When the level of iron in the body dips, red blood cells cannot produce enough hemoglobin, resulting in tiredness and anemia. So, your body needs a constant supply of iron to function efficiently and to produce hemoglobin. This can be done by adding iron-rich foods to your daily diet. Certain foods have a slightly higher iron content than others. Some of these are a handful of figs, dates, apricots, pomegranate, or raisins.
Iron also plays a key role in transporting water and oxygen throughout the body to all the organs. Reduced hemoglobin due to iron deficiency affects the oxygen supply to the body, resulting in quite a few symptoms. Also, iron isn’t easily absorbed by the body from non-meat sources. So the chances of deficiency are higher in vegans and vegetarians and they need a good supply of vitamin C to help the body absorb iron.
Here are a few fruits you can add to your daily diet to increase iron availability and uptake and prevent deficiency.
7 Iron-Rich Fruits You Need In Your Diet
1. Dates Can Boost Iron
This intensely sweet fruit, available fresh or dry, is packed with energy, is highly nutritional, and known for its rich iron reserves. Every cup of dates (250 g) contains 3 milligrams of iron.1 So, dates with milk and cream at breakfast is an ideal way to start the day healthy and prevent iron deficiency. You can also use them to make different sweet dishes as well. Add dates to salads, puddings, and or even delicious jams and spreads.
2. Apricots Can Boost Iron
Apricots are similar to peaches and come packed with nutrients. They are rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamin A, and iron along with many other minerals. Dried apricots are a wonderful source of iron, they stay fresh longer, and can be stored for several months. Every 100 g of dried apricots contains more than 50 percent of the daily iron requirement.
Fresh apricots are juicy and can be consumed as juices or with ice cream in summer. They can also be added to salads, as ice-cream toppings, in dry-fruit milkshakes, cereals, and puddings.2
3. Figs Can Boost Iron
Figs can be eaten fresh or dried. But when dried, their nutritional value gets doubled. Figs are an excellent source of iron and are best eaten soaked overnight. They can be added to cereal, used to make delicious ice creams, cakes, and cookies.3
4. Raisins Can Boost Iron
Raisins are made from sweet sun-dried grapes and are highly recommended for their glucose and iron content. Every 1/2 cup of raisins contains 1.6 miligrams of iron, which is easily assimilated and helps your body produce more blood. Raisins are best consumed raw with peeled almonds, cashews, and pistachios, making it a complete food. They can also be used to make curries, sweets, soups, or as a milk additive.4
5. Sun-Dried Tomatoes Can Boost Iron
The not-so-common, but easy to cook at home, sun-dried tomatoes contain up to 9.1 milligrams of iron per serving. The recommended daily allowance of iron is 18 milligrams for adults and 10 milligrams for children. That means sun-dried tomatoes can provide nearly 50 percent of the daily iron requirement for adults and nearly all of it for children. Sun-dried tomatoes can be consumed in any form – fresh, cooked, stewed, or canned.5
6. Prunes Can Boost Iron
Prunes are nothing but dried plums and are black in color with a wrinkled outer appearance. Rich in iron, prunes are best eaten soaked overnight. The water used to soak them also contains beneficial nutrients. Every 100 grams of prunes contain 9 percent of the daily recommended iron intake.6 They can be consumed as a juice, a smoothie, added to cereal and cookies, or made into jams and jellies.
7. Pomegranates Can Boost Iron
Pomegranate is beneficial for all blood-related illnesses such as iron deficiency or anemia. They are best consumed fresh and can be added to almost any salad. Pomegranate juice is a refreshing drink loaded with iron. They also help fight depression and are a great food to add to your daily diet.
Make your daily diet interesting by including a generous serving of these fruits. Keep up your iron reserves so you can stay healthy and active.
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