National Vegetarian Week

Wake up to an exciting and tasty lifestyle

Wake up to iron intelligence

Results from several studies suggest that the dietary iron intake of vegetarians is similar to that of non-vegetarians. However, low iron intake is one of the most common problems in a typical British diet. Meat-eaters and vegetarians alike need to pay extra attention to their iron consumption.

Iron is present in a wide variety of plant based foods, and even the non-vegetarian population relies far more on these foods for their main iron intake than they do on meat. In fact, red meat makes a surprisingly small contribution to iron intake amongst non-vegetarians – just 12% for men and 9% for women.

TIP Eating or drinking something high in vitamin C (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts or a glass of orange juice) with a meal containing iron-rich foods can triple the amount of iron absorbed by the body.

Iron-rich foods

It is recommended that girls and women between the ages of 11 and 49 should consume 14.8mg of dietary iron every day. Boys and men require between 8.7 and 11.3mg. The following foods are good vegetarian sources of iron:

Ends

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