I started a vegetarian diet about 9 years ago and my first concern was about my iron intake so I've been doing much research on iron rich foods and how to include in the diet naturally. I also do supplement as well because I'm a tad lower in my iron levels overall!

But why? Iron is sooo important for our bodies! It's also one of the most common nutrient deficiencies we have!

Iron is a trace mineral found in every living cell and is the main component of 2 proteins:

1. hemoglobin-part of our red blood cells
2. Myoglobin- found in our muscles and holds oxygen

What's our recommended intake?

The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), states the following recommendations :

• Infants under 12 months: 11 mg
• Children ages 1-4 years: 7 mg
• Adults and children over 4 years: 18 mg
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women: 27 mg

Best sources of food are dark leafy vegetables, red meat, lentils, spirulina, dark chocolate, liver, spinach, beans, pistachios, eggs and also make sure to include a form of Vitamin C to enhance absorption!

Black tea, coffee, curcumin, aspirins and milk thistle decrease the iron absorption so limit those!