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When someone first makes changes in their diet it can be a bit overwhelming. A common concern associated with starting a vegan or plant-based diet is getting all of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to thrive. This can be worrisome for those who aren’t completely changing their lifestyles too but are instead adding in more plant-based foods.

Iron is one of the essential nutrients a person may find themselves concerned about. This vital mineral helps the body grow and develop. Iron makes proteins that carry oxygen where it needs to go throughout the body, and it makes hormones too. The body needs iron to function properly, so everyone must get plenty of it.

Before we get into this list of vegan iron sources and iron-rich vegetarian foods, there is some information that is beneficial to know.

How much iron do you need?

The amount of iron a person needs to consume is determined by the diet a person follows, as well as factors like age and sex. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, vegetarians who skip meat, poultry, or seafood need nearly double the number of iron others need. This is because the body does not absorb non-heme iron in plant foods as well as it does heme iron from animal foods.

Heme iron comes from foods like meat, poultry, seafood, and fish. Non-heme iron is found in nuts, seeds, grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Beyond this list of vegan iron sources, non-heme iron can also be found in eggs, dairy, and other foods.

While a licensed professional would be able to give you a clear idea of exactly how much iron you need, health institutes often list their recommendations too. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, adult men between the ages of 19 and 50 need 8 mg of iron, and adult women need 18 mg. Adults 51 and older need 8 mg.

What are some examples of vegan iron sources?

1. Tofu

Tofu is made using soybeans that are loaded with iron. According to the USDA, 100 g of tofu contains 1.69 mg of iron. Tofu is also a great source of protein and other nutrients.

The best thing about tofu is that it can be used in countless ways. You can turn it into smoothies, desserts, sauces, scrambles, and so much more. It can also be used as a meat substitute in a variety of dishes, and take on any flavor you are hoping for with the right combination of spices and seasonings.

You could try vegan fried rice (the peas have iron too), or crispy baked garlic tofu paired with your favorite rice. Other tasty options include a tofu scramble, peanut tofu buddha bowl, chocolate pudding pie, or a banana peanut butter smoothie. There are seemingly endless recipes at your fingertips all with unique ways of using tofu.

2. Tempeh

The USDA states that a cup of tempeh contains nearly 4.5 mg of iron. According to Healthline, the iron found in a 3-ounce serving of tempeh makes up 12% of the recommended daily intake. Tempeh is packed full of protein and other nutrients too.

Tempeh is not as versatile as tofu, but there are still many ways to incorporate this food into your diet. Tempeh bolognese, marinated peanut tempeh, spicy tempeh stuffed peppers, and sweet and spicy tempeh bowls are just some of the tasty options out there. Tempeh can make an excellent meat replacement, so feel free to get creative with how you incorporate this food.

3. Lentils

There are brown lentils, green lentils, red lentils, yellow lentils, and black lentils, among others. No matter which one you prefer, you can expect lots of iron packed inside.

According to Cooking Light, one-half cup of uncooked red or yellow lentils provides 6 mg of iron. One-half cup of uncooked brown or green lentils is a little lower, landing closer to 4 mg of iron. Black lentils have the most, providing 8 mg of iron per one-half cup. In addition to the iron found in lentils, they contain protein, fiber, complex carbs, and other nutrients.

If you are looking to add more black lentil dishes to your diet, you might try this black lentil curry or cumin roasted cauliflower with black lentils. Other lentil meals include lentil enchiladas, lentil meatloaf, or lentil sloppy joes. With the large variety of different types of lentils, this is another ingredient that can be incorporated into a large number of tasty recipes.

4. Nuts

Nuts might be small, but they can pack a mighty punch. Cashews, almonds, pine nuts, and other nuts all contain a decent amount of non-heme iron. According to the USDA, 100g of cashews contain 6.68 mg of iron, 100g of almonds provide 4.8 mg of iron, and 100g of pine nuts contain 5.53 mg of iron.

It is not recommended to roast nuts if you are eating them purely for nutritious reasons. This can take away from the nutrients you get from enjoying them raw. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them in some delicious recipes.

Cashews can be used in creamy dishes like fettuccine alfredo or turned into other treats like these no-bake energy bars. Raw almonds can be added to your favorite salad or granola. This granola is a great option as it incorporates other iron-rich vegetarian foods. 

