Popeye was onto something! Not only does spinach have twice the amount of iron per serving than beef, it also has fiber and is missing the saturated fats found in red meat.
True, the iron in non-animal foods is absorbed less than from animal sources but that can be improved by having vitamin C or a food rich in vitamin C with your iron-containing foods or supplements. Also, the polyphenols in black tea can further prohibit iron absorption so it’s best to avoid drinking black tea with a meal containing iron.
Spinach may be an obvious alternative to beef when looking to nutritionally boost your iron but did you know about these surprising sources of iron?*
Blackstrap molasses, 2.39 mg iron per 2 tsp
Try replacing some of the honey or agave called for in a recipe with blackstrap molasses like in these gluten free dairy free Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies.
Dark chocolate, 2.3 mg iron per ounce
Do I have to give you any more reasons to indulge in dark chocolate?
(over 70% cocoa content and organic fair trade is best)
Cocoa powder, 2.07 mg iron per tablespoon
Add cocoa powder to your morning protein smoothie along with banana and almond butter and try the Cocoa Sesame bars for an afternoon snack.
Lentils, 6.59mg iron per cup
The Lentil Chili from Whole Foods Market is a simple and easy recipe to start with if you haven’t cooked with lentils before. You can also add cooked lentils to tomato sauce to add protein to your pasta dishes.
Cumin, 2.79 mg iron per tsp
Quinoa Blackbean Southwest Salad and most black bean soup recipes call for cumin.
Sesame seeds, 5.24mg iron per ¼ cup
Use tahini in place of almond butter or peanut butter in recipes or in salad dressing and homemade hummus. Add sesame seeds to oatmeal, cookie batter, on top of stir-fry veggies or raw salads.
*To put these numbers into perspective, adult men and post-menopausal women need 8 mg of iron per day, premenopausal women need 18 mg iron per day and children need between 7-10 mg per day depending on their age.
