If you’re vegetarian or eating a gluten-free diet you could be missing out on high enough levels of iron. Come find out how to increase iron in your diet naturally.
Symptoms of iron deficiency include feeling very tired, looking pale, being breathless, difficulty maintaining your body temperature, and slow thinking and mental processing.
Any long-term vegetarian or gluten-free diet will mean you need to up your intake of iron. How can you do that? I’m all for natural solutions. Sure you take a pill, but first try some inexpensive and easy food alternatives which you can buy at the market.
Iron is a common deficiency in a vegetarian or gluten-free diet and can be a major cause of anemia.
We need iron to keep our cells functioning healthily. Iron helps carry oxygen to our lungs (breathe deeply now … all together … ahhhh). It also helps our muscles store and use oxygen.
UPPING YOUR IRON INTAKE
Here are some great iron-rich foods to help you naturally increase your iron intake:
- Red meat
- Egg yolks
- Dark, leafy green vegetables (like spinach, kale and mustard greens)
- Dried fruit (like prunes, apricots and figs)
- Oysters, clams, and scallops
- Turkey
- Beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Artichokes
- Pumpkin seeds
- Liver
Ok so I put liver last as I detest it, BUT I am very partial to pate which let’s face it, is just processed liver (just don’t remind me!).
Vitamin C helps iron be absorbed so start (or continue) eating brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. Cut back on tea and coffee, especially when you’re eating, as they restrict the absorption of iron.
Another little tip is to add orange or tomato with your spinach. This will help your body absorb the iron. Mmmmm orange and baby spinach salad with bacon and parmesan … one of my favourite meals.
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