6 The best source of iron for those of you who are on a vegan diet

Red meat, including foods that contain high iron. But for those of you on a vegan diet, you are absolutely avoiding anything of an animal origin. So, what are the food sources of iron that can be consumed by vegans? Come on, check the food list in the following review.

List of food sources of iron for vegans

Iron is one of the essential minerals needed by the body. This iron is needed to form red blood cells. Well, these red blood cells will carry oxygen throughout the body, so that the organs can function properly.

Foods of animal origin such as meat, eggs, or milk do contain higher amounts of iron. Unfortunately, this type of food certainly cannot be consumed by those of you who are on a vegan diet.

But there's no need to worry. You can still reap the benefits of iron through a wide variety of nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. By choosing the right foods, a vegan can still meet his daily iron needs without the need to take supplements.

The best dietary sources of iron for vegans are:

1. Lentils

Source: The Kitchn

When you are looking for food sources of iron, but you are also a vegan, then nuts can be the right choice. The reason is, each type of bean is rich in iron, protein and fiber which are good for the body. For example, lentils.

Each cup (230 grams) of lentils contains 6.59 milligrams (mg) of iron and 17.86 grams of protein. Not only that, lentils also contain B vitamins, magnesium and potassium which are good for maintaining bone health.

2. Know

Tofu is one of the best sources of iron which is good for vegans to eat. This comes from the content of soybeans which are used as raw material for making tofu.

Reporting from Healthline, one cup or about 230 grams of soybeans contains 8.8 mg of iron. This amount turns out to be able to meet 49% of your daily iron needs.

Based on Indonesian Food Composition Data belonging to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, 2 medium sized pieces of tofu weighing 100 grams contain 3.4 mg of iron. Just by eating 2 pieces of tofu, you can meet 20% of your daily iron needs.

3. Spinach

Are you among those who like to eat spinach? Even though it is low in calories, spinach is one of the best sources of iron for vegans, you know!

As much as 230 grams or the equivalent of a cup of cooked spinach provides 6.43 mg of iron for the body. By eating a bowl of spinach, you can meet 36% of your daily iron needs.

Interestingly, every 100 grams of spinach contains 3 times more iron than boiled eggs in the same weight. So, you don't need to worry about iron deficiency because you can't eat meat, because you can work around this by eating spinach.

You can process these green vegetables into various dishes. Starting from cooking clear spinach, sauteed spinach, additional salads, or even making refreshing smoothies.

4. Potatoes

Potatoes are often used as a staple substitute for rice. Apart from being rich in carbohydrates, potatoes can also be a good choice of iron sources for those of you who are on a vegan diet.

When cooking potatoes, it's best to cook them with the skin on them. Make no mistake, potato skins also provide 2 mg of iron, you know! In every single large potato (295 grams), unpeeled, contains 3.2 mg of iron. This figure can meet about 18% of your daily iron needs.

Well, you can serve this potato in various dishes such as potato soup or baked potato. Most importantly, avoid adding a lot of butter or oil because it can increase the fat and calorie content of food.

5. Oatmeal

Breakfast of oatmeal in the morning can be the easiest way to add iron intake to your body. Because, a cup of oatmeal contains about 3.4 iron, or the equivalent of 19% of your daily iron needs.

Apart from being a good source of iron, oatmeal also contains a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan. These beta-glucans can help improve gut health, lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and ensure that you are full longer.

6. Dark chocolate

In fact, dark chocolate is not only good for consumption when you are in a moody mood, but also for those of you who have iron anemia. This is because dark chocolate is rich in iron, you know!

Judging from the nutritional content, every 85 grams of dark chocolate contains 7 mg of iron. Not only that, cocoa in dark chocolate is also the best source of antioxidant flavonoids. These antioxidants can protect the heart and nerves from various diseases.

Even though it can be the best source of iron, this doesn't mean you can eat too much chocolate, huh. This is because chocolate also contains calories which, if excessive, can cause weight gain. So, eat enough chocolate so you can get the maximum benefits.