Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian Cooking Tips – Iron Rich Foods For Vegetarians
Vegetarian Recipe
Vegetarians may find it a bit more difficult to get the iron they need, but some may not understand the reason why. There are two forms of iron: heme, which comes from animal sources, and non-heme, which comes from plant sources. Non-heme iron is more difficult for the body to absorb than heme iron in general. However, if you eat a food containing vitamin C in the same meal with your plant-sourced iron, it helps your body to absorb that non-heme iron more effectively.
Too much iron can make you susceptible to bacterial infections. It is very difficult to get iron toxicity from foods alone; it usually results from too many iron supplements.
Now… what foods are going to give you what you need?
Grain Sources
Bran is a great source of iron. Eat it as cereal, bake it into bread or muffins. Oatmeal is also a good source, but do not rely on instant varieties. Cook the old-fashioned oatmeal, or better yet, get the steel cut oats. They take a little longer to cook, but they have a great flavor and are full of iron and other nutrients. Oatmeal can also be added to muffins, cakes, cookies and other recipes.
Legumes
Beans are full of iron as well as protein. Add navy beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and tofu to your diet to up your iron percentages.
Fruits and Vegetables
The more veggies you eat throughout the day, the more iron you get. Swiss chard, pumpkin, watermelon, raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, bok choy and dates all have pretty good levels of iron in them. Leafy greens like leaf lettuces, spinach and beet greens are a good source of iron. If you do not want salads all the time, try adding greens to soups, pasta sauces, and smoothies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Szalay_Kudra
