Iron an essential mineral in your diet.
Iron is an indispensable mineral in your diet, important for proper tissue oxygenation, as it is part of the Heme group that makes up hemoglobin. Therefore, let's imagine how fundamental this mineral is in everyone's life, and especially for athletes, who require more oxygen for physical exertion.
There are two types of iron: the iron found in plant-based foods, called non-heme iron, which is absorbed to a lesser extent (between 5 and 20%), and the iron from animal sources, called heme iron, which is absorbed up to 35%.
Below, we show you the 6 foods with the highest iron content, regardless of the food's origin and its absorption in the body.
1. Clams: To our surprise, clams contain around 24mg of iron per 100 grams, which is more than what we need daily (8mg for adult men and 18mg for women of childbearing age). The thing about these foods is that they are rarely consumed in our usual diet, and they also have a high cost/quantity ratio.
2. Whole grains: The cereals available on the market today are very rich in iron due to their fortification and preservation of the grain's outer layer; their content ranges between 7 and 12 mg per 100 grams of product. However, we must not forget that fiber and their plant origin significantly reduce absorption. Therefore, to optimize their assimilation in the body, I recommend consuming cereals with freshly squeezed orange juice or a little lemon, both rich in vitamin C.
3. Offal: Beef liver, as well as blood sausage made from red blood, are excellent food sources of easily absorbable heme iron, containing around 8mg per hundred and 14 mg per hundred, respectively. As you can see, these foods contain so much iron due to the animal blood that contains hemoglobin, which provides iron ready to be absorbed.
4. Legumes: Soybeans and lentils are the legumes with the highest non-heme iron content, possessing 7 and 8 mg per 100 grams, respectively. Their absorption is lower than that of iron found in meats, but their low cost and beneficial nutrients make them an ideal food to prevent anemia and other nutritional deficiencies.
5. Green vegetables: Spinach and chard contain between 3 and 4 mg per hundred of low-absorption iron, but as with legumes, they are low-cost foods whose composition can greatly benefit the body. Furthermore, by combining them with citrus fruits rich in vitamin C or with a little meat, their absorption increases, allowing the body to take greater advantage of their iron.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OUR RUNNING SHOES
6. Meats: Beef, chicken, fish, turkey, pork, and others, all contain iron in quantities of approximately 2 mg per 100 grams. This iron is easily absorbed, and, with the exception of vegetarians, we all typically include it in our diet.
Think about maintaining a balanced diet
By maintaining a varied diet, we can never lack iron. The only thing we need to pay attention to are our bodily requirements, which can increase in special situations, such as extraordinary oxygen demands, blood loss, or others.
Therefore, let's not forget that this mineral is essential for our body, and to maintain adequate levels, we must continue to include various foods that facilitate its availability and absorption in the body.
