Wondering About Vegan Iron Sources? You Can Get More Without Meat
Eating vegan is hands down kinder to animals, the environment, and our bodies, and any vitamin or mineral that you can find in an omnivorous lifestyle, you can find in a vegan one—only healthier. Foods rich in iron are a must to prevent anemia. Luckily, vegan iron sources are everywhere, and it’s even easier to absorb iron when you pair it with vitamin C–rich foods like fruits and veggies, which are the bedrock of a healthy vegan lifestyle. A study by Duke-NUS Medical School found that iron in animal-derived foods increases your risk of diabetes, so by choosing vegan sources, you’re helping yourself in more ways than one.
Here are some easy-to-find, animal-free iron sources:
Lentils
These little legumes pack a mean one-two punch of protein and iron.
Spinach
Spinach is a bodacious source of vegan iron—so much so that 3 cups of it has more iron than an 8-ounce steak.
Oats
Yep, something you can find at almost any dollar store is an iron powerhouse.
Tofu
One of the most versatile vegan foods of all time is chock-full of the iron that you need to stay healthy.
Dark Chocolate
We’ve all had to struggle between the urge to eat healthy and the (usually more powerful) urge to eat chocolate. Well, vegan dark chocolate gives you a golden opportunity to do both. 🙂
Hearts of Palm
These exotic iron-packed veggies have gotten a lot of buzz for being an awesome vegan seafood base for everything from “scallops” and “po’ boys” to delicious vegan ceviche:
Cast-Iron Pans
No, seriously. Every time that you cook something (especially something rich in vitamin C) in one of these bad boys, it gets an iron boost—plus, it serves as a useful kitchen tool to use for delicious recipes like this:
Supplements
When all else fails, you can always depend on vegan supplements.
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It’s been said that when you become a vegan, everyone around you suddenly becomes a nutrition expert, but in response to the inevitable “If you’re vegan, where do you get your ___?” questions, PETA’s got you covered with more quality nutrition lists:
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