[jitterbug]

I read in Super Baby Foods that the iron in plant sources is not well absorbed by the body. Does that include legumes as well? I'm concerned about my daughter's (and mine) iron intake. She eats plenty of legumes, fruits, veggies, etc. I'm wondering what are the best sources that are well absorbed.

 

[Mommay]

I hope you get your answers. I hope you don't mind, but I was going to post a related thread about iron absorption in plants that also have calcium. E.g. Kale is supposed to be rich in iron and calcium, but aren't they supposed to cancel each other out? Or do plants have special properties that allow both to be absorbed?

I feed ds seaweed to help him get the iron he needs.

 

[gotmilkmama]

: I'm interested in this too. My mom is anemic and I want to help her get the most iron she can (absorbed) from food.

 

[NYCVeg]

If you crunch the actual numbers (I did this once), iron absorption from plant and animal sources can be roughly equivalent--providing you do things to maximize the absorption of plant iron. (FYI, much of heme iron, the iron found in meat, is also not absorbed). The most important thing is to combine iron sources with sources of vitamin C, which significantly increases iron absorption. You should also avoid eating foods high in calcium with food high in iron, because the two bind, so the absorption of each is inhibited (this is why spinach isn't a great source of iron, for example).

So some examples:
*oatmeal w/ blackstrap molasses and a glass of orange juice
*chickpeas or beans w/ quinoa and red bell pepper, etc.
*toasted pumpkin seeds on a salad that contains mandarin oranges or as a snack with strawberries or another vitamin-C rich fruit

This page has a list of plant foods high in iron.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

 

[kaydee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCVeg This page has a list of plant foods high in iron. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

I was gonna post that link, too--you beat me to it! An excellent site for nutritional information on plant-based diets (the info comes from R.D.s)

 

[Mommay]

Blackstrap molasses is also one of those foods with significant amounts of iron and calcium. So again, does the combo decrease absorbtion of iron?

 

[NYCVeg]

I've always been confused about blackstrap molasses, too, honestly, although I never see it lumped together with foods like spinach--which makes me wonder if there is anything different about it? On the other hand, because molasses has tons of iron, and oatmeal has some, too, I think you're likely to net a decent bit of iron from oatmeal + molasses + OJ (vitamin C)--that is, I think the amount of iron is significantly higher than the amount of calcium, so you might not get it all, but some. This is just a guess on my part, though...maybe I'm just rationalizing b/c I

blackstrap molasses!