(light piano music)
- Hello my friends,
welcome back to my channel.
If you're new here, my name is Alyssa.
Today we are going on another
nutrition exploration.
And we are gonna be focusing on iron.
And I am specifically
gonna be talking about
why iron is important, what
kind of functions it does
inside of the body.
The differences between the types of iron
that are in our foods.
And then we're gonna be talking about
the best vegan sources of iron
and I'll give you some recipe
inspiration towards the end.
As always, with these types of videos
I also have a blog post
that goes along with it
that details everything
that we're talking about,
all the specific sources,
the amounts in each,
so if we you wanna get more detailed
you can find that in the description box
down below this video.
Without further ado let's
go ahead and dive into iron.
All right, so the first thing
is to talk about what iron is
and why it's important.
Iron is a mineral and it is arguably
one of the most important in the body.
It's also one of the
minerals that a lot of people
are deficient in or at least has
higher probably of being deficient in,
especially if you follow
a plant-based diet.
So iron is responsible for the production
of hemoglobin in our bodies.
And hemoglobin molecules
are basically there
to transport oxygen throughout our system.
So most of them can be found
inside of our blood, obviously,
and that's where a lot
of the iron is stored,
about 60 to 70% of the iron in our body
is found in our hemoglobin molecules.
Other places that iron is
found inside of the body
are things like our liver, our kidneys,
and some of our other organs,
and basically it just lives there
so that the hemoglobin can
pull from those storage areas
if it needs any extra.
So there are two main forms of iron.
There's heme iron and non-heme iron.
Heme iron, which is more
easily absorbed by the body
is found in animal products.
So about, heme iron is about
10 up to 30% absorbable.
Whereas non-heme iron,
which is what is found
in plant-based sources,
is less absorbable.
Maybe about 8 to 10%, so that means
if you are following a plant-based diet,
you'll have to be a
little bit more mindful
of your iron, and getting
in adequate amounts of iron
and also insuring that
you're absorbing iron.
So, if you are at all wondering
if you're deficient in iron,
the only thing that I can recommend
is that you get a blood test done.
Go to a functional medicine doctor
or just any sort of doctor,
have a blood panel done,
and that will give you a sense
of where you fall in the range.
So now that we kind of know a little bit
about what iron is and
what it does for us,
let's talk about the best
vegan sources of iron.
Number one is soybeans, and
soybeans which obviously
are a bean, are also
the base of a a lot of
plant-based protein
options for those of us
who are following a plant-based diet.
Things like tofu, tempeh, edamame,
those are all forms of soy, also soy milk
and that is a really good way
to get in some extra iron.
The one thing to keep in mind
if you are somebody that consumes soy
is that you wanna make sure
that you're buying organic
and non-GMO varieties,
just is a little bit easier
on your system, easier for
your body to absorb and digest
and just healthier for the overall world
and your own health in geneal.
The second highest source
of iron is molasses.
And molasses is a natural sweetener,
but it actually is,
also, surprisingly high
in a lot of minerals.
Molasses is that kind of
dark, rich chocolatey flavor
almost that you get in
things like gingerbread.
So I pretty much only use molasses
in gingerbread-flavored things
but I do a few gingerbread
recipes on the blog.
And molasses is really easy to find
at almost every single grocery store.
I personally always make
sure to buy an organic one
but you can choose whichever one you want.
And surprisingly it is high in iron.
So that's kind of a benefit
of all of the
gingerbread-inspired recipes.
Number three on our list are lentils.
Lentils and beans in general
are great sources of iron
and of course also plant-based protein.
What I personally love about lentils
is they are incredibly versatile
and there a ton of different varieties.
So you can choose everything
from green or brown lentils,
which are kind of the
more traditional lentils.
Black lentils or French
lentils which are smaller
and they have a little bit of a more,
almost nutty, kind of crunchy texture,
they're awesome in salads.
Or you can look for
something like a red lentil
which is more along the
lines of a split pea,
it kind of turns to mush as you cook
but it's so delicious in curries.
