A diet rich in iron is recommended not only in case of anemia. Iron deficiency can also occur in women with long and heavy periods. However, vitamins and trace elements are necessary for the proper absorption of iron. Learn how to improve your body's iron absorption and how to compose a diet if you are deficient in iron.

Anemia (anemia) resulting from nutritional deficiencies can be caused by many factors, including:

  • deficiency of some minerals (iron and copper),
  • too low intake of certain vitamins (e.g. vitamins C, A, E, B12, folic acid),
  • protein deficiencies.

The most common type of anemia is anemia due todietary iron deficiency . In the human body, iron is a component of heme, which, together with the protein part, forms the red blood pigment - hemoglobin. It is thanks to her that transport from the lungs and the release of oxygen in the tissues takes place. It is also a component of myoglobin - a muscle pigment responsible for oxygen storage, and a component of many enzymes.

The need for iron in the daily diet depends on the sex, age and physiological state of the person. Taking into account the low (on average, about 10%) absorption of iron from food, the level of the average daily requirement was adopted for:

  • adult men at 10 mg,
  • of women aged 19-50, due to blood loss during menstruation, the demand increases to 18 mg per day,
  • pregnant women up to 27 mg,
  • lactating women - the requirement is reduced to 10 mg a day.

Food rich in iron. Products to help fight anemia

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Diet in anemia - absorption of iron

When planning iron-rich meals, you should remember about factors that limit and improve its absorption. The form of consumed iron is important here. The so-called heme iron, found in animal products, is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron from plant products.

Vitamin C is extremely important here, the presence of which in a meal increases the absorption of non-heme iron many times. Absorbing iron also improves presencein the diet of organic acids (malic, tartaric) and animal proteins.

In turn, significant amounts of dietary fiber, the presence of oxalates (e.g. spinach, sorrel), tannins (e.g. tea, cocoa, nuts), polyphenols (e.g. coffee, red wine), some minerals (calcium, copper, zinc) - significantly reduce its availability. The list of inadvisable products should also include highly processed cold cuts, instant products and sweet carbonated drinks. Phosphates found in highly processed foods reduce the absorption of iron.

When composing a menu for people suffering from anemia resulting from iron deficiency, you should take care of the right amount of iron and vitamin C, B vitamins, including B12 and folic acid. Meals should be varied, balanced, and consist of natural and low-processed products.

The most important sources of iron in the diet of Poles are meat, cold cuts, fish, grain products, vegetables, including potatoes and fruit. Offal is particularly high in iron: pork liver, veal liver, chicken liver, black pudding. Since animal products are the best source of iron, you should also take care of the right amount of plant-based proteins. When using a diet in anemia, it is worth enriching meals with iron-containing ingredients: add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, bran, poppy seeds and others.

Read Also: How To Improve Iron Malabsorption In Anemia?

Diet in anemia - the best sources of iron

Iron content in 100 g of productProduct
More than 10 mgpork liver (18 mg), corn flakes with vitamins and iron, cocoa powder, wheat bran (14.9 mg)
5-10 mgveal liver, beef liver, black pudding, chicken liver, roasted pate, veal and pork kidneys, brawn, egg yolk, dry beans, red lentils, nuts, poppy seeds, wheat germ, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds,
2 - 5 mgchicken egg, beef, veal, mutton, beef sausages, kabanos sausages, fish preserves (sardines), buckwheat, millet, rye bread, crispbread

Diet in anemia - sample menu

The set menus provide coverage of the demand for iron, vitamin C, B vitamins and other ingredients, in accordance with the principles of rational nutrition for 1 person.

Set 1

Breakfast: 3 tablespoons of muesli with raisins and nuts with natural yoghurt (150 g), a sandwich of crispbread with egg paste andchives (80 g) with pickled peppers, a glass of tomato juice

2nd breakfast: dried figs (4-5 pcs.), Graham roll with Sopot sirloin (50 g), parsley (10 g), lettuce and pickled cucumber, rosehip tea

Lunch: liver dumplings with vegetable and mushroom sauce, spring lettuce with vinaigrette sauce

Dinner: broad bean salad with beetroot, sprouts, radishes and pumpkin seeds, (30 g)

Iron content in the kit - approx. 26 mg

Set 2

Breakfast: wholemeal rye bread (60 g) with pate (100 g), tomato, radishes and parsley

2nd breakfast: yeast roulade with poppy seed mass (80 g), yoghurt cocktail with raspberries

Lunch: green pea cream soup with sunflower seeds, brown rice risotto with turkey, sauerkraut salad, blackcurrant juice

Dinner: vegetable and salami omelette, iron fortified corn flakes, mixed fresh vegetable salad

Iron content in the kit - approx. 23.8 mg

Set 3

Breakfast: crispbread with chicken liver paste with sunflower seeds, cucumber and fresh pepper, a glass of cocoa with skim milk

2nd breakfast: Greek cod salad (100 g), a glass of apple and carrot juice, a few almonds

Lunch: veal cutlet breaded in barley flakes, baked sweet potatoes, green beans (100 g), tomato salad with onions and parsley (100 g)

Dinner: Greek salad with feta cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds and sprouts, rye bread with butter

Iron content in the kit - approx. 28 mg.

Set 4

Breakfast: celery, cheese, dried apricots and nuts salad, blackcurrant juice

2nd breakfast: blueberry, kefir, berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries - 150 g)

Lunch: red lentil soup, buckwheat dumplings stuffed with chicken hearts, kohlrabi salad and leek with carrots

Dinner: black pudding (150 g) baked with vegetables, mixed salad with yoghurt and parsley sauce

Iron content in the kit - approx. 34 mg.

