Vegetarian Iron Sources: 14 Top Vegetarian Food Sources

Iron food sources are harder to find for those who are vegetarian, simply because animal tissues are abundant in iron containing compounds. These include skeletal muscle tissue that is rich in myoglobin. Myoglobin contains lots of iron and this is not accessible for vegetarians. People who are vegetarian or vegan can often find themselves deficient in key vitamins and minerals, including iron.

Improving dietary intake of iron is a priority for vegetarians, especially where supplemental iron may be harsh on the stomach. Let’s look at iron, some of the factors for iron absorption, top food sources of iron in plants and how you can integrate more iron into your diet as a vegetarian.

Iron in Plant Foods

In plant foods, the main iron source is going to be from plants that are rich in sunlight processing complexes. These plant foods are often very dark green in colour, because they are rich in chloroplasts. Plants deficient in iron often show a pale discolouration. When they produce seeds they fill them with the nutrients coming from their foliage.

Chloroplasts are like sunlight harvesting towers, they are densely packed with proteins essential for the conversion of sunlight radiation into sugars. These proteins are usually heavily complexed with iron. Chloroplasts are ancient organisms in themselves.

Over many years ancient chloroplasts worked with a pre-existing cellular organism and formed a bond that became the plant cells we know of today. These ancient chloroplast organisms are called cyanobacterium, native to the oceans, that were ingested and not digested by a predatory protists. It then started replicating inside the ancient pre-existing plant cell.

This one of nature’s hidden wonders and a key evolutionary pathway. For vegetarian and vegan people looking to supplement their diet with sources of iron, chloroplasts are your best friend. Generally, the darker green the food source is the better.

Why Do You Need Iron

Iron deficiency effects 2 billion people globally. While this is more prevalent in vegetarians, this statistic is not just reduced to vegans and vegetarians. Your RDA of iron is 8mg a day for males and 18mg for females on average.

Iron is really important to maintaining optimal oxygen levels in the body. Without enough oxygen your body starts to become fatigued and you can experience symptoms of anaemia. This is when your red blood cell count is heavily reduced. Iron is required to make your red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body.

Other symptoms of iron deficiency and anaemia include reduce physical endurance and reduced brain functioning. Considering iron can effect both mental and physical functioning, iron is an important influencer on your overall health. While iron is mainly found in red blood cells, iron is also involved in other bodily processes. This is mediated through iron containing enzymes. However, iron deficiency anaemia is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide.

Optimizing Iron Intake

Something important for vegetarians to remember when looking to raise their iron intake and improve their dietary sources of iron, is vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to load iron into the body, providing support as an antioxidant too.

Antioxidants can protect each other from having to neutralise free radicals. Therefore, whole body antioxidant levels may also be essential for optimal iron intake.

This is like a higher sustainability of iron intake, where you maximise the amount of iron absorbed from your food. Look to increase your vitamin C intake from your vegetarian diet, in addition to iron, to synergistically enhance the iron you absorb.

14 Iron Food Sources For A Vegetarian Diet

Now we have covered a little about what iron does and how you can optimize your intake, lets cover some top iron foods and food sources you can include into a vegetarian diet.

Fortified Cereal

Something not considered by many people looking to improve their iron intake is their breakfast. Breakfast is a meal that is really overlooked but is how most people start the day for meals.

Many cereals are fortified, some are not, this is to support the nutrient intake of consumers and the fortification amounts will vary depending on the cereal. For example, a standard enriched bran flakes cereal contains 62.1mg of iron per 100 grams of cereal. Of course, most people don’t eat 100 grams of cereal, but cereal can support your daily intake of iron. This especially applies if you are vegetarian.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains a lot of iron and has been known as an iron rich food source for many years. There is about 12mg of iron in 100 grams of dark chocolate. This dark chocolate with 70% to 85% cacao from the cacao plant. For men, 100 grams of dark chocolate covers your RDA, while women would need to eat more than this.

For many people who are vegetarian, this is a nutrient dense food source. Cacao contains zinc, manganese, healthy sugars, fats, magnesium and copper in addition to iron. For those who are vegetarian, this represents an iron source that can easily be included in the diet.

