Getting a Sufficient Amount of Iron

Let's look at some ways you can get a sufficient amount of iron into your system without overeating red meat.

One good way is to get plenty of vitamin C because it helps your body absorb iron. A glass of orange or tomato juice or a half grapefruit eaten along with your fortified cereal at breakfast will help you get more iron into your system. Tea and coffee, however, reduce absorption of iron so don't have them with your meals.

When you are cooking, use as little water as possible and reuse that water in soups and sauces. Cooking with iron skillets is another good way to get iron in our diets. Now that most people use stainless steel and other non-stick pans, we are getting less iron than we once did. The nutrition experts tell us to still cook in iron pots and skillets whenever possible.