Tips for Boosting Iron Intake

Top tips for boosting your iron intake

• Use extra-lean mince to make lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese, meatballs, cottage pie and homemade burgers. A dinner of spaghetti Bolognese with whole-wheat pasta will give you an impressive 6.6mg iron – that’s 47 percent of the recommended daily intake – while a burger in a wholemeal bap with salad provides 5.4mg of iron, and a plate of cottage pie, contains 3.7mg iron.
   
• Go for red meat – the darker the flesh, the higher the iron content. This means beef contains more iron than pork, which contains more than salmon or chicken.
   
• Choose leg meat rather than breast meat when you’re having roast chicken or turkey – it contains twice as much iron.
   
• Enjoy an old-fashioned dinner of liver and bacon with mash, veg and gravy. Liver is one of the richest sources of iron. A 100g serving of fried lamb’s liver contains almost 11g iron – that’s more than three quarters the amount needed by teenage girls and women each day ( the exception to this is during pregnancy when liver should be avoided due to the high vitamin A content which has been linked to birth defects).
   
• Start your day with a bowl of bran flakes and semi-skimmed milk. Most are fortified with iron so that a standard bowl provides 6mg of iron. This iron isn’t as well absorbed as the iron in meat so add a vitamin C-rich fruit such as strawberries, kiwi or a glass of fruit juice to help the body absorb this iron.
   
• Wholegrain bread contains more iron than white bread and nuts can boost intakes so swap a breakfast of 2 slices of white toast and jam for wholemeal toast and peanut butter – you’ll get 2.5mg of iron.
   
• Fill sandwiches or top toast with canned mackerel or sardines for lunch. Oil-rich fish can help to boost iron intakes.
   
• Choose lentil soup with a wholemeal roll for lunch this will provide 5.4mg iron thanks mainly to the lentils.
   
• Snack on a handful of peanuts and raisins and get 1.1mg of iron in just a few mouthful both contain iron
   
• Serve hummus with carrot sticks – a 50g serving of the dip with 1 chopped raw carrot will give you 1.2mg iron. Hummus is made from chick peas, which can help to boost iron intakes.