I have an amazing sweet
potato and red lentil curry
on the site that is just to die for.
So lentils are an amazing source of iron
but also a really great source of protein
and there are so many ways
to add them into your diet.
Number four on our list is
quinoa, the almighty quinoa.
You guys know that I'm
a fan of using quinoa
pretty much every which way.
And just like lentils, quinoa
is incredibly versatile.
Not only can you find it
in the whole seed form,
so adding it into salads
or things like that.
Quinoa flour is also incredibly versatile.
It can be used in pretty much any form
of baked good that you want.
I have tons of quinoa
flour recipes on my site.
Quinoa flour has also been
used in gluten-free pastas.
So you might even find quinoa
pastas at your grocery store,
that's another way to get
quinoa into your diet.
And of course there
are also quinoa flakes,
which I also use in a lot of my baking.
Things like cookies, and granola,
even just like a hot breakfast cereal.
Quinoa is a great source, not only of iron
but also of protein and fiber.
It's a complex carbohydrate so it digests
a little bit more easily in the system
and it's also high in a
few other trace minerals
like magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus.
Number five on our list are pumpkin seeds.
And pumpkin seeds
admittedly are not something
that I honestly eat all that much,
although I know they
are incredibly nutrient
and mineral rich, they're probably
one of the most mineral and
nutrient rich seeds out there,
so they're a really great
thing to incorporate
into your diet, I just personally
kind of forget about them,
even though I always
have them in my cabinet.
You can just do something as simple
as sprinkling them on top of your salad
or on top of your oatmeal.
You can add them into your smoothies
and they are a great source
of plant-based protein.
They're full of healthy fats
and they're full of
things like iron as well
a few other trace minerals.
So pumpkin seeds are something
that I definitely
recommend that you pick up
the next time you're at the store.
And just keep in your pantry
to like use here and there as a simple way
to get in little bit of extra iron
into your plant-based diet.
Number six is the all mighty chickpea.
Another ingredient that I
personally use in my cooking,
pretty much all the time, like
definitely on a weekly basis.
Love chickpeas, everything from hummus
to crispy chickpeas on top of salad.
Soups with chickpeas, blending
them up to use in baking.
I think chickpeas are one of those beans
that are just incredibly versatile.
I don't find that they
have as strong of a taste
as some of the other beans.
I think they're kind of mild,
they're really high in
protein, really high in fiber,
and again, also really high in iron
as well as a few other trace
minerals, including calcium.
The next two on our list
are actually both greens.
Number seven is Swiss chard.
And as I was doing some research
in my nutrition books as well as online
and I was looking for some
of the highest sources
of iron in the plant-based diet.
I was actually kind of surprised
to come along Swiss chard
because I don't feel like
Swiss chard makes many lists,
although it is a very healthy ingredient.
Not something that I
personally almost ever use,
although after doing all of the research
and learning more about it,
I'm definitely going to start.
Swiss chard is great
because not only is it
the highest green source of iron.
So in the greens world, it has
the highest source of iron,
but it's also kind of
mild in terms of flavor
unlike kale or things like collards
or some of the more spicy
greens like mustard greens.
I would say that chard is more taste-wise,
along the lines of spinach.
Really easy to incorporate
into things like smoothies.
Also you can saute it and
it's absolutely delicious,
with like some olive
oil, lemon and garlic.
You can stir it into salads,
you can chop it up finely into ribbons,
toss it into your salads.
You could add it into
a tofu or egg scramble.
Really there are no end of
ways to use Swiss chard.
And it's also just incredibly good for you
and it tends to be a little
bit on the cheaper side
versus something like kale
So maybe next time you're at the store,
try picking up a bunch of
Swiss chard instead of kale.
Or spinach, which is our next one.
And try incorporating it into your diet
and see what you think of it.
Number eight on our list is spinach.
Spinach is my one true love
when it comes to greens,
I buy spinach every single week.
