Should I worry about iron on a vegetarian/vegan diet?

Answer 1

NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
"Tis a myth.

Here is a list of foods and their iron content from the University Health Care Center. I left meats on the list just so you can see how little (or at most equal) their iron content is to veggies, legumes and grains. Unless you were eating clams as a meat-eater, you were not getting that much iron.
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Chicken (breast roasted) 3 oz. 1.00
Duck (flesh only, roasted) 3 oz. 2.00
Sirloin (lean, broiled) 3 oz. 2.00
Turkey (breast, roasted) 3 oz. 1.20
Turkey (drumstick) 3 oz. 2.00
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LEGUMES
Lentils (cooked) 1/2 cup 3.30
Lima beans (cooked) 1/2 cup 2.25
Dried beans (cooked) 1/2 cup 2.30
Split Peas (cooked) 1/2 cup 1.25
Tofu (raw) 1/2 cup 6.65
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GRAIN PRODUCTS
Cream of Wheat (reg, cooked) 1/2 cup 6.00
Fortified breakfast cereal (Total, e.g.) 1/2 cup 18.00
Pasta (cooked) 1/2 cup 1.00

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FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Apricots (dried) 1/4 cup 1.50
Broccoli (cooked) 1/2 cup 0.6
Brussels Sprouts (cooked) 1/2 cup 1.00
Peaches (dried) 1/4 cup 1.60
Peas (cooked) 1/2 cup 1.26
Potato (cooked, with skin) 1 medium 2.35
Prunes 1/4 cup 1.00
Raisins 1/4 cup 1.00
Spinach (raw) 1 cup 1.00
Spinach (boiled) 1/2 cup 2.00
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How much you need:

Women (ages 19-50) 18 mg per day
Pregnant Women 27 mg per day
Men (ages 19 and older) 8 mg per day

Answer 2

If you are eating a whole foods plant based diet, and barring any previous chronic conditions relevant to Iron metabolism then most likely not. A good book on the subject is called, Becoming Vegan. Check it out!

Answer 3

"Iron deficiency, unlike protein deficiency, sometimes is a real problem, but meat is not the answer. The American Dietetic Association said in 1988 that vegetarians don't have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than nonvegetarians.
If you are concerned about getting enough iron, avoid eating iron-rich foods along with substances that inhibit iron absorption: phyates (found in high-bran and unmilled cereals), polyphenols (such as tannins in tea) and calcium. Eat iron-rich foods along with foods containing vitamin C, which aids absorption. Good sources of iron include dried figs and prunes, dark-green leafy greens, legumes, certain whole grains such as quinoa and millet, blackstrap molasses, nuts and nutritional yeast. Acidic foods cooked in cast-iron pans are also good sources of the mineral."

Answer 4

depends on what you eat. Check the nutritional content of everything and supplement with vitamins.

And by the way, the spinach/iron thing has long been acknowledged as a mistake. A single lab mistake greatly inflated the iron content in spinach leading to one of the longest lasting old-wives tales.

Answer 5

you bet your life you should. here's a note, eat a couple leaves of kale each day. Kale is a very good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, Folic Acid, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A). In Japan, kale juice (known as aojiru) is a popular dietary supplement.

Answer 6

No. If you are eating raw fresh spinach from time to time, vegans I believe are vegetarians who eat non coocked items.

Answer 7

No Not @ all!!!! Just Eat loads of spinach in the form of a vegetable or a soup etc

Answer 8

All you should do is take a 100% DV Iron Supplement.

Answer 9

Spinach contains lots of iron. You need iron for your blood, so if you aren;t eating red meat, you need to eat spinach (a lot) or take an iron supplement.

Answer 10

Depending on how old you are, you should be more concerned with the specific protien chains you are depriving yourself of.

If you are past your teen years, it's not a big deal. But no child should be vegetarian. It effects their development.