Where do you get your iron?

[katrina]

I read that there is some iron in greens such as spinach. But where else can you get iron in whole foods? How much do you have to eat to get the RDI of 18 mg a day?

[sport]

I believe that there is good available iron in nettles. In Ireland it was traditional to bring in nettles and make nettle soup on the first day of May and I always understood that it was because the iron content was at it's highest at that time of the year.
Maybe I am wrong. Maybe my mother fooled me again but that is what mothers are for (getting you to eat your greens).

[exurb]

spinach is not the greatest way to get iron IMO. It also has oxalic acid in it which as I understand it, depletes iron. If you search on line, you will get some info like charts as to good sources. I remember sunflower seeds also being decent for iron.

[DrPr]

Great question. I get my iron from one Centrum a day. If others post what they actually eat to get their daily RDA of iron, that would be awesome. I would rather chew and taste my vitamins and minerals rather than chase it down with water. ;)

[Jackie1995]

Hi!
I eat some seaweed like Alaria with my salads once in a while, and I use turnip greens, kale, mustard greens regularly. It's in almonds, grapes, bananas, lots of sources. I am never deficient in iron from fruits and veggies.

You may want to research this yourself, by going to Nutrition Data and doing a search for good sources of iron.

go here:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/nutrient-search.html

It's a great resource!

[Matilda]

I found it crazy that this question was here just at this point in time. I just got back from my son's 18mo Well Visit. And I got the scare of making sure he is getting enough iron. They did a quick blood test, and he was totally fine.

Also...I have been doing a bit of reading today on coconut water. I thought I had heard once that it was a good source of electrolytes. A nice natural sports drink. So I did a little search to make sure.
It seems it is true. Anyway, I also read it is a good source of iron and calcium.

On the spinach and iron...I could be wrong...I heard if the spinach is raw our bodies don't get the iron. But...then I was told the way to fix that was to eat it with something high in vitamin C. Anybody know anything about that?

[Vandy]

Dr. Schulzes's SUPERFOOD contains about the iron you would need in one day. I drink 2 tablespoons each day. It's FABULOUS and makes me feel wonderful!

[Sheryl]

Most greens actually have a good amount of Vitamin C which helps to absorb iron. I entered my greens one week in Nutridiary and found I had exceeded the RDA on vitamin C content by 300% that week just on greens.

Cooked greeens have very little Vitamin C, but levels vary on how it's cooked. Just another example of foods being packed with things that help us get the most from them!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Secret Heart]

I actually read that oxalates found in spinach only become a problem when you cook it, not when consumed raw!!:>

Heather