta are among the grains to look for if you want to increase your iron intake. Other grains to supplement with include oatmeal, bran and bread.

Legumes, nuts and seeds are excellent sources of Food high in iron, particularly for snacks. Look for chickpeas and lentils; both come in highest out of all the legumes in terms of their iron count. Tofu and soybeans also rank high in the legume family, but can be an acquired taste for some. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of iron, but almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are good choices as well.

All of these different types of Food high in iron are of the non-heme variety. Heme iron is found in animal sources of iron, like red meat. Heme iron is the easiest form of iron for your body to absorb. Clams, oysters and chicken liver are your best bets in this category. Other good choices include beef liver, turkey and sardines.

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Eating Foods Rich in Iron Helps Maintain Good Health

Consuming food high in iron is an important part of a well rounded diet as iron plays a vital role in assisting the blood to deliver necessary oxygen throughout the body. Essential for the development of the brain as well as a strong immune system, proper daily iron intake is a key factor in maintaining [...]