Set 5

Breakfast: pumpernickel croutons with avocado and nut paste

2nd breakfast: green bean salad with boiled tongue, orange juice with vit. C

Lunch: egg cutlets in mushroom sauce, buckwheat, red cabbage salad with raisins and peach

Dinner: boeuf strogonoff, rye bread with sunflower seeds, chicory and apple salad

Iron content in the kit - approx. 25 mg.

Set6

Breakfast: pasta salad with smoked mackerel, sun-dried tomatoes and pumpkin seeds, multi-vegetable juice

2nd breakfast: wholemeal bread sandwich with beef ham, lettuce and radishes

Lunch: poultry stomachs stewed with dried mushrooms, millet, Chinese cabbage, pepper and pickled cucumber salad

Dinner: steak tartare, crispbread, pickled pepper salad

Iron content in the kit - approx. 24 mg.

Diet in anemia - selected recipes for dishes containing significant amounts of iron

Recipes for 4 servings

Liver dumplings with vegetable and mushroom sauce

Ingredients: pork liver 200 g, potatoes 900 g, wheat flour 300 g, potato flour 30 g, egg 1 pc, s alt

Wash the liver, cut into small pieces, put in boiling, s alted water, cook for about 10 minutes, and cool. Wash the potatoes and cook them in their jackets. Peel the cooled potatoes, grind together with the liver. Add wheat and potato flour, egg and a pinch of s alt to the mixture. Knead the dough quickly. Form long rolls from the cakes, flatten them and cut them diagonally. Boil the dumplings in boiling s alted water for about 3 minutes after departure. Serve hot with any sauce and salad.

Vegetable and mushroom sauce

Ingredients: dried mushrooms 20 g, frozen vegetables 150 g, onion 50 g, wheat flour 20 g, butter 20 g, rapeseed oil 1 tablespoon, s alt, pepper, marjoram

Mushrooms rinse and soak in cold water, then cook until soft, then strain the stock. Dice the mushrooms. Prepare a roux from the butter and flour. Peel the onion, dice it and fry in oil. Add onion, greens, chopped mushrooms and marjoram to the mushroom decoction and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the hot vegetable stock to the cold roux, bring the sauce to a boil and season with s alt and pepper to taste.

Chicken liver paste with sunflower seeds

Ingredients: chicken liver 200 g, onion 50 g, sunflower seeds 100 g, olive oil 2 tablespoons, rapeseed oil for frying, chopped coriander leaves 1 tablespoon, s alt, pepper, a few drops of lemon juice

Roast sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan until golden brown. Put them in a bowl and pour warm, boiled water over them. Leave for 3-4 hours until the grains absorb the water. You can leave the sunflower seeds in the water overnight (in the refrigerator). Blend the soaked beans in a blender. Wash the chicken liver, cut into smaller pieces. Peel the onion, cut into strips and fry in oil. Add the liver, add a little water and stew, covered, for about 10 minutes. After cooling down, add sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juiceand spices. Blend everything together briefly in a blender. Finally, add the chopped coriander and season to taste if necessary.

Celery, cheese, dried apricot and nut salad

Ingredients: marinated celery 1 jar, hard cheese 150 g, sliced ​​pineapple 1/2 can, apple 1 pc, dried apricots 50 g, dried cranberries 50 g, shelled walnuts 50 g, mayonnaise 1 spoon, lemon juice 1 teaspoon, s alt, possibly honey to taste

Drain celery in a strainer. Cut the pineapple into pieces and the cheese into thin strips. Finely chop the apricots and nuts. Add the remaining ingredients to the celery, mix the salad and season.

Green Bean Salad with Boiled Tongue

Ingredients: pork tongue 2 pcs, green beans 300 g, onion 1 pc, fresh pepper 1 pc, chives 1/2 bunch, pickled cucumber 2 pcs, corn 1/2 can, mayonnaise 1 tablespoon , s alt, pepper, allspice, bay leaf

Wash the tongue, boil it in boiling s alted water with the addition of allspice and bay leaf (about 1.5 hours). After cooling down, peel the white skin (it should slightly flake off). Cool the tongue and cut into cubes or strips. Clean the beans from the fibers, boil in s alted water, cool and cut into pieces. Cut the peppers and cucumbers into strips, peel the onions, dice them, and finely chop the chives. Put all the ingredients of the salad in a bowl, add mayonnaise, s alt and pepper.

Vegetable and salami omelette with iron fortified corn flakes

Ingredients: 2 eggs, broccoli 50 g, 1 small carrot, 1/2 pepper, 1/2 onion, 30 g sliced ​​salami, 1 tablespoon of frying oil, corn flakes with iron 30 g

Peel the onion, remove the seeds from the peppers and cut into small pieces. Wash the broccoli and divide it into florets. Peel the carrots and grate them (coarse mesh). Wash the eggs, beat them into a bowl, add s alt and pepper, smash with a fork. Briefly fry the vegetables in a pan, add the eggs and sprinkle with cornflakes. Heat over low heat until the eggs are almost completely set. Gently turn the omelette over and fry. Serve with any salad.

Read also: Diet against anemia

This will be useful to you

Other examples of dishes containing significant amounts of iron:

Soups: bean, pea, green bean, green pea soup

Dinner dishes: souté pork liver, beef sirloin steak, beef roulades, one piece of cooked meat, boiled pork or beef tongue, in sauces, jelly tongue, pork / veal legs in jelly, boiled veal, meatballs andveal cutlets, roast veal leg, stewed chicken liver, pork / beef heart stew, braised poultry stomachs, peppers stuffed with rice and tongue, stuffed cabbage with rice and liver, dumplings / dumplings stuffed with offal.

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Diets