
Like this, but soup
Like this, but soup
IRON
Not enough Popeye in your diet? Hit the spinach. Our favourite iron rich compadre. But spinach is not the only iron rich swinger in town.
A lack of Iron can be a real problem for veggies. It can make you feel lethargic and a low iron diet can lead to more serious problems further down the line.
Over 90% of Indians are anaemic. With the majority of 1 billion plus Indians being vegetarian, it’s a reminder that a vegetarian diet is not necessarily a healthy one!
Iron helps you to produce haemoglobin which helps red blood cells carry oxegen to the tissues. 20% of women and 3% of men do not have enough iron in them.
Most dietary iron is non-haem iron, harder to digest that the iron in meats.
Know your iron rich veg foods (in descending order):
Most Lentils and Beans
Eggs
Pumpkin, Sunflower and Sesame Seeds
Baked Potato
Broccoli Stalk
Bread, Bran Muffin and Rice
Dried Apricots
Spinach
Wheat germ
Peanuts, Pecans, Walnuts, Pistachios, Almonds and Cashews
This smoothie will kick any day off with a natural sugar hit and good dosing of iron to wake you up and feed your sleepy body. Sweet and smooth with an iron fix.
It is so simple and quick to make and is Janes favourite morning booster. You won’t be craving biscuits for elevensies either, the banana will see you through!
The Bits
1 1/2 bananas per person (ideally, I have two because I’m like a sloth in the morning)
2 tbsp coconut cream
Two good handfuls of spinach
A splash of water (to get it all blended nicely)
Need balast? Add a handful of oats.
Do it
Stick it all in your blender and whizz until smooth.
Serve
Jane eats it from a bowl with a spoon, topped with some finely sliced veggies, celery is nice. I glug from a glass, which is scrapped out after with a spoon.
We Love It
Its so easy and nutritious and its very green!
Foodie Fact
Spinach is famous as a good source of iron, but surprisingly not as good as much as most beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Even a dried apricot has more iron!.
Bananas are packed with natural fruit sugar (frustose), the highest of any fruit by a jungle mile. This is still relatively low compared to most maufactured sweet foods. They are great for the digestive system, with lots of fibre and also rich in Vitamin C and Potassium.