This Vegetable Contains The Most Iron Per Serving

If you're trying to up the amount of iron in your diet, you're likely hitting the protein pretty hard. Foods like eggs, beef, chicken, and turkey can certainly add more of the mineral to your diet, but animal-derived foods aren't your only option. Certain vegetables — specifically, spinach — offer quite a bit of iron per serving. While a cup of raw spinach doesn't quite have a full milligram of iron, a cup of cooked spinach has more than 6 milligrams, making it a solid option for those who want to increase their iron intake (that being said, both cooked and raw spinach offer plenty of nutritional benefits). 

While enjoying spinach can certainly help you reach your daily iron intake goal, it's important to understand how iron from animal sources differs from iron from non-animal sources. There are two types of digestible iron — heme and non-heme. Heme iron is found in animal-derived foods and, for most people, it's easily absorbed. The non-heme iron found in vegetables (including spinach) and certain animal sources isn't absorbed as easily. If you're trying to increase your iron levels and want to include spinach in your diet, there are a few things you can do to maximize the amount of iron your body absorbs from the leafy green. Eating it first thing in the morning can help your body absorb more iron, according to a study in the American Journal of Hematology, or alongside foods high in vitamin C.

Ready to ramp up your spinach consumption to hit your iron goals? Blending raw spinach into a smoothie is a nutrient-rich way to kick off the day (try adding some mango and pineapple to boost the drink's vitamin C content and mask the leafy green's vegetal taste. If you'd rather stick with cooked spinach to truly maximize the iron you get from your breakfast, consider adding it to an omelet or tossing a few handfuls into your scrambled egg pan. 

There are quite a few seriously delicious ways to incorporate spinach into your meals later in the day, too. It makes a great base for a lunchtime salad — especially since the leafy greens contain more protein than you might think, and the leaves are sturdy enough to handle thicker, flavor-packed dressings. You can also try adding chopped spinach to sauces, pastas, and soups — just be sure to chop it up finely if you (or any kiddos at your table) would rather not chomp down on full spinach leaves. The bottom line: There are tons of ways to enjoy spinach, and with a little know-how, you can help your body absorb as much of the vegetable's iron as possible.