The foods richest in iron for anemia (some will surprise you)

Feeling tired, discouraged, and having pale skin tone and weak nails can all be symptoms of anemia, a blood ailment that is sometimes caused by a lack of iron, vitamin B12, or folic acid. If you want to prevent it, get strong with these foods that you have below.

Clams to avoid anemia

Clams top the ranking of foods rich in iron. Nothing less than 24 mg of iron can contain 100 grams of clams, a mollusk that is usually taken for pure pleasure but is a nutritious bomb. Preparation idea: steam them until they open. Season them with a mixture of lime juice, coriander, chilli and olive oil. Sprinkle fleur de sel on top. Or as in this recipe, in some delicious spaghetti a la marinara.

Peanuts, the best tasting iron

Peanuts, the iron that tastes best

Here are some other foods for anemia. The peanut –or peanut–, contrary to what many people believe, is not a dried fruit, but a legume that provides 2.1 mg of iron per 100 g. A handful a day, in addition to iron, provides you with a lot of fiber and an interesting amount of B vitamins, which contribute to good mood. And on top of that, they are delicious!

Spirulina alga, a lot of iron in little quantity

It is the champion of foods with iron of plant origin. The United Nations recommends it to combat malnutrition in addition to anemia. NASA has given it as a supplement to its astronauts. And it is that among the many nutrients it provides, there is a more than interesting amount of iron: 66.38 mg / 100 g, on average. Of course, you have to take it in small amounts to be really healthy.

Pistachios have a lot of iron

Among the nuts, which are generally a recommended source of iron, the pistachios stand out, followed by the pine nuts. Next time you make pasta, serve it with a delicious pesto made with equal parts pistachios and pine nuts, basil, garlic, grated cheese, and olive oil.

Miso, the soybean paste that fills you with iron

Soy is one of those foods that has multiple benefits. In this case, in the form of miso, which is a very salty paste obtained from the fermentation of soybeans, it is a great ally against anemia. There are many varieties, but one of the most common, the hatcho miso, provides 7.1 mg of iron / 100 g. To drink it, heat broth and, off the heat, slip a tablespoon of miso into it.

Spinach, yes, but well prepared

Popeye convinced us that they are loaded with iron. It is true, although not as much as believed: they have 4.1 mg / 100 g. But they also contain oxalates, which reduce their absorption. The solution? Cook the spinach separately and remove the water, where most of the oxalates will have dissolved. to

The great help of vitamin C

This antioxidant nutrient is important on its own, but it also doubles the absorption of iron offered by plant foods, making them excellent sources. Accompany the dishes of legumes, rice or vegetables with orange juice, kiwi, red peppers, strawberries, among other fruits and vegetables (remember that they must be eaten raw to preserve the vitamin). Do you want to know which are the foods with the most vitamin C?

No lack of egg

The egg cannot be missing from the list of foods rich in iron. It is a source of protein of high biological value and its yolk is rich in iron: 100 g contain 2.7 mg. You can consume it in the form of a scramble with blood sausage if you do not have high cholesterol. Or take egg with peppers, as in this recipe, if you take better care of yourself.

Yes, oats have iron too. Surprised?

Yes, oatmeal has iron too. Surprised?

Spinach has 4.1 mg / 100 g and oats, 4.7 mg of iron per 100 g, but the first takes fame and the second… we don't even think about the second when we talk about what to eat for anemia. And this is one of the many virtues of this cereal, which also removes hunger, helps regulate intestinal transit, etc. Do not limit yourself to having it in your breakfasts, we give you recipes to make it your best friend.

Meat, source of iron

Meat is one of the iron-rich foods par excellence because it is the one that is most effectively assimilated (30% is absorbed). You can consume servings of 100 to 130 g of lean meat 2 or 3 times a week. The least fat and iron-rich cuts of meat are, in order, skinless chicken and turkey thighs, and beef and pork tenderloins.

Millet is very rich in iron

Millet was one of the first grains to become food, but it has fallen into disuse. A shame, because it is very rich and is a great source of iron: with 6.8 mg per 100 g, it has more than lentils. One way to consume it is by making hamburgers. Prepare the millet as if it were rice, mix it with onion, oregano, raisins and parsley, shape it into hamburgers. Roll them in and fry or bake them.

Add beets to your dishes

We are going to give you a good reason to make it a stationary vegetable in your pantry if you are looking for what to eat for anemia because it is not only rich in iron (1.80 mg / 100 g), but also in vitamin C (30 mg / 100 g) and in folates (109 mcg / 100g). Come on, it's an antianemic bomb. Can't think of how to eat it if it's not in salad or juice? Here we leave you a recipe that will surprise you.

Beer yeast

It can be an effective anemia treatment without side effects. In addition to high amounts of group B vitamins, it provides high doses of minerals, including iron: 17.5 mg in 100 g. In health food stores you can choose the debittered presentation. Add a tablespoon to yogurts, juices and broths. You can also sprinkle it on pasta dishes and salads.

Dried apricot and peach

About 100 g of dried apricot or peach provide a not inconsiderable amount of 4.1 mg of iron, which is why they are another food for anemia. In addition, they provide vitamin A and energy to combat fatigue. Sign up for this delicious dessert rich in iron: dice four dried apricots and a kiwi and sprinkle the plate with the juice of a freshly squeezed orange.

