A few sources of iron for vegans: spinach, collard greens, lentils, broccoli, chickpeas, lima beans, black beans, pinto beans, tahini, veggie meats, quinoa, tempeh, tofu, fortified cereals, fortified soy milk… the list goes on. And of course, you could take a supplement if you want. There are things you can do to enhance your iron absorption, like eat fruits and veggies with vitamin C and avoid coffee or tea. The point is, there’s no reason to eat animal flesh or animal secretions to obtain dietary sources of iron.

Here are a few snippets from the three major web articles on the subject:

1. “Dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables are especially good sources of iron, even better on a per calorie basis than meat. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin C along with foods containing iron. Vegetarians do not have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than do meat eaters.” source

2. “Vegans have a high dietary iron intake and although iron from plant sources is less well absorbed than that from meat, high levels of vitamin C in the diet enhances iron absorption. Studies show that the iron status of vegans is usually normal, and iron deficiency is no more common than in the general population.” source

3. “If you think your iron stores might be low, you can increase iron absorption by:

• Avoiding black or green tea and coffee at meals.
• Adding a source of vitamin C at meals.
• Increasing legume (peanuts, beans, lentils, peas) intake.
• Cooking foods (especially water based acidic foods like tomato sauce) in cast iron skillets.

If you think you might have iron deficiency anemia, see a doctor to find out. Supplements are available for people diagnosed with deficiency.” source

Related previous Soapbox posts:

• Pumping Vegan Iron
• “We Can’t All Eat Lettuce.”
• How To Go Vegan

Sections: Vegan Food
Topics: Food, iron, nutrition, resources, Vegan