Get Iron from Plant-Based Foods

Iron is a mineral that is essential for your body to grow and develop efficiently. Your body uses iron to create a protein in your red blood cells called hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs throughout all parts of the body. Iron, in two different forms, can be derived from two different sources: heme iron comes from animal products and non-heme iron comes from plants. Many of the nutrients that raise deficiency concerns on a plant-based diet can be adequately attained from nature’s perfectly packaged whole plant foods. This applies to commonly raised questions around iron consumption for plant-based eaters, as iron intake is typically associated with red meat, pork and poultry.

When compared with those who include meat in their diet, vegetarians actually tend to consume more iron and overall nutrients than their meat-eating counterparts! Although this is great news for meatless foodies, it’s important to also understand that iron in plant food is not absorbed as efficiently as the heme iron found in meat. That said, not to worry — plants rich in vitamin C can improve iron absorption. Just a single orange can enhance iron absorption as much as three to six times. Another reminder of how important diversity is for our diets and overall wellness. Most plant foods are rich in a diversity of nutrients, but if you would like to bump up your overall intake of iron, here are some plant foods that are extra rich:

Whole Grains

Whole grains like amaranth, rolled oats, and quinoa are great sources of iron. Despite the nutritional benefit of these ingredients, whole grains often contain a potent inhibitor of iron absorption called phytic acid, a substance found in many plant foods. However, phytic acid can be easily reduced in the kitchen with some technique. Soaking grains overnight in warm water will not only reduce cook time but will also reduce the phytic acid, essentially increasing the available iron.

Iron per cup:

• Cooked Amaranth - 5.2 mg, 29% of DV
• Oats - 7.4 mg, 41% of DV
• Cooked Quinoa - 2.8 mg, 15% of DV

Legumes

Improving iron levels can be as simple as adding a few servings of beans to our diets. Legumes are highly nutritious, packing plenty of protein, fiber, and minerals. They’re also affordable and widely available. Similarly to whole grains, phytic acid can be reduced in legumes by soaking, sprouting, and even fermenting these ingredients.

Iron per cup:

• Raw Soy Beans - 9.1 mg, 50% of DV
• Cooked Garbanzo Beans - 4.7 mg, 26% of DV
• Cooked Black-Eyed Peas - 4.3 mg, 24% of DV

Nuts

Nuts and nut butters alike pack in a number of vitamins and minerals including non-heme iron. In general, nuts are good sources of fat, fiber and protein, and should be eaten in moderation. We love to include nuts into our meals in the form of crunchy toppings and granola, ground up as a meal in baked goods, and even by using nut butters in some sauces and mousses. For even more available iron, soak the raw nuts overnight to reduce the phytic acid content and blend into a creamy ‘cheese,’ dip or sauce.

Iron per cup:

• Raw Almond - 5.4 mg, 30% of DV
• Raw Cashew - 1.9 mg, 10% of DV
• Raw Macadamia - 4.9 mg, 27% of DV

Seeds

If you are looking to increase iron intake, add these seeds to any meal throughout the day as they contain the highest amounts of the mineral. Whether toasted whole, ground into a fine meal, or blended into a paste, these ingredients can easily improve not only the iron content of your plate but also the taste and texture. Will soaking seeds also reduce phytic acid? Absolutely. Combining ground flax seeds and water will not only achieve high iron content but will coagulate into an even better egg substitute when baking!

Iron per cup:

• Raw Pumpkin Seeds - 20.7 mg, 115% of DV
• Raw Sesame Seeds - 20.9 mg, 116% of DV
• Ground Flax Meal - 9.63 mg, 54% of DV

Dried Fruit

Although not commonly the food group we turn to when looking to increase the iron content of our diet, fruits contain antioxidants and a variety of other nutrients beneficial to health. Iron content is not excluded from those benefits, as some fruits are surprisingly high in iron. One piece of dried fruit contains about the same amount of nutrients as the fresh fruit, but condensed in a much smaller package. This is because of the differences in the water content.

Iron per cup:

• Raisins - 2.86 mg, 16% of DV
• Dates - 1.63 mg, 9% of DV
• Dried Apricots - 4.26 mg, 24% of DV

Green, Leafy Vegetables

Dark green and leafy vegetables have varying and plentiful nutritional benefits besides iron, including vitamins A, C, E and K, fiber, carotenoids, and are very low in calories. Due to their light weight, some find it difficult to consume large volumes of raw, leafy greens. In this case, it’s best to consume them both cooked and raw to ensure maximum iron absorption.

Iron per cup:

• Cooked Spinach - 5.72 mg, 32% of DV
• Cooked Kale - 2.25 mg, 12% of DV
• Cooked Swiss Chard - 3.95 mg, 22% of DV
• Cooked Collard Greens - 0.66 mg, 4% of DV
  

We have learned that heme iron found in animal products is generally more easily absorbed by our bodies than the non-heme iron found in plant foods. However, with various strategies in the kitchen like soaking, sprouting, and fermenting, we can increase the body’s ability to absorb non-heme iron. This crucial mineral is found in an array of plant foods, and besides being great sources of iron, these listed foods also happen to pack many other nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. Most Thistle meals contain a combination of these ingredients — check out our menu to see how we prepare these plants! With a diverse intake of plants and a rainbow on your plate, incorporating this list of ingredients into your diet will not only help you meet your iron requirements, but will also likely benefit your overall health.

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