Iron-Rich Nutrition Plan: How To Get Enough Iron With An Diet Plan

If you want to eat a diet rich in iron and are looking for a diet rich in iron, it is not easy. Mostly you can only find lists of iron-rich foods but no specific nutrition plan. Based on three good days, we will introduce you to a diet rich in iron and, at the same time, purely plant-based as well as excess alkaline. The nutrition plan is based on the rules that we explained in our article on an iron-rich diet. In particular, it concerns the following three rules:

Three Rules

1. Foods that are rich in iron are specifically chosen. You can find our list of these foods here.
2. Avoid foods that inhibit iron absorption, e.g., B. Coffee, cocoa, black tea, green tea, red wine, chili, and dairy products.
3. You eat foods that promote iron absorption, such as B. Vitamin C-rich foods, vegetable proteins, fruits, as well as onions and garlic.

The Iron-Rich Diet Plan

Our iron-rich nutrition plan assumes a daily requirement of 15 mg iron. It is the need of adolescents and women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women and men only have an iron requirement of 10 mg, while pregnant and breastfeeding women have a higher condition of 30 and 20 mg iron, respectively. The nutrition plan must, of course, be adjusted seasonally. 

Therefore, our recipe suggestions are only intended to provide orientation and ideas as to which foods and food combinations can be used to cover the iron requirement. Of course, you can increase the quantities according to your appetite or hunger and energy requirements or add different dishes/foods. Please also note that the iron content of food can always fluctuate and that there is, therefore, different information in different sources.

First Day

The first iron-rich day provides 15.2 mg of iron. If it is supplemented with carbohydrates-rich foods such as whole wheat pasta for lunch and the evening, the iron content increases even further.

Breakfast:

1. One glass of orange juice (200 ml, preferably freshly squeezed, like a vitamin C supplier for better iron absorption from other foods) with 0.7 mg iron.
2. Spelled bread with sunflower seeds (with 1.4 mg iron per 50 g slice) with red lentil hemp spread (1.5 mg iron per 25 g portion) and 100 g vegetable sticks (e.g., carrots with 0.4 mg iron); everything together provides approx. 3.3 mg iron.

Having Lunch:

1. Nettle soup, which provides at least 2 mg of iron per person.
2. Zucchini spaghetti with tomatoes with 4 mg iron

Snack:

1. 30 g trail mix with approx. 1 mg iron. Put together your trail mix, since z. B. Sultanas, which are often found in trail mix, only provide 0.3 mg of iron per 100 g, so tiny if you choose, e.g., B. Cashew nuts 2.8 mg, dried apricots 4.4 mg, dried figs 2.7 mg, walnuts 2.5 mg, almonds 3.1 mg, hazelnuts 3.4 mg, sunflower seeds 5.7 mg and pumpkin seeds 4.8 mg.

Dinner:

1. Sweet potato stew with mushrooms and spinach with 4.2 mg iron (omit chili)

Second Day

The second iron-rich day provides 17.5 mg of iron.

Breakfast:

1. Breakfast smoothie with 1.7 mg iron

Having Lunch: 

1. Pea gazpacho with 2 mg iron per serving (omit cayenne pepper)

1. Chard vegetables with pine nuts (1 mg per serving) and whole-grain rice (60 g dry with 1.5 mg) with a total of approx. 7.5 mg iron.

Snack:

1. Rice dessert with 2 mg iron per serving

Dinner:

1. Quinoa soup with turmeric with 4.3 mg iron per serving (including the iron content of turmeric)

Third Day

The third iron-rich day provides 15.2 mg of iron.

Breakfast:

1. Fruit salad made from 100 g berries (approx. 1 mg iron) and 200 g other fruits (apples, oranges, apricots, kiwi, pomegranate with approx. 0.5 – 0.8 mg iron per 100 g) – makes a total of approx. 2 mg iron.

Having Lunch:

1. Small salad made from 50 g lamb’s lettuce (1 mg), 10 g cress (0.3 mg), and 20 g pumpkin seeds (1 mg) with a total of 2.3 mg iron (e.g., with pumpkin seed dressing)
2. Fennel vegetables with tomatoes with 2.8 mg iron
3. Quinoa cooked with 1.5 mg iron per serving (from 50 g raw quinoa)

Snack:

1. 25 g pumpkin seeds with 1 mg iron

Dinner:

1. Fennel curry soup with 2.8 mg iron per serving (omit the chili)
2. Two slices of spelled bread with sunflower seeds with approx. 1.4 mg iron per 50-gram slice (total 2.8 mg)

The Iron Levels

For the iron values ​​given, we have only added the iron contents of the main ingredients. The respective dishes can therefore also have higher values. If you also use more fresh herbs, these naturally increase the iron content of the food even further. In any case, remember to chew carefully and eat slowly constantly. Only then can your food be appropriately digested, and the vital substances it contains can be fully utilized.

Supplement The Nutrition Plan With Iron-Rich Food Supplements

If you have a specific iron deficiency or if you currently have an increased iron requirement for other reasons, you can combine your iron-rich diet plan with an iron-rich dietary supplement. To do this, choose a well-tolerated and natural iron preparation (e.g., iron preparation from the curry leaf) or incorporate iron-rich plant powders into your diets, such as nettle leaf powder, parsley leaf powder, barley grass powder, moringa, chlorella, hemp protein, etc., all of which are wonderful in Smoothies or shakes can be mixed. 

You will see that with an iron-rich diet and the right supplements, your iron deficiency will soon be a thing of the past. Depending on your problems, you can also order one of our nutrition plans for seven days.

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