If you're a vegetarian, you can still obtain all the iron your body needs if you carefully plan your diet. Different types of iron exist, and are absorbed differently in the body. Although meat is an excellent source of dietary iron with a high bioavailability, certain plant-based foods or supplements can also help you meet your daily iron requirements.
Sources
Meat, chicken, fish and seafood are good sources of dietary iron. However, with the exception of semi- vegetarians who may consume chicken, fish or seafood, vegetarians need to look elsewhere to obtain iron-rich foods. Examples of plant-based foods that provide iron are fortified breakfast cereal, fortified oatmeal, soy beans, tofu, legumes such as kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, lima beans and lentils, spinach and raisins. An iron-containing multivitamin may also be recommended to help supplement a vegetarian diet.
Types
Types of iron include heme and non-heme iron. However, heme iron is better absorbed and utilized by the body. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements heme iron absorption ranges from 15 to 35 percent, while non-heme iron absorption ranges from 2 to 20 percent in the body. Heme iron is primarily found in animal-based foods such as red meat. The iron present in plant-based foods commonly consumed in a vegetarian diet is mainly the non-heme form of iron.
Considerations
Although non-heme iron is not as bioavailable as heme iron in the body, it can still play a role in a healthy vegetarian diet. According to the National Institutes of Health, consuming meat proteins or vitamin C will help improve non-heme iron absorption in the body. Adding a source of vitamin C to your iron-containing vegetarian meals will help improve plant-based iron absorption. For example, eat an orange with your lentil soup, add red peppers, tomatoes or mandarin oranges to your spinach salad, or drink orange juice with your iron-fortified breakfast cereal to enhance dietary non-heme iron absorption.
Recommendations
Recommendations for daily iron consumption are the same for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and vary by age and gender. The Food and Nutrition Board has established Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDAs, for iron and other nutrients. The RDA for iron is 8 mg for adult men, 18 mg for adult women age 50 and under, 8 mg for women over 50, 27 mg during pregnancy and 9 to 10 mg per day for women who are nursing. Lactating women under 19 years old require 10 mg of iron and adult lactating women require 9 mg of iron per day.
Member Comments