How To Up Your Iron Levels - With No Meat In Sight

Jennifer McNeill• 12 December, 2016

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In the midst of a good-natured (if a little heated) debate recently, a good friend of mine turned to me and said, "I completely understand what you're saying but I couldn't be a vegetarian... I'm anemic."

It's a pretty common argument amongst those who eat meat that a plant-based diet would either cause anemia or exacerbate a pre-existing condition. And anemia is hardly an uncommon condition to have, particularly among women of child-bearing ages. In fact 1 in 5 women in the age bracket between puberty and menopause are iron-deficiency anemic regardless of their dietary choices.

We're going to be honest with you - chowing down on meat, poultry and fish is the easiest way to get iron in your diet. Heme iron, which makes up 40 percent of the iron in meat, poultry and fish is the most easily absorbed by the body. Non-heme iron, on the other hand, makes up the remaining 60 percent of the iron in animal tissue and 100 percent of the iron in plants and is less well absorbed.

But it's not difficult to be a plant-eater who gets enough iron, you just have to make sure your diet is as balanced as possible because the key here is food pairing. By eating iron-rich foods like beans, lentils and dark leafy greens alongside foods high in vitamin C like tomatoes, citrus, squash and broccoli, you can unlock the full potential of the iron in plants and make it easier for the body to absorb it.

I promise you, it's not rocket science. As someone who has been a vegetarian for over ten years, I've never consciously worried about my iron levels and my blood results have always been in the perfect health range. To get you started, here are 5 delicious plant-based recipes that easily combine iron-rich veggie foods with foods high in vitamin C and will boost your iron levels!