Popeye knew it well, iron is an indispensable ally for our body. In general, a balanced diet should cover our needs, but how to provide us with iron? In foods such as red meat, crustaceans but also chocolate, seaweed, and spices we can find the answer.
Although it is present in many foods, sometimes we can suffer from iron deficiency and even reach anemia. In fact, iron is not always well assimilated into our body, meaning that our digestive system often finds it difficult to extract this mineral from food, transfer it to our body and store it.
A daily intake of 9 mg of iron for men and 18 mg of iron is recommended for women and adolescents. Because it is well known that when menstruation appears, the women’s body must compensate for this loss of iron. In this way, when menopause arrives, women will need a lower iron dose of approximately 9 mg per day.
Pregnant women should also get iron. About 20 mg per day is the recommended dose for a good development of the fetus and good iron index during breastfeeding.
What happens when we lack iron?
The first symptoms are fatigue, pallor, exhaustion, less resistance to infections … These are some of the indicators of an iron deficiency or anemia.
This can also cause the reduction of physical abilities and intellectual performance as well as disorders during pregnancy. On the contrary, too much iron in the body is also harmful, something called hemochromatosis.
What are the reasons for iron deficiency?
– Lack of iron in the diet or a poorly balanced vegetarian diet.
– A low bioavailability of iron due to excess tea or calcium supplement.
– A reduced absorption of iron caused by gluten intolerance, an inflammatory bowel disease or other intestinal disorders.
– Abundant blood loss such as during menstruation or childbirth.
– An increase in the need for iron due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and growth.
When it comes to food, we should not deprive ourselves of iron-rich foods such as red meat and crustaceans, but we must also take into account vegetables that have high doses of iron. For those who are important to consume vegetables, here is a list of the main ones in terms of iron content, so that they always integrate your usual diet.
1) Mung bean or mung bean: In general, legumes contain different elements beneficial to health such as wood fibers, carbohydrates, and antioxidants.
But one of the most important advantages of mung bean or mung bean is that it contains high iron levels; approximately 1.8 milligrams per 100 g.
At the same time, add zinc, copper, and potassium. Because they are low-cost pulses, they are part of the list of foods with the best position in their nutrient-price ratio.
Certain studies associated the regular consumption of legumes with different beneficial effects for health such as a better control of diabetes, a decrease in the risks of cardiovascular diseases, a better management of body weight and a decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer.
These benefits would be partly attributable to different compounds present in legumes such as food fibers. The American dietary recommendations suggest, on the other hand, to consume vegetables several times a week, the ideal dose being about 680 g per week.
2) Spinach: Spinach is also an excellent source of iron. In addition, they are low in calories because it contains only 22 calories per 100 g and as an additional benefit, we must mention that it contains important antioxidants and are also rich in vitamin A.
Spinach is that kind of vegetable that enhances its iron content once it is cooked. That is, they are more beneficial sewn than raw.
3) Broccoli: Broccoli contains 1 mg of iron per 100 g and this represents 6% of the recommended daily contribution. It is incredibly nutritious!
In addition, broccoli contains 168% of vitamin C recommended for an adult and as we already know, vitamin C helps absorb iron.
Broccoli is also rich in folates and provides 6 g of fiber and high doses of vitamin K.
These vegetables belong to the cruciferous family, where they also find cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and lettuce.
The crucifers contain indole, sulforaphane, and glucosinolates; plant compounds that prevent cancer.
4) Tofu: Tofu is a soy-based food that is very popular among vegetarians and in certain Asian countries.
126 g of tofu provides 3.6 mg of iron, which represents 19% of the recommended daily intake.
It is also a good source of thiamine and other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and selenium. The proteins that tofu contributes are not insignificant either since a single portion contains 20 g.
Tofu isoflavones are linked to improving insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of heart disease and alleviating menopausal symptoms.
5) Dark Chocolate: The dark chocolate, besides delicious, is very nutritious.
A portion of 30 g has 3.2 mg of iron, which represents 18% of the recommended daily contribution.
Only this small portion adds 25% copper and 16% magnesium. Dark chocolate contains prebiotic fiber, a food for friendly bacteria found in the intestines.
A study revealed that cocoa powder and dark chocolate have a greater antioxidant power than the juice of acai berries and blueberries.
Other research has shown that dark chocolate has beneficial effects on cholesterol and can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
However, all chocolates are not the same. It is believed that flavonoids are responsible for the benefits of chocolate and the amounts contained in dark chocolate are greater than those of milk chocolate.
That is, it is preferable to eat chocolate with at least 70% cocoa, to make the most of its benefits.
6) Lentils: Lentils are a rich iron food with a contribution of 3.3 mg per 100 grams. They are also rich in fibers, which facilitates digestion and intestinal transit, in addition to having high-quality vegetable proteins.
They are ideal for athletes and also for pregnant women because of their high concentrations of folic acid.
But lentils not only contain iron, but also large amounts of magnesium and vitamin B.
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