Foods High in Iron

Iron is essential for our bodies, it serves several purposes, including maintaining healthy cells, skin, hair, and it’s main one being to carry oxygen around your body. Iron is seen as an essential nutrient and can only be obtained through food. While vitamin supplements are available, plenty of foods can help you up your iron intake.

Red Meat

200g of red meat contains about 30% of your recommended daily amount of iron. Red meat is one of the easiest ways to eat heme iron. Although not an option for vegetarians, if you are a meat-eater, red meat once or twice a week can substantially boost your iron intake.

Spinach

For those who are vegan or vegetarian, there’s no need to worry. You can still eat plenty of iron without having to even think about meat. Spinach is one vegetable that is rich in many great things, one of which is iron. It contains the same amount of iron per 100g as red meat and contains vitamin C, which boosts iron absorption.

Broccoli

While not as high in iron compared to spinach, broccoli still provides about 6% of your recommended iron intake per 150g. It’s also a great source of fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K, and it’s delicious, so there are no excuses not to top up on broccoli.

Legumes

Legumes such as beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils are a great source of iron. The amounts vary between each legume, but as an example, 100g of cooked lentils offer around 15% of your daily intake.

Dark Chocolate

By dark chocolate, we mean anything that is 70% cocoa or more. Unfortunately, milk and white chocolate don’t count. It turns out that dark chocolate contains many antioxidants, and 25g will offer over 15% of your daily iron requirement and provide fibre, magnesium, and copper.