Here are the top 10 food sources of iron, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It's worth noting that Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food
Iron is essential for building healthy muscles and maintaining healthy blood.
It can be a challenge to get as much iron you need in a day. Knowing which foods contain the most amount of that nutrient can make the task easier. The
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron is 18 mg for adult women, and 8 mg for men.
Clams
Surprise! Clams take the top prize for providing the most iron. Three ounces of the shellfish provide 23.8 mg of iron and 126 calories. Whether you like them raw on the half shell or cooked in your clam chowder, clams are also a surprising king of the superfoods: clams are also a
top source of potassium and
Vitamin B12. Clams are unlikely to be contaminated, and according to the Environmental Defense Fund's
Seafood Selector, the farming of the most common clams in the U.S. (northern quahogs) does little ecological damage.
Recipes:
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Cereal
This includes cold and hot ready-to-eat cereals. The amount of iron you can get from cold cereals ranges from 1.8 to 21.1 mg of iron, but it's typically lower for hot cereals (4.9 to 8.1 mg), so check those labels. Ready-to-eat fortified cereals are also often a good source of calcium.
Animal bits such as liver and giblets offer between 5.2 and 9.9 mg of iron, and 134 and 235 calories per three ounces.
Soybeans
A half cup of cooked soybeans contains 4.4 mg of iron and 149 calories.Parents monitoring their children's health, as well as anyone concerned about intake of estrogen, should be aware that soy contains
plant estrogens that may cause health problems in high doses. Add them to a salad or try one of these recipes:
Recipes
Farm Stand Succotash
Edamame Lo Mein
Pumpkin Seeds
White Beans
White beans deliver 3.9 mg of iron and 153 calories per half cup. A true superfood, white beans are also a
top source of potassium.
Recipes
Creamy Italian White Bean Soup
Escarole and White Bean Soup
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Asparagus and White Beans
Easy Minestrone
Blackstrap Molasses
One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses offers 3.5 mg of iron, 172 mg of calcium and 47 calories.
You can always make some
gingerbread, or, for something different and seasonal, try these recipes:
Lentils
Hearty lentils are delicious and nutritious: a half cup offers 3.3 mg of iron and 115 calories.
Spinach
Cooked spinach follows closely behind lentils. A half cup has 3.2 mg of iron and 21 calories.
These nutritious greens cook quickly and make an easy side dish. For something different, try these recipes:
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