Usually we think of most sources of iron to be meat based. Granted beef, fish and chicken are high in Iron but there is another kind of iron too, vegetable iron.
Although many people don’t think of iron as being a nutrient, you might be surprised to learn that low iron is the most common nutritional deficiency in the U.S. Almost 10% of women are iron deficient, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There is lots of iron in lots of vegetables and nuts as you can see below and more than enough if you choose not to eat meat
Women need more iron because they lose blood each month during their period. That’s why women from ages 19 to 50 need to get 18 mg of iron each day, while men the same age can get away with just 8 mg.
Non Meat Sources of Iron
Here is a list of foods that are non meat and high sources of iron to get you to that 8-18 mg a day. Compare these to ground beef which only contains 2.6 mg per 100 grams
| Soybeans,cooked | 1 cup | 8.8 |
| Blackstrap molasses | 2 Tbsp | 7.2 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 6.6 |
| Spinach, cooked | 1 cup | 6.4 |
| Tofu | 4 ounces | 6.4 |
| Bagel, enriched | 1 medium | 6.4 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 1 cup | 4.7 |
| Tempeh | 1 cup | 4.5 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 1 cup | 4.5 |
| Black-eyed peas, cooked | 1 cup | 4.3 |
| Swiss chard, cooked | 1 cup | 4.0 |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 1 cup | 3.9 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1 cup | 3.6 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | 1 cup | 3.6 |
| Turnip greens, cooked | 1 cup | 3.2 |
| Potato | 1 large | 3.2 |
| Prune juice | 8 ounces | 3.0 |
| Quinoa, cooked | 1 cup | 2.8 |
| Beet greens, cooked | 1 cup | 2.7 |
| Tahini | 2 Tbsp | 2.7 |
| Veggie hot dog, iron-fortified | 1 hot dog | 2.7 |
| Peas, cooked | 1 cup | 2.5 |
| Cashews | 1/4 cup | 2.1 |
| Bok choy, cooked | 1 cup | 1.8 |
| Bulgur, cooked | 1 cup | 1.7 |
| Raisins | 1/2 cup | 1.6 |
| Apricots, dried | 15 halves | 1.4 |
| Veggie burger, commercial | 1 patty | 1.4 |
| Watermelon | 1/8 medium | 1.4 |
| Almonds | 1/4 cup | 1.3 |
| Kale, cooked | 1 cup | 1.2 |
| Sunflower seeds | 1/4 cup | 1.2 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 1.1 |
| Millet, cooked | 1 cup | 1.1 |
| Soy yogurt | 6 ounces | 1.1 |
| Tomato juice | 8 ounces | 1.0 |
| Sesame seeds | 2 Tbsp | 1.0 |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked | 1 cup | 0.9 |
