Top Iron Rich Foods to Combat Iron Deficiency

Iron deficiency can be a dangerous thing. Iron is responsible for the production of blood and helps to stave off anemia. If you end up with anemia, you may find yourself beginning to faint, or suffer from fatigue which can make daily life hazardous. Anemics also have to worry about getting enough oxygen and nutrients to their organs.

Leafy greens

Dark Leafy greens, are some of the best sources of nonheme iron you can get. The darker they are the better; everything including spinach, kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, and Swiss chard will benefit you. Certain leafy greens like collard or Swiss chard also possess folate. Folate deficient diets can result in folate-deficiency anemia. The greenslike collard and Swiss Chard have twice the anemia fighting power than even normal leafy greens.

Now when consuming dark leafy greens as a source for iron, it is important to remember that they come with a small caveat. A few greens that are high in iron also have a significant number of oxalates which are compounds that actually prevent the absorption of nonheme iron. This means that while dark leafy greens are in fact great sources of iron, they actually cannot be your only source of iron.

If you are going to rely heavily on dark leafy greens, then you need to make sure to consume Vitamin C. You can get the required amount of vitamin C by including citrus fruits or bell peppers in your diet. The vitamin C actually assists your stomach in absorbing iron and can actually increase your iron absorption efficiency.

Meat and poultry

Meat and poultry are probably the source of iron that you are most familiar with. Meat contains large quantities of heme iron – especially lamb, beef, and venison. Chicken and other poultry sources generally have less amounts of iron. Eat meat with nonheme iron foods like leafy greens to increase the efficiency of your iron absorption.

Liver and Organ Meat

Meat is generally a great source of iron, but the organs of other animals are also the best sources. You may not like eating liver or hearts, but their nutritional value just cannot be denied. They are packed with iron and folates that help in preventing anemia