eleven foods that are high in iron and why iron is important when it comes to
staying healthy a balanced diet is one of the most important ways to make sure
your body is receiving all the necessary forms of nutrition it needs to keep
working efficiently but with so many different vitamins minerals and other
nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis it can be hard to keep track
of them all one important mineral that should never go overlooked in your daily
diet is iron iron is an essential tool that helps your red blood cells carry
oxygen throughout your body it is so important in fact that a person lacking
in their iron intake can often experience serious health complications
as a result today bestie is going to tell you all about the importance of
iron as well as some of the best foods to incorporate into an iron rich diet
before we continue you should subscribe to besties and ring the notification
bell we promise to iron out any questions you have relating to health
and nutrition as we already mentioned iron is an important component that
helps your body with the process of respiration the reason for this is
because iron is used by your body to create hemoglobin a protein found in red
blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen through your body to the places
where it's most needed such as your body's tissues and muscles if your body
doesn't have enough iron it won't be able to create enough hemoglobin and as
a result your body will be unable to make use of the oxygen that enters your
body by breathing this is known as an iron deficiency and is the number one
leading cause in another condition known as anemia an iron deficiency can happen
as the result of a number of different causes or factors in some cases it may
simply be due to a reduced iron intake due to a poor or restrictive diet in
other cases an iron deficiency might also happen as a result of blood loss
internal bleeding complications during pregnancy or other conditions such as
inflammatory bowel disease in any event there are several symptoms that can be
spotted in a person who's currently suffering from an iron deficiency so be
on the lookout for any of the following unusual or excessive tiredness pale skin
shortness of breath headaches and dizziness heart
palpitations dry skin or dry and damaged hair swelling or pain in the mouth or
tongue restless leg syndrome brittle or oddly shaped fingernails while these are
the most common symptoms of an iron deficiency there are other less common
symptoms that could indicate a lack of iron in your body as well such as
strange or unusual cravings anxiety cold hands or feet and more frequent
infections and illnesses due to a lowered immune system if you or someone
you know is experiencing any symptoms that could point towards an iron
deficiency or anemia the first step should be to seek out and talk to a
doctor because an iron deficiency affects your red blood cells medical
professionals should be able to identify and diagnose an iron deficiency or
anemia by taking a simple blood test for anyone who is currently suffering from
an iron deficiency the good news is that the condition can be treated fairly
easily to put it simply all you need to do in order to shake an iron deficiency
is increase your daily intake of iron either through eating more iron rich
food or by taking supplements to replenish your iron supply in the case
of supplements though make sure you're only taking them if your doctor
recommends them to you otherwise an iron rich diet should be enough to counteract
the deficiency on its own so what are some iron rich foods that you can
incorporate into your diet to make sure you're meeting your daily needs for iron
intake lucky for you there is a plentiful number of foods you can choose
from that are not only high in iron but are also delicious to boot nutrition
expert and registered dietician Franziska spritz Lehr of health line has
compiled a list of eleven foods that are a rich source of iron so let's get
cooking number one shellfish have you ever heard
of a seafood diet well if you haven't the rules are simple first you see food
and then you eat it while all shellfish are a good source of iron spritz low
points out that bivalve molluscs such as clams
boy stirs and muscles are an especially rich source of this essential mineral to
give you an example a 100 gram serving of clams can provide you with as much as
a whopping 28 milligrams of iron which is almost double the average person's
recommended daily intake in addition the iron contained in shellfish is known as
heme iron which is easier for your body to absorb than other types of iron found
in some other food sources such as plants number two
spinach vegetarians and vegans feel free to breathe a sigh of relief if you are
worried all of the entries on this list we're going to be meat based iron
sourced you should be pleased to know that there are a variety of options out
there to meet the needs of any diet or set of preferences in addition to being
high in iron spinach is also low in calories as well as high in vitamin C