Soy, an ally against anemia

The iron content of soybeans varies according to its presentation. The richest form in this mineral is flour, with 8.4 mg in 100 g. You can find it in health food stores. A super easy trick to take it: dilute 2 tablespoons of soy flour in 4 of water. Use this preparation as if it were an egg in all kinds of batters.

Raspberries, in juice

In this case, we recommend juice instead of whole fruit because while it provides 1 mg / 100 ml, the juice provides more than double: 2.6 mg / 100 ml. And this accompanied by a not inconsiderable amount of vitamin C (57 mg / 100 g), which makes it more assimilable. It is a summer fruit, so if you want to enjoy it all year long at a good price, we recommend freezing it.

Water against fatigue

Drinking more water increases the volume of circulating blood and consequently, the cells receive more oxygen, which helps to feel less tired. The ideal is to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water a day. If you have a hard time doing it, discover our tricks to drink more water without realizing it.

Figs, better dried

Why dry and not fresh? Well, because it multiplies its amount of iron. Dry provide 2.23 mg of iron per 100 g, while fresh are 0.37 mg. And we are not the only virtues of this fruit, figs are also among the foods that provide the most calcium.

Be a fan of legumes

Incorporate them into your diet at least 3 times a week (with 70g dry servings, before soaking and cooking). Ranking: lentils are the richest in iron, followed by beans and chickpeas. If you have trouble incorporating legumes into your diet, take a look at our section on legumes recipes.

The pomegranate is not only delicious …

But it is a very interesting fruit for anemia. In addition to providing 0.6 mg of iron per 100 g, it makes it better assimilated because it is also rich in vitamin C (4 mg / 100 g) and, in addition, this is more stable than in other foods because it also contains citric acid .

Remineralize yourself with the tomato

In salad, juice, sauce, gazpacho … To take tomato is to remineralize yourself whole. Its amount of iron is not turkey mucus (100 g provide 3% of daily needs), but it also has zinc, calcium, magnesium …

A glass of wine against anemia

Wine contains almost 1 mg of iron per 100 ml, but the reason for advising it is that alcohol increases the absorption of that provided by other foods. But remember fattening and you should not go overboard if you do not want to get hooked. Discover the calories in alcoholic beverages.

Did you know that anemia causes poor memory and poor concentration, which can create problems at work or poor grades for students? Or that a very marked iron deficiency can produce a real depression? Anemia, specifically iron deficiency, is one of the most frequent nutritional deficiencies in the developed world, so it is interesting to know what to eat to keep it away. And, as you have seen in the foods in the gallery, not everything is eating spinach, there are foods rich in iron that you will be surprised to discover.

What does it mean to have anemia?

Iron is part of a protein called hemoglobin that is in red blood cells or red blood cells and that serves to transport oxygen from the air from the lungs to all the cells of our body. Iron is stored in the body in the form of ferritin, which is a substance made up of a capsule-shaped protein called apoferritin that stores iron inside. Ferritin is found primarily in the liver, spleen, muscles, and bone marrow. There are also small amounts of ferritin circulating in the blood plasma. This plasma ferritin is considered the best reflection of the body's iron stores and is the first thing that decreases when there is a lack of iron.

The most frequent. When iron begins to lack, either because we do not take enough with food, or because we lose it due to some disease, we speak of iron deficiency. If the situation continues and worsens, there will begin to be less hemoglobin and even fewer red blood cells; then we speak of anemia due to lack of iron. This anemia is the most common of all types of anemia.

Symptoms of anemia

Unjustified tiredness or exhaustion is the most characteristic sign of anemia; followed by headache, pale skin, palpitations that can assail you with minimal physical effort (simply climbing a flight of stairs), irritability, loss of appetite and, in more severe cases, vertigo and dizziness, nails break more easily or hair fall out, have a greater tendency to get sick …

Curiosities. In some cases there may be a strange symptom which is "pica". This is the name given to the tendency to eat substances that are not usually edible such as earth, pieces of wall, plaster, mud (geophagy) or ice (pagophagia).

Does iron make you fat?

Many women carry anemia from pregnancy, since this deficiency mainly affects women and children. During pregnancy, iron stores are depleted and blood is lost during delivery. The problem is compounded by the false belief that iron is fattening. Iron is not fattening. Many women associate anemia with thinness and do not take enough iron (or the supplement prescribed by the doctor) for fear of gaining weight.

It neither makes you fat nor makes you eat more. The natural iron in foods and supplements does not make us fat or cause us to eat more. Instead, anemia generates fatigue, which the body tries to alleviate by demanding more food.

A good diet is the best recipe against anemia

More iron on your plates. The one that is best assimilated is that of animal origin. Eat meat two or three times a week. An ideal serving is 100-130 g. Also eat fish two or three times a week. One of the rations that is of someone very rich in iron, such as cockles, mussels, clams …
Legumes with vitamin C. Include them in your diet three times a week (about 50-70 g per serving). Try to combine them with foods rich in vitamin C (tomato, pepper, parsley) because you will absorb iron better. Here are ideas for eating more legumes.
Beware of calcium. Calcium makes it difficult for you to assimilate iron from food. Try not to eat dairy, for example, when planning a menu rich in iron.
Nuts daily. A handful of nuts every day is the best guarantee to have an extra supply of iron and other essential minerals. Pistachios and pine nuts are the champions in this mineral.
Caffeine, better between meals. Do not drink coffee after eating, or drinks with cola during the meal. The caffeine they contain inhibits the absorption of iron. Take them 1 hour later.

If you want to know more, do not miss Dr. Beltrán's office on anemia and how to avoid it,