Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [27]
To get you on track with your iron intake, the following sections provide info on how much to consume and what sources to rely on. I also tell you what other foods you need to consume in order for your body to best absorb the iron efficiently.
Understanding how much you need
The standard recommendation for iron intake is 8 milligrams a day for men between the ages of 9 and 13 and 19+, and 11 milligrams a day for men between the ages of 14 and 18 years and for postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women between the ages of 14 and 18 (who lose more iron due to their menstrual cycles) need 15 milligrams per day, while women 19 to 50 need 18 milligrams a day. Pregnant vegans are encouraged to talk with their midwives or doctors about taking a prenatal iron supplement and eating iron-rich foods. (You can read more on pregnant vegans in Chapter 20 and vegan kids in Chapter 22.)
The preceding recommendations are a little confusing for vegans; they’re lower and meant for meat eaters. Because the nonheme iron we eat isn’t absorbed as well as the heme iron found in a meat eater’s diet, vegans should safeguard against iron deficiency by eating more iron-rich foods.
Luckily, it’s not difficult to get sufficient iron from vegan foods. Anemia is no more common in vegans than in the rest of the population. If you understand how much you need, take a look at the iron-rich foods available to vegans, and plan to eat them regularly, you’ll have no trouble with anemia.
Obtaining your iron in vegan foods
A diet full of various whole foods and vegetables will easily meet your iron requirements. Take a look at Table 4-2 to start adding up your needs.
Using iron to the best of your body’s ability
Iron doesn’t work alone — just like a man, iron is no island in the bloodstream. It needs the help of another nutrient to do its work efficiently. Luckily, a well-rounded vegan diet provides this nutrient in abundant quantities.
Vegans are thought to equal the iron capacity of nonvegans because their diets are rich in vitamin C. When vitamin C is present with nonheme iron, the body can absorb it up to six times better. And it just so happens that many vegan sources of nonheme iron are naturally high in vitamin C as well. Most leafy greens like broccoli and bok choy, are great for both iron and vitamin C (and calcium), so the iron is easily absorbed by the body. It’s a win-win-win situation!
Table 4-2 Vegan Sources of Iron
Food
Amount
Iron (mg)
Beans and Grains
Soybeans
1 cup
8.8
Lentils
1 cup
6.5
Quinoa
1 cup
6.3
Tempeh
1 cup
4.8
Black beans
1 cup
3.6
Pinto beans
1 cup
3.5
Chickpeas
1 cup
3.2
Bulgur
1 cup
1.7
Vegetables
Spinach, cooked
1 cup
6.4
Swiss chard, cooked
1 cup
4.0
Potato
1 medium
3.2
Kelp
1/3 cup
3.0
Peas
1 cup
2.5
Wakame (sea vegetable)
1/2 cup
2.0
Brussels sprouts
1 cup
1.9
Broccoli
1 cup
1.1
Nuts, Seeds, and Fruits
Prune juice
8 oz.
3.0
Tahini
2 Tbsp.
2.7
Dried apricots
8
2.1
Dried figs
8
2.1
Cashews
1/4 cup
2.0
Raisins
1/2 cup
1.6
Almonds
1/4 cup
1.5
Other
Blackstrap molasses
2 tsp.
2.4
Veggie burgers
1 patty
2.0–3.5
Tofu hot dogs
1
1.5–2.5
Source: From the USDA and manufacturer information
Coax out the iron with cast-iron cooking
According to a 1986 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, cooking food in a cast-iron skillet is a good way to add iron to your diet. Researchers found that foods, especially acidic ones, increased their iron content when cooked in these pots and pans. The acidity in foods like tomatoes reacted with the metal and absorbed more of the iron. Spaghetti sauce that originally contained less than 1 milligram per serving increased its iron content to almost 6 milligrams. Applesauce cooked in cast iron went from less than 1 milligram per serving