sk for one that is easy to digest and take per your healthcare provider's orders. Still eat iron rich foods until it becomes a habit. Your iron levels will come up sooner and stay up because you'll be hip to the beat of eating iron rich foods on the regular.
Below are lists of both plant-based iron rich foods and vitamin C rich foods. You’ll notice spices and herbs amongst the list. That doesn’t mean to eat a spoonful of cinnamon, but rather to add 1 teaspoon to a recipe that calls for ½ a teaspoon and/or adding more spices to the foods you’re already consuming. Additionally, it’s not suggested to only eat foods on this list, but to eat the foods on this list frequently (several times a day) by adding them to what you are already eating or seeking out recipes that include these foods.
To help this information sink in, try coming up with 4 to 5 variations of the foods below to get a total of 20 mg iron in day.
At the end of the list you’ll find a sweet bonus item that can greatly improve both your iron levels and the iron levels of a family in need.
Plant-Based Iron Rich Foods
Note: Foods marked with an * after them are recommended by the Environmental Working Group to purchase organic.
Tip: You’ll see a lot of legumes (beans and lentils) featured on this list packing awesome amounts of iron. To get the nutritional benefits of beans without the gas, make sure to rinse your beans (whether soaked or canned) until all the bubbles are gone to get rid of the majority of the gas causing oligosaccharides. Start with a small amount of beans and work your way up. This allows your digestive system time to adapt to them. Finally, rinse your lentils after cooking them and definitely start with small amounts. Large amounts of lentils are not for legume rookies!
Asparagus: 1 cup of asparagus contains about 1.6 mg iron.
Basil: ½ cup chopped basil contains .67 mg iron.
Beets: 1 cup of beets contains 1.34 mg iron.
Black Beans: 1 cup of black beans contains 3.61 mg iron!
Broccoli: 1 cup of broccoli contains 1.05 mg iron.
Brussels Sprouts: 1 cup of Brussels sprouts contains 1.87 mg iron.
Chili Pepper: 2 teaspoons of chili pepper contains .93 mg iron.
Cinnamon: 2 teaspoons of cinnamon contains .43 mg iron.
Cloves: 2 teaspoons of cloves contains .5 mg iron.
Collard Greens*: 1 cup cooked collard greens contains 2.15 mg iron.
Cumin: Seeds: 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds contains 2.79 mg iron.
Fennel: 1 cup of chopped fennel bulb contains .67 mg iron.
Garbanzo Beans: 1 cup of garbanzo beans contains 4.74 mg iron.
Green Beans: 1 cup of green beans contains .81 mg iron.
Kale*: 1 cooked cup of kale contains 1.17 mg iron.
Kidney Beans: 1 cup of kidney beans contains 3.93 mg iron.
Leeks: 1 cup of cooked leeks contains 1.14 mg iron.
Lentils: 1 cup of cooked lentils contains 6.59 mg iron.
Lima Beans: 1 cup of lima beans contains 4.49 mg iron.
Mustard Greens: 1 cup cooked mustard greens contains 1.22 mg iron.
Navy Beans: 1 cup cooked navy beans contains 4.3 mg iron.
Olives: 1 cup canned black olives contains 4.44 mg iron.
Oregano: 2 teaspoons of oregano contains .74 mg iron.
Parsley: ½ cup of parsley contains 1.88 mg iron.
Peas: 1 cup of peas contains 2.12 mg iron.
Pinto Beans: 1 cup cooked pinto beans contains 3.57 mg iron.
Pumpkin Seeds: ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds contains 2.84 mg iron.
Quinoa: ¾ cup of quinoa contains 2.76 mg iron.
Romaine Lettuce: 2 cups of romaine lettuce contains .91 mg iron.
Sesame Seeds: ¼ cup of sesame seeds contains 5.24 mg iron.
¼ cup of sesame seeds is a ridiculous amount to eat all in one setting. This is a great example of adding a bit to recipes or looking for recipes that contain this food instead of eating a large amount to get a nutrient.
Spinach*: 1 cup cooked spinach contains 6.43 mg iron.
Summer Squash/Zucchini: 1 cup cooked summer squash contains .65 mg iron.
Swiss Chard: 1 cup cooked Swiss chard contains 3.96 mg iron.
Turmeric: 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric contains 1.82 mg iron.
Turnip Greens: 1 cup cooked turnip greens contains 1.15 mg iron.
Sources of iron, as well as their total iron content were found on World's Hea