How to get your iron when your a vegetarian?

Question

I have been a vegetarian for about 4 weeks and I'm trying to get a lot of protein, but my mom just noticed that you need iron too. What foods have iron in them? Please help!

Answer 1

eggplant, - they are super easy to eat. you can just make grilled eggplant and put them in your veggie sandwich

Spinach, - again you can make loads of meals that are quick and easy

go here for recipe ideas

http://www.vegetariantimes.com

Answer 2

beans and lentils

lots of green leafy veggies.

Swiss chard, spinach...

I don't know if this is a total vegetarian meal ( I'm not one but I love to eat lots of veggies and stuff)

tortilla with some sort of a dressing or spread on the inside, fresh spinach leaves, shredded cabbage and green leaf lettuce, slivered almonds and mandarins, maybe add some tofu, all rolled up. That should have a good source of iron for ya.

Or you could get supplements for your daily intake.

:O)

Answer 3

Fortified breakfast cereal is where I get mine:)

Answer 4

Lentils are awesome for iron and for protein. Bananas in a smoothie are good. Try this awesome site:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname...

Answer 5

Leafy green vegetables, whole grains, oatmeal for example, all good sources.  I also take a multivitamin every day.

Answer 6

here is something that might help u

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

Answer 7

take a suppliment

Answer 8

There's loads of iron in green leafy veges like spinach.

Answer 9

what every1 above me wrote.=]

Answer 10

Enriched breakfast cereals, Cooked beans and lentils, Pumpkin seeds, Blackstrap Molasses.

You'll need absorbtion enhancers too:

Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit etc

Vegetables: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers.

Spinach is great if eaten without the others... why? oxalic acid binds with iron and actually stops you from absorbing it from the other foods.

Are you getting complete proteins? basic chain amino acids? All proteins are based on the protein of one egg, the perfect food. If you are vegan, rather than lacto-ovo, you need be sure you are getting complete protiens.

Two parts grain, one part legume = pp

penut butter and milk = pp

There is one lysene missing from any protein complimentary scheme that can ONLY be garnered from red meat and a couple of other sources. It affects the heart. Your heart will not grow properly if you don't have it. Eating meat a couple of times a year, especially beef heart will gi ve you all you need.

Answer 11

Iron is present in lesser amounts in plant foods than in animal foods. Also, it is present in forms that are harder for the body to absorb. For most people, the gap can be closed by taking a commercial iron supplement, such as ferrous chloride or ferrous nitrate pills. But you need to experiment and make sure you are not flirting with anemia, especially if you are a young female.

By the way, spinach is not a good source of iron, Popeye to the contrary notwithstanding. It does contain iron, but it also contains oxalate which tends to bind not only the iron in the spinach but also any other iron it happens to encounter in your body.

Answer 12

Spinach is an excellent source of iron

Answer 13

Here's some good info on iron in a veg*n diet: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

If you pair iron rich foods with vitamin C rich foods, you increase the absorption of non-heme iron to very nearly the absorption level of heme iron.

A good resource for all your nutritional questions is "The New Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.  They are both registered dietitians.

Answer 14

Here are some food suggestions for you that are rich in iron:

~ Enriched breakfast cereals

~ Cooked beans and lentils

~ Pumpkin seeds

~ Blackstrap Molasses

~ Canned beans

~ Baked potato with skin

~ Enriched pasta

~ Canned asparagus

~ Tofu

~ Greens, including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens

~ Dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes, dates and apricots

~ Nuts

* Also -- as the previous posters have mentioned, if all else fails, you can always take a daily Iron supplement.

Hope this helps out! Take care. :~)

Answer 15

Prenatal vitamins .

All your green veggtables have iron in them especially broccoli . Potatoes are a good source also .

Answer 16

There are lots of good answers here already.  

The number one thing for you to get and take are pregnancy vitamins.  Your doctor should have prescribed them for you already.

Your doctor should give you an example real food diet to follow and if he does not have a Vegetarian or Vegan diet plan then you should request that he refer you to a Registered Dietitian, (an R.D) to work with you and your physician during this important time..

Answer 17

Dark leafy greens contain a lot of iron.  You should also probably take a supplement.

Answer 18

beans have iron and broccoli.. you should also eat tofu its good in stir fries like cook it with green peppers and broccoli olive oil and other vegetables too

Answer 19

Congrats on going veg! Good vegetarian sources of iron include black beans, bran flakes, cashews, Cream of Wheat, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), GrapeNuts, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soybeans, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, and tomato juice.