Iron-Rich Vegetarian Food Items

• Soybean: Foods like tofu and tempeh provide 20% RDI of iron. Along with iron they are also rich in protein and are a good source of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

• Lentils: They can provide 37% of the recommended daily intake of iron along with complex carbs, fibre and protein.

• Peas and beans: Red kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas, navy beans, white beans, black-eyed peas are good sources of iron. Along with iron, they are a good source of folate, manganese, potassium and many other plant compounds.

• Seeds: Sesame, hemp, pumpkin and flax seeds are a good source of iron. Garden cress seeds are a rich source of iron, folic acid and vitamin C . These seeds contain plant protein, calcium, fibre and magnesium. They are a great source of antioxidants rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

• Cashew and Pine nuts: Non-heme iron is present in cashews, almonds, pine nuts, and macadamia nuts. Roasting may damage the nutritional content of the nuts so they should be consumed raw in their natural form. Nuts are a great source of good fats, vitamins and protein.

• Green leafy vegetables: They are the best source of iron for your body. Cooking leafy greens with lemon/ tomatoes helps to improve the absorption of nonheme iron. Cooked tomatoes have a greater amount of iron in comparison to raw tomatoes. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene along with vitamin C that helps increase the absorption of nonheme iron.

• Whole grains: Whole grains like oats, hulled wheat, quinoa, and amaranth are rich in iron and fibre that helps in the process of digestion.

• Potatoes: Potato skin is rich in iron and potatoes are a great source of vitaminB6, vitamin C, potassium and fibre.

• Olives: They have a good iron content along with vitamin A, vitamin E and fibre.