Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [30]
IRON CONTENT OF VEGAN FOODS
Food Iron Content (in milligrams)
Breads, cereals, grains
Barley, pearled, ½ cup, cooked 1.0
Bran flakes, 1 cup 10.5
Bread, white, 1 slice 0.9
Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice 0.9
Cream of Wheat, ½ cup cooked 5.8
Oatmeal, instant, 1 packet 8.2
Pasta, enriched, ½ cup cooked 0.9
Rice, brown, ½ cup cooked 0.4
Wheat germ, 2 tablespoons 1.4
Vegetables
(½ cup cooked unless otherwise indicated)
Asparagus 0.8
Beet greens 1.4
Bok choy 0.9
Broccoli rabe 1.0
Brussels sprouts 0.9
Collard greens 1.1
Peas 1.2
Pumpkin 1.7
Spinach 3.2
Vegetables (continued)
Swiss chard 2.0
Tomato juice, 1 cup 1.0
Tomato sauce 0.9
Sea vegetables
(½ cup cooked)
Dulse, dry 11.2
Kombu, dry 38.6
Nori, dry 6.5
Wakame, dry 5.8
Fruits
Apricots, dried, ¼ cup 0.9
Prunes, ¼ cup 1.2
Prune juice, 6 ounces 2.3
Raisins, ¼ cup 0.8
Legumes
(½ cup cooked)
Black beans 1.8
Black-eyed peas 2.2
Garbanzo beans 2.4
Kidney beans 2.0
Lentils 3.3
Lima beans 2.2
Navy beans 2.3
Pinto beans 2.2
Split peas 1.3
Vegetarian baked beans 1.7
Soyfoods
Soybeans, ½ cup cooked 4.4
Soymilk, 1 cup 1.1–1.8*
Tempeh, ½ cup 1.3
Tofu, firm, ½ cup 2.0
Textured vegetable protein, ¼ cup, dry 1.4
Veggie “meats,” fortified, 1 ounce 0.8–2.1*
Nuts and seeds
Almonds, ¼ cup 1.3
Almond butter, 2 tablespoons 1.1
Cashews, ¼ cup 2.0
Peanuts, ¼ cup 1.7
Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons 0.6
Pecans, ¼ cup 0.7
Pine nuts, 2 tablespoons 0.47
Pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons 0.25
Sunflower seeds 1.1
Tahini 0.75
Other foods
Blackstrap molasses, 1 tablespoon 3.6
Dark chocolate, 1 ounce 3.9
Energy bar, 1 bar 1.4–4.5*
*Amount varies by brand.
ZINC
Zinc is a tricky issue for vegans—and for nutritionists. This mineral is needed for at least 100 different enzymatic reactions in the body. It’s required for protein synthesis, cell growth, blood formation, and immune function. While overt zinc deficiency is rarely seen in western countries, it’s possible that some people—especially children in lowincome families—suffer from marginal deficiency. Poor growth in children is one sign of a marginal deficiency. But because zinc is used for so many functions, there might be other suboptimal health conditions related to low zinc intake that we don’t really understand yet. It’s also somewhat difficult to measure zinc status accurately.
As a result, we have some unanswered questions about zinc. And one of those questions is: How much zinc do vegans need?
Factors Affecting Zinc Requirements
The adult RDAs for zinc are 11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women. Some studies show that vegans consume around 10 to 13 milligrams per day, which is slightly less zinc than omnivores—but for the most part, intakes are pretty comparable.
However, absorption from plant foods is quite a bit lower than from animal foods, and the Food and Nutrition Board suggests that zinc needs could be as much as 50 percent greater for vegans. That means that vegan zinc needs would be 16½ milligrams for men and 12 milligrams for women. While there is no evidence that vegans and other vegetarians suffer from zinc deficiency and there is evidence that they could adapt to lower absorption, it’s important to optimize zinc absorption. As with iron, phytate is one of the important factors affecting zinc bioavailability, so many of the food preparation techniques that boost iron absorption also work for zinc. See “Maximizing Iron and Zinc in Vegan Diets” on page 70 for guidelines on getting enough zinc. If you think that your diet may fall short on well-absorbed zinc, consider taking a multivitamin that contains zinc. Or if you are already taking calcium tablets, choose one with zinc.
ZINC CONTENT OF FOODS
Food Zinc Content (in milligrams)
Breads, cereals, grains
Barley, pearled, ½ cup cooked 0.6
Bran flakes, 1 cup 2.0
Granola, ¼ cup 1.3
Millet, ½ cup cooked 0.8
Oatmeal, instant, 1 packet 1.0
Quinoa, ½ cup