Nut butter is a simple way to add these vegan iron sources to your meals. Simply spread some across a slice of bread or use it as a dip with some apple slices. If you want to enjoy your nuts in a buttery consistency, try natural options that skip the additives.

5. Seeds

Just like nuts, seeds contain lots of nutrients like fiber, calcium, protein, and of course iron. There are many types of seeds such as flaxseeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and more. According to the USDA:

• 100g of flaxseeds contain 5.73 mg of iron
• 100g of hemp seeds provide 7.95 mg of iron
• 100g of sesame seeds contains 14.6 mg of iron
• 100g of pumpkin seeds contain 8.93 mg of iron
• 100g of chia seeds contain 7.72 mg of iron

Seeds are one of many iron-rich vegetarian foods that are simple to add to meals. You can get plenty of iron from seeds, no matter which seeds you decide to add to your diet. You can add seeds to granola or throw them on as a topping on salads and other dishes. Specific dishes and sauces include sunflower seed pesto, pumpkin spice chia pudding, strawberry chia jam, and power bread.

6. Leafy greens

There is a wide variety of leafy greens in the world, and they are all packed full of nutrients. These include spinach and kale. According to the USDA, spinach contains 2.71 mg of iron per 100g, and 100g of kale provides 1.6 mg of iron. This might not sound like much but it is more iron than what is often found in non-vegan foods.

Leafy greens are great because they are easy to add to recipes you already love. Spinach works great in pasta, dips, or sandwiches. Kale easily blends into many curries, stir-frys, or salads. This green breakfast smoothie, spinach and chickpea curry, kale and mushroom gratin, and quinoa and kale veggie quesadillas are all examples of recipes that incorporate leafy greens.

7. Oats

Oats are a simple source of nutrients like iron, protein, zinc, fiber, and more. Other whole grains like amaranth are great sources of iron too, but oats seem to be the easiest to add to any diet or lifestyle. According to the USDA, 100g of oats contain 4.25 mg of iron.

The easiest way to add in oats is to enjoy a nice bowl of oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast. You can also add them to any granola recipe. Other recipes include this Santa Fe black bean burger, banana oatmeal cookies, oatmeal pancakes, and vegan blueberry banana oat bread.

It does not have to be challenging to get iron in vegan food.

There are plenty of other iron-rich vegetarian foods, such as tomato paste, coconut milk, and prune juice. The list of plant-based and vegan iron sources is vast. The only issue one might run into is not understanding the difference between heme and non-heme iron. Knowing how the body absorbs heme and non-heme iron differently is a key part of ensuring you consume the right amount for your needs. You can rest easy knowing that it is not hard to find iron in vegan food, but it is important to control your diet in a way that works for you.

Curious about the future of food and what you can expect not only for your taste buds but for the impact on the environment, animals, workers, health, and more? The Good Food Conference is the place to be.

I had the pleasure of attending The 2019 Good Food Conference. The nearly-endless samples of plant-based food felt like enough of a reason to attend alone. But, I’m truly excited for what’s next when it comes to plant-based and cell-based meat as well as our food system as a whole.

Here are my biggest takeaways.

We’ve hit the tipping point

It’s no secret that plant-based foods have been around for decades. But a major change of late: plant-based foods going mainstream. Suddenly, the big guys both in retail grocery as well as food service are investing heavily in the plant-based market while more and more startups launch.

The buzziest news in the room was still Beyond Meat’s hugely-successful 2019 IPO. One panelist pointed out that there had been only a handful of food company IPOs in recent decades. Bucking this trend with a plant-based food company is nothing short of exciting.

There’s also plant-based fast foods, such as the Beyond Famous Star® at Carl’s Jr. and Beyond Tacos™ served at Del Taco. And of course, the Impossible™ Whopper®.

Kroger, the largest grocer in the U.S., announced on stage that they’re launching a line of plant-based meats and other foods under their Simple Truth brand. Products like plant-based burgers, queso, and cookie dough will be hitting Kroger stores this fall.

With so many large companies getting involved in plant-based foods in a variety of ways, it’s hard to see the trend slowing down anytime soon.