It's in my staple grocery
list that I shared last week.
And I just think spinach is fabulous.
I love the taste of spinach,
I love the variety of like
being able to use spinach.
I love adding it into my smoothie bowls.
I love putting it on
sandwiches, I love sauteing it,
I really think that spinach
is one of those things
that you can use in probably
a million different ways.
Even just blending it up
into like a green muffin
or something like that,
so easy to use and incredibly healthy.
Of course spinach is really
high in protein and fiber
which is great, packed with chlorophyll
which is really great for detoxifying.
It's high in calcium, it's
high in iron, of course.
And like I said it doesn't
have much of a taste
so it's incredibly like, versatile
in terms of how you wanna use it.
So, if you're not already
on the spinach train,
hop on because spinach is fabulous.
Number nine is something that
I also use quite regularly
and that is tahini.
You guys know I love
tahini, I love using it
in my salad dressings,
it's an amazing thing
to just drizzle on top of
roasted sweet potatoes,
you can stir it into a dip,
you can use it in smoothies,
you can use it on top of toast.
It is so good, it has
such an awesome flavor to.
If you've never tried tahini
it isn't quite a sweet
as something like almond butter.
It has a little bit of
like a savoriness to it,
but it's toasted, it's
just like, ah, so good.
So I highly recommend next
time you're at the store,
pick up some tahini, it is
one of the most versatile,
I think, nut and seed butters.
Love, love, love it, on top of salads.
I will link my favorite
tahini salad dressings
down in the description box for you
because I've done an
entire video and blog post
all about about to use tahini.
And the last thing on our list
is one of my favorite personal snacks
and that is dried figs.
Figs are great, not only
are they just delicious,
like they are just sweet and they,
I'm so excited whenever it's fig season.
I finally started seeing
them in the stores,
and I'm just like, ah.
But dried figs specifically
are really high in iron.
And you luckily can find dried figs
at pretty much every single grocery store.
And my personal favorite way to eat figs,
which it might sound a little bit weird,
is honestly just to take one dried fig,
spread it with a little
bit of peanut butter,
maybe if I have some
chia jam in my fridge,
do a dollop of that on top of it,
and eat it like a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.
It is to die for.
It's honestly so good, I know
it sounds a little bit weird
but they are such an awesome snack.
And, figs are also really nutritious.
They're super high in fiber,
they're great for digestion,
they also have some
natural sugars in them.
So they're a little bit
energizing, which is really great,
and in addition to all of
those amazing properties,
they're also nigh in calcium
and they're high in iron.
So, they're one of those things
that you could just throw in your bag,
bring with you on the way to work
or just while you're traveling.
Or you could chop them up,
throw them into a salad,
or like a quinoa salad
or something like that.
There's a lot of different ways
to eat figs and I will
be sharing some of those
in the blog post that I mentioned.
And there you have it my friends,
that is our list of the 10
best vegan sources of iron.
I hope you enjoyed today's video.
If you have any questions for me,
definitely leave them in
the comments down below.
Like I mentioned throughout the video,
I do have a blog post that
goes along with this video
so I've outlined everything.
I've given you all the
specific measurements
and amounts of iron and
each of the serving sizes
for the different sources.
Of course you also saw them on the screen.
So, if you wanna rewind you can do that,
but the reading of the blog post
might be easier for you
to just follow along
and reference back to.
Of course, I've also included
some recipe inspirations
so if you're looking for ways
to use some of these ingredients,
that is found in the blog post as well.
And if there are any other nutrients
or minerals or anything like this
that you would like
featured on the channel,
please let me know.
We've done calcium as well as protein
and I have few more on the blog
that I will link down below.
But I could totally make
videos if you're interested.
Hope you guys enjoyed it,
thank you so much for tuning in.
Don't forget to subscribe before you go,
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Otherwise, have a
fabulous rest of your day
and I'll see you guys
in the next video, bye.
(upbeat music)