which helps your body with absorbing the iron into its system 100 grams of
spinach will provide you with about 3.6 milligrams of iron which is about
one-fifth of your recommended daily intake number three organ meats hey what
are you making that face for organ meats such as liver can be a highly nutritious
addition to your diet as well as a rich source of iron 100 grams of beef liver
contains six and a half milligrams of iron which is a little over a third of
the recommended daily intake in addition organ meats are also a rich
source of vitamins A and B as well as other beneficial nutrients such as
protein copper and selenium they are also an excellent source of choline
which helps keep your brain and liver healthy as well number four legumes
beans lentils peas chickpeas and soy beans all fall under the category of
legumes one cup of cooked lentils contains roughly the same amount of iron
as a hundred grams of liver so you don't have to worry about missing out on iron
if you're not much of a carnivore if that wasn't enough legumes have also
been found to be useful foods to help with reducing inflammation and
decreasing the risk of heart disease they are also high in soluble fiber
which has been shown to be about as effective as a low-carb diet when it
comes to weight loss results number five red meat according to sprit
slur red meat is one of the most easily
accessible sources of heme iron making it one of the most important foods to
consider for anyone who is prone to iron deficiencies and anemia studies have
indicated that people who consume red meat poultry and fish on a regular basis
are at a significant advantage when it comes to avoiding iron deficiencies even
more so than people who get their iron from using supplements a 100 gram
serving of ground beef contains about 2.7 milligrams of iron which is about
15% of your recommended daily intake number sex pumpkin seeds while it may
not be your go-to snack of choice pumpkin seeds are both a tasty and
nutritious food to take on the go and also benefit from being a useful source
of iron 28 grams of pumpkin seeds contains 4.2 milligrams of iron which is
almost 1/4 of your recommended daily intake pumpkin seeds are also a great
source of vitamin K zinc manganese and magnesium keep this in mind next time
you're scooping out a jack-o-lantern for Halloween those seeds you throw in the
compost could have more value than you think
number 7 quinoa in addition to being a good meal of choice for people with an
intolerance to gluten quinoa is a pseudo cereal that is unusually high in both
protein and iron compared to most other grains one cup of cooked quinoa will net
you nearly three milligrams of iron which is about 15 percent of your
recommended daily intake if that wasn't enough quinoa is also a rich source of
folate magnesium copper and manganese and is also higher in antioxidants than
most other grains number eight turkey looks like Turkey isn't just for
Thanksgiving and the holiday season any more Turkey especially the dark meat is
an abundant source of iron about two point three milligrams per 100 gram
serving or about 13 percent of your recommended daily intake
additionally turkey is a high source of protein as well as several B vitamins
and minerals such as zinc and selenium number nine broccoli
there's a reason your parents always told you to eat your vegetables one cup
of cooked broccoli contains one milligram of iron which might seem low
compared to some of the other foods on this list but is still a significant
source for anyone struggling with an iron deficiency to help sweeten the deal
that same serving size of broccoli would also contain nearly double your
recommended daily intake for vitamin C which as we mentioned before helps your
body to better absorb iron broccoli is also a high source of folate and fiber
as well as a moderate source of vitamin k number 10 tofu a vegetarians best
friend the soy based food known as tofu is another great source of iron half a
cups worth of tofu will net you about 3.6 milligrams of iron which is a little
under 1/5 of your recommended daily intake as well as thiamine calcium
magnesium and selenium tofu also provides 20 grams of protein per serving
and can also help your body with insulin sensitivity and decreases the risk of
heart disease number 11 dark chocolate hope you saved room for
dessert last but not least on this list is dark chocolate which is not only
delicious but surprisingly good for you one ounce of dark chocolate contains 3.3
milligrams of iron which is about 19 percent of your recommended daily intake
if that wasn't enough one ounce of dark chocolate will also provide you with 25%
of your recommended daily dose of copper and 16 percent of your daily intake for
magnesium dark chocolate and cocoa powder have also been found to be high
in antioxidants rivaling even certain types of berries with the amount of
antioxidant activity they have going on just make sure it's dark chocolate
you're eating if you want these benefits milk chocolate is considerably less
nutritious did you find this video helpful or interesting do you know any
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