Lentils

Lentils are a staple for many vegetarians and they are quite nutrient dense. In 100 grams of lentils, there is 7.16mg of iron. Lentils also contain high amounts of phosphorus, zinc and potassium. This is quite a lot of iron per 100 grams, providing a nutrient dense source of iron for vegetarians and vegans. This food can be integrated into so many different dishes and cuisines, from soups to curries.

Kidney Beans

Kidney beans are versatile and are used regularly all over the globe in various cuisines. If you are vegetarian, they could also present themselves as an iron source you can easily include in your diet. 6.58mg of iron per 100 grams of kidney beans. They are also rich in phosphorus, potassium and zinc. This is a substantial quantity of iron that gets you very close to your RDA for iron in the right quantities.

Cashew Nuts

Popular as a snacking food, cashew nuts are so easy to include into your diet. Cashew nuts contain 6mg of iron per 100 grams of cashew nuts. They are rich in many other essential nutrients, providing people who are vegetarian with a nutrient rich food source of iron. Cashews can get you quite close to your RDA for iron.

Chickpeas

Next up are chickpeas. In chickpeas there is 5.09mg of iron per 100 grams of chickpeas, while chickpeas also rich in phosphorus and potassium. Chickpeas are another food that can easily be introduced into various dishes and vegetarian stews.

Tofu

Fried tofu contains 4.87mg of iron per 100 grams of tofu. Tofu is also a source of selenium, protein and fats. It is quite a popular food choice to add to a vegetarian diet that has flexibility in various dishes. Tofu presents itself as another iron rich food source.

White Beans

White beans are also quite a neat and popular food for vegetarians, rich in various nutrients. In 100 grams of white beans, there is 3.54mg of iron. White beans are also a rich source of phosphorus, zinc and magnesium that can support overall wellbeing. If you are vegetarian white beans could be a good way to increase your intake of iron in your diet. White beans can easily be added to bean hot pots.

Pistachio Nuts

Pistachio nuts contain 3.46mg of iron per 100 grams of nuts. They are also really high in phosphorus, another essential nutrient that vegetarians need to be wary of. Pistachio nuts contain a fair amount of iron and can easily be included into a vegetarian diet.

Pumpkin & Squash Seeds

A food source that is really underrated and overlooked is pumpkin and squash seeds. There is 3.31mg of iron in 100g of roasted pumpkin and squash seeds. Pumpkin and squash seeds are flexible as a vegetarian food source. If you get a basic recipe together, they can be included quite easily.

Egg

Eggs contain 1.67mg of iron in 100 grams of eggs. They offer a great source of choline and protein for vegetarians who can’t eat meat. Eggs make a nice quiche or a frittata.

Spinach

Spinach is a nutrient rich food source to include in a vegetarian diet. In 100 grams of spinach there is 1.26mg of iron. Spinach is also rich in other nutrients including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. As we mentioned vitamin C also help the body to absorb iron. For many people who are vegetarian, spinach can become a good source of iron intake.

Green Peas

Green peas are a good food source for vegetarians. In 100 grams of green peas there is 1.14mg of iron. Not the highest amount of iron on our foods list here, but they contribute a portion to your iron RDA.

Tomato

Tomato forms a staple base to pretty much most dishes you eat in a week. Typically in the highest quantities in pasta dishes or frittatas, they contain 0.57mg of iron per 100 grams of tomato. There isn’t a lot of iron in tomatoes but every milligram counts. This also gives you an idea of how much iron you are including in your diet each day.

Conclusion

Iron is one of the most prevalent food deficiencies globally. Those eating vegetarian diets are the most susceptible to deficiencies in iron. Iron deficiency can be quite detrimental to your overall wellbeing, effecting both your cognitive and physical functions.

Iron caused anaemia is a global deficiency concern and this results in fatigue and cognitive impairment. Plant foods can be a good source of iron intake. However, you need to be consuming the right foods. Food sources of vitamin C might also help vegetarians to improve their iron intake. This is because vitamin C improves iron absorption.

Here we listed 14 foods that could help people eating vegetarian diets to achieve iron sufficiency. The richest natural plant food sources of iron include dark chocolate, white beans, lentils and kidney beans. These are our highest-ranking vegetarian food sources that you can include in your diet to support iron intake.

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