How do you get your iron?

I know, I recently posted a topic (thanks for the replies, you all gave me some awesome ideas for breakfast!) but I wanted to ask another question for you herbivores out there.

How do you make sure you get your iron for the day? By eating iron rich foods (please specify) or taking iron supplements? This is definately an area of my diet I need work on.

I heard that eating bran cereal in the morning takes care of a good half of your daily iron needs. I'm curious to know some foods you all eat to ensure a good daily dose of iron.

A great (and great tasting) source of iron is raisins.  Raisins can be purchased in bulk, and taste great with almonds, which, are another excellent source of protein for us veggies.  Try making your own trail mix (raisins, nuts, oats).  By making a homemade trail mix, you know exactly what you are consuming and you avoid additional salt and sugar additives.  Play with combos and find what you like.

Hey there, I was talking to the guy who owns the health food store in the city and most iron supplements are made with animal products. So be sure to read the label and make sure it is Vegan. =)

I have that same problem muttlover =( Specially after I stopped eating veg substitutions like Yves and Light life (a serving had 30% of the RDA of iron). I felt a sudden drop in energy and when I looked up my symptoms they coincided with lack of iron; it was at that time that I realized I had been relying so much on the veg alternatives for my iron consumption (I never kept a track of that).

So I researched and I found a multivitamin and mineral supplement.
In terms of food, I really like the World Healthiest Foods website. It has a lot of information and several tools, such as searching foods by specifying a specific nutrient. I searched for iron and it listed several food options. Hopefully, you're not like me and you like beans and spinach =P

A few months ago I found out that I had developed anemia. This was new to me, since I had never had this issue before...

I did the research, and here is what I have found out.

Dairy and Tea will keep your iron from absorbing. Avoid them when you are eating your iron rich foods.

Add vitamin C when you eat your iron rich foods. It helps your body soak it up!

Cooked spinich has more iron than raw... I have no idea why.

A great website to visit is www.whfoods.org!

Quinoa is high in iron.  A serving will provide 20% of your daily iron.

Lots of spinach and broccoli.  I never used to eat these things and I would bruise horribly.  Now I eat them every day and hardly bruise at all.  I also eat bread that contains molasses and lots of chickpeas/lentils, which are all reasonably high in iron.

A lot of pastas, cereals, breads, & rice are iron-fortified.  Other things that haven't been mentioned so far are kidney beans and blackstrap molasses.  I believe soybeans are also a good source :)

I was curious to find more information, so I found this site.  It has a pretty good list.

I used to be vegan, I have to take super doses of iron from anemia, but it didn't get caused by my diet, but heavy TOM's.  My point is, you are probably getting plently, I think women only need 18 grams a day.  The soy products out there like soy dogs are usually high in iron and also enriched cereal is a very good easy source!

I've been having the same problem as of late, and doing some greatly needed grocery shopping today, I stumbled upon grape-nuts, which, are surprisingly high in iron.  

I did a longevity survey last night and learned some very interesting things about iron.  It's at this website if you're interested:

http://www.livingto100.com/

First, taking iron supplements is linked to a LOWER life expectancy.  You know how women live longer than men on average by several years?  One of the theories is because we regularly lose iron through menstruation.  Regular blood donation is also associated with longevity.  I am more than ever determined to get only as much iron as I need through my diet and no more!

just found out that a serving of shiitake mushrooms provides 20% of your RDA of iron...

now if my grocery store had them....

A packet of Quaker's plain grits has 40%, if I remember correctly.

And 100 calories.

Note: no one (but especially women) should take iron supplements except under the supervision of a doctor.  It's a nutrient that can actually be harmful to you to take in supplement form unless you're actually anemic.  I'm not anemic, so I take women's iron-free vitamins.  You can find them at most vitamin places like GNC or Vitamin World and even Whole Foods.

Cook with cast iron.

My best friend and I both eat Quaker's oatmeal for breakfast every day. She has instant, I take a couple extra minutes to microwave Quick Oats because I like the texture much better. She told me, when I asked her why she went for the instant stuff, that the instant was fortified with plenty of iron.

At the time I wasn't vegetarian so it wasn't a concern. Hmmm...

It is relatively easy to get enough iron in your diet without eating meat. Remember that most people, in general, overeat... so even meat eaters don't need a 12 oz steak to get enough iron! ;)

I eat enriched cereal for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and almost always have broccoli or spinach or swiss chard (a new favorite) in my dinner. Beans are another easy way to get iron, as well as whole grains, asparagus, and sprouts (love sprouts on a salad!).

General question here...  when you speak against Iron supplements, does that include Multi-Vitamins?  They all seem to contain it?

and I find that buying Bran flakes and separate raisins means I get healthier versions of the flakes, and also unsugared raisins.   Geesh the raisins in most pre-mixed boxes are white with the sugar coating.... YUCK ~ Lost Artist
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get my "iron" @ the gym

har

This thread may be dead but...
Somebody mentioned raisins, I'll mention something I love, that is a bit unusual: grape molasses. I don't know what the availability is in your country of residence. Perhaps Middle East food shops will have it? I eat mine mixed with tahini (that is lightly toasted sesame paste), spread on wholewheat bread. It is a really calorie-rich food, unfortunately, but it is delicious and very nutrient-rich too. You get iron from the molasses and calcium from the tahini (amongst other things). Vitamin C helps iron absorbtion, so I usually have a glass of OJ after.
I've been a vegetarian a long time now, and I'd like to mention that iron from veggie sources is more difficult to absorb than that from animal sources. Vitamin C is good, and tea, as mentioned above, is bad for absorbtion.
If you are a woman, and you are on the pill, you are less likely to lose a lot of iron every month. Not a reason by itself to be taking it, of course!

green tea is bad for iron absorbing? ~ Lost
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