Meat, fish, vegetables: what food contains iron? Here are some tips to better manage your diet
To ensure the right well-being to your body, the right iron intake is very important. Iron is an essential nutrient to produce haemoglobin, the protein carried by red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout your body. How can I take it through a correct and balanced diet?
Food high in iron, what are them
Iron is important for your body functions; this is why a correct and balanced diet helps balance the natural daily loss.
From a nutritional standpoint, iron is divided into two groups:
- Haem iron, that the body can assimilate through specific mechanisms in the intestinal mucosa. It is not affected by other substances that can diminish or increase its intake.
- Non-haem iron: it does not have specific absorption mechanisms, and its absorption is affected by inhibitors or promoters.
The first group includes all food from iron sources. They include:
- red meat (beef, prosciutto and bresaola);
- white meat (chicken and turkey leg);
- bluefish (cod, cuttlefish, swordfish, tuna, and also anchovies and mackerel);
- shellfish (molluscs, crustaceans, clams, oysters, caviar);
- egg yolk.
Vegetables that contain iron
For a healthy and balanced diet, you also need an iron intake from plant-based sources. Consuming this food is the solution for anyone that follows a vegetarian diet, and they include:
- legumes (lentils, beans and chickpeas also have a high energy content and a fair quantity of proteins and fibres);
- vegetables (spinach, rocket, watercress, kale, Brussels sprouts, dried mushroom);
- cereals (including rice, durum wheat and wheat germ).
In addition, for a healthy and nutritious breakfast, you can increase your iron intake with food such as dry fruit, dark chocolate or cocoa and hazelnut cream without added sugar. And don’t forget cereals: the recommended portion is about 30/40 grams per day, and the options include wheat bran and whole-wheat rusks.
How do I cook food high in iron?
To preserve all the food nourishing properties, you should choose the right cooking method.
- One solution to cook white meat is sous vide cooking. With Hoover H-KEEPHEAT oven slow cooking method, you’ll obtain perfectly cooked dishes with a tasty flavour.
- To preserve all the vegetables nutrients, you can opt for steaming them in the microwave. Apart from being a healthy cooking methods, it will allow you to prepare your dishes in no time, without giving up flavour!
In the hOn app, you can find over 250 healthy recipes to try with Hoover smart ovens.
To ensure an all round well-being, remember to clean your over and microwave properly, to remove any dirt residues that can ruin your dishes. Discover Care+Protect products to clean your oven and racks and degrease your microwave.
