IRON RICH FOOD RECIPIES

IRON RICH FOODS FOR BOTH VEGETARIANS AND NON-VEGETARIANS!
Here is a chart depicting foods that are rich in iron. Include them in your diet and gain numerous health benefits. 

Iron-Rich Foods

Spinach may not give you superhuman strength to fight off villains like Popeye's nemesis Bluto, but this leafy green and other foods containing iron can help you fight a different type of enemy -- iron-deficiency anemia.Iron- deficiency anemia, the most common form of anemia, is a decrease in thenumber of red blood cells caused by too little iron. Without sufficient iron, yourbody can't produce enough hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells thatmakes it possible for them to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. As a result, youmay feel weak, tired, and irritable.

About 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women, and 3% of men do not haveenough iron in their body. The solution, in many cases, is to consume more foodshigh in iron.

How Your Body Uses Iron in Food

When you eat food with iron, iron is absorbed into your body mainly through theupper part of your small intestine.

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and nonheme. Heme iron is derivedfrom hemoglobin. It is found in animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin,such as red meats, fish, and poultry. Your body absorbs the most iron from hemesources.

Iron-Rich Foods

 Very good sources of heme iron, with 3.5 milligrams or more per serving, include:

• 3 ounces of beef or chicken liver
• 3 ounces of clams, mollusks, or mussels
• 3 ounces of oysters

Good sources of heme iron, with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving, include:

• 3 ounces of cooked beef
• 3 ounces of canned sardines, canned in oil
• 3 ounces of cooked turkey

Other sources of heme iron, with 0.7 milligrams or more per serving, include:

• 3 ounces of chicken
• 3 ounces of halibut, haddock, perch, salmon, or tuna
• 3 ounces of ham
• 3 ounces of veal

Iron in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach is nonheme iron. This is theform of iron added to iron-enriched and iron-fortified foods. Our bodies are lessefficient at absorbing nonheme iron, but most dietary iron is nonheme iron.

Very good sources of nonheme iron, with 3.5 milligrams or more per serving,include:

• Breakfast cereals enriched with iron
• One cup of cooked beans
• One-half cup of tofu
• 1 ounce of pumpkin, sesame, or squash seeds

Good sources of nonheme iron, with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving, include:

• One-half cup of canned lima beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, or split peas
• One cup of dried apricots
• One medium baked potato
• One medium stalk of broccoli
• One cup of cooked enriched egg noodles
• One-fourth cup of wheat germ

Other sources of nonheme iron, with 0.7 milligrams or more, include:

• 1 ounce of peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, roasted almonds, roastedcashews, or sunflower seeds
• One-half  cup of dried seedless raisins, peaches, or prunes
• One cup of spinach
• One medium green pepper
• One cup of pasta
• One slice of bread, pumpernickel bagel, or bran muffin
• One cup of rice

Iron rich Recipes 

Pumpkin and spinach salad

Ingredients

600g butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, cut into wedges

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey, extra

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

1 x 150g pkt baby spinach leaves

1 x 75g pkt toasted pine nuts

Select all ingredients

• Method  of cooking 

1. Step 1
   Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the pumpkin in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss until the pumpkin is well coated. Place in a single layer on the lined tray. Bake, turning once during cooking, for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with the sesame seeds. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the seeds are lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
2. Step 2
   Combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, mustard and extra honey in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Step 3
   Place the pumpkin, spinach and pine nuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and gently 

Nutrition values

Energy 885kJ	Fat saturated 2.00g
Fat Total 17.00g	Carbohydrate sugars g
Carbohydrate Total 9.50g	Dietary Fibre 2.50g
Protein 4.50g	Cholesterol mg
Sodium mg

All nutrition values are per serve.

Warm beetroot, bean & walnut salad

• 
  
  

Ingredients Nutrition Specials

1. 300g French beans, ends trimmed
2. 3 large beetroot, cooked, peeled, sliced into 1cm-thick rounds
3. 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons walnut oil*
5. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6. 1/2 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted
7. Select all ingredient

1. Method of preparation 
2. Step 1
   Blanch beans in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute, then drain and refresh. Toss together with beetroot and place on serving plates with fish. Combine oils and vinegar with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.
3. Nutrition 
   

   Energy 1027kJ	Fat saturated 3.00g
   Fat Total 23.00g	Carbohydrate sugars 5.00g
   Carbohydrate Total 6.00g	Dietary Fibre g
   Protein 4.00g	Cholesterol mg
   Sodium 27.80mg

Broccoli, Ham & Pasta Salad

A great make-ahead entree, this lightened-up pasta salad is loaded with broccoli and peppers. Smoky ham and sweet raisins give it plenty of punch. Enjoy the leftovers for a fuss-free lunch. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.