Taste matters most

Plant-based food advocates (like me) love to tout the benefits of choosing these foods over animal-based options. Plant-based foods are often better for human health, the environment, and animal welfare (all very important things). But several food-industry panelists noted: there’s no room for compromise for flavor and taste with plant-based foods.

As Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer of Beyond Meat, put it: being negative on meat is simply not a great way for Beyond and other companies to market their foods. Plant-based foods need to taste delicious in addition to all the other benefits they provide.

Another panelist (apologies but I cannot remember exactly who) noted that we not only need to make plant-based foods that taste good, they need to be “craveable.”

As a plant-based eater, plant-based foods are getting there (though I’m clearly biased). For more meat eaters to adopt plant-based foods, the industry needs to come as close as possible or even exceed the flavor and enjoyment of eating animal products.

Exciting food startups coming next

While tons of exciting plant-based products have already hit the market, everyone is still hungry for what will come next. The Good Food Conference featured six startup pitches that gave us a glimpse.

Rebellyous Foods Founder and CEO Christie Lagally focused on making a delicious, plant-based chicken nugget at prices equal to the “real” thing with better nutrition. This could certainly be a game-changer as many consumers are turned off by the current premium prices on plant-based foods and (sometimes) inferior taste.

Sri Artham of Hooray Foods spoke about taking on plant-based bacon. The most exciting aspect of Hooray Foods’ bacon: how much it looks like bacon from a pig. He highlighted some of the current plant-based competition in his slides, showing how little existing plant-based bacon products resemble the real thing compare to Hooray’s version.

As someone who considers tempeh one of the most underrated and underutilized plant-based proteins, I was very excited about Better Nature’s pitch. I’m convinced they’re onto accomplishing their goal of getting tempeh to the masses while also developing other healthy meat alternatives.

Karana’s pitch focused on jackfruit and making it delicious. I chuckled when moderator Brian Cooley of CNET CBS Interactive remarked that jackfruit often looks tasty but then everyone thinks it sorta sucks. I’m in total agreement and excited to try a tastier version of jackfruit from Karana.

While all presenters played up the technology to some degree, NOVAMEAT’s was maybe the most stunning. Using a technique called “bioprinting,” I watched in amazement as NOVAMEAT CEO and Founder Giuseppe Scionti showed footage of printing out a steak and then grilling and eating it.

Equally impressive, Ecovative Director of Marketing Andy Bass showed off how they’ve created technology to use mycelium as the structure to create whole cuts of plant-based meats that mimic the real thing.

As much as I’m excited to see more and more plant-based products hit grocery store shelves, the technology and innovation showcased by these startups made me wonder what could be possible.

Seafood is just getting started

I’ll begin with this: if you’re plant-based, who isn’t excited about vegan sushi?!

While I haven’t had the chance to try Ocean Hugger Foods‘ Ahimi® yet, I really can’t wait. I’d say more, but that wouldn’t do it justice. Instead, I recommend checking out their Instagram page.

Several panelists noted that there’s still a lot of room for alternative seafood technology and that hopefully more companies will launch to join the revolution.

Other highlights

There was plenty of excitement off the main stage at The Good Food Conference too.

Eclipse wowed everyone with their plant-based ice cream during one break.

JUST went all out, teaming up with Beyond to serve a Just Egg and Beyond Sausage brunch.

Moringstar Farms, on the heels of their 2019 announcement to go fully plant-based by 2021, provided plenty of great treats during the breaks as well as lunch. As one of the plant-based OG’s, I’m excited to see what role Morningstar plays in getting more plant-based food in stores across the country. And as presenting sponsor, they were a large part of making this conference possible.

And finally, on the policy front, Tofurky President and CEO Jaime Athos spoke about filing lawsuits against new laws in Arkansas and Missouri regarding labeling plant-based foods as meat. I applaud Tofurky for taking on this legal challenge to maintain freedom for Americans to choose which foods they have access to without restriction from unjust laws created to protect certain industries.

Still a lot of work to do

After living in a world of plant-based food for several days, it’s easy to forget that these foods only make up a small fraction of the foods currently consumed. This is only the beginning, and there’s A TON of work ahead. That said, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of food. I can’t wait to see (and taste) what’s next.