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9 Best Iron Rich Foods For Kids

Team AckoDec 3, 2024

Is your child iron deficient? If so, this is a must-read. Iron-rich foods are essential for your child's growth and development. Iron is one of the most crucial nutrients for your child’s overall health. It helps to produce haemoglobin and myoglobin, which transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. A deficiency in iron can significantly affect your child’s growth, development, and well-being. .

Contents

What Leads to a Deficiency of Iron?
10 Best Iron-Rich Foods For Kids
Tips on How to Include Iron Foods in Your Child’s Diet
Wrapping Up
Frequently Asked Questions

Children are born with sufficient iron stores, which are initially provided through breast milk. However, as breast milk intake decreases and solid foods are introduced, they may not receive the necessary iron, putting them at risk of iron deficiency.

Benefits of Iron-rich Foods:

Iron binds to oxygen in haemoglobin, enabling it to transport oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
Iron is crucial for your child’s physical and mental growth.
Iron supports a healthy immune system and promotes cognitive development.
Iron plays a key role in helping your child recover from illness.
Iron helps replenish energy after physical activity or exercise.

What Leads to a Deficiency of Iron?

Your child’s body can become iron deficient due to various reasons:

Insufficient iron in the diet: Lack of iron-rich foods in their meals.
Poor iron absorption: Conditions that hinder the body’s ability to absorb iron effectively, e.g. low stomach acid, lacking vitamin C in the diet and rare diseases like IBD and celiac, etc.
Blood loss: Common in anaemia, and could also result from other medical issues.
Exclusive formula feeding beyond 6 months: Delaying the introduction of iron-rich solid foods.
Premature birth or low birth weight: Babies born prematurely or with low birth weight may have lower iron stores.
Introducing cow’s milk before 1 year: Cow's milk can interfere with iron absorption and is low in iron.

10 Best Iron-Rich Foods For Kids

Here is a list of iron-rich fruits, vegetables, and other iron-rich foods that can help boost your child’s iron intake:

Apple and beetroot juice: Apple is rich in iron, and beetroot has a rich amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, and vitamin C. Apple and beetroot juice is perfect for boosting your child’s stamina instantly. Take three apples and one beetroot. Blend all the ingredients in a juicer. Add lemon for taste. Stir and serve. This drink will increase the iron levels in your child’s body.
Pomegranate: Loaded with fibre, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and sugar, this fruit is also an excellent source of calcium and iron. Encourage your child to eat pomegranate or give them its juice on an empty stomach. It will increase haemoglobin count and support healthy blood flow.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes, with their rich red colour, are a good source of iron, though not exceptionally high in it. However, they play a key role in aiding iron absorption in your child's body. Tomatoes are also packed with calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin K, all of which help enhance iron absorption. They can be enjoyed in salads, sauces, soups, or simply as a topping on various dishes. The calcium and vitamin K content in tomatoes also makes them an excellent food for strengthening bones.
Dark green leafy vegetables: Leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and turnips are excellent sources of iron and should be included in your child's diet. You can prepare spinach soup or mix it with other vegetables to enhance iron absorption. Adding spinach to pasta, chapatis, or cooking it with paneer can make it more appealing to your child. Additionally, explore creative recipes online to make dark leafy greens more exciting and enjoyable for your child to eat.
Pulses: Lentils, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and all varieties of beans have iron in them. It is important to include beans in your kid’s diet if they do not eat meat. You can make a bean or chickpea salad with tomatoes, corn bell peppers, and lemon as a snack for your kid.
Tofu: Include tofu in salads, sandwiches, and desserts to get iron into your kid’s diet. Your kid will love the firm texture of tofu and finger food couldn’t be easier to prepare. Cut tofu into cubes and serve. Each piece of tofu is a nutrition-packed cube, rich in protein and iron.
Dried Fruits: Many dried fruits like prunes, dates, and raisins are iron-fortified. Give your child 6-7 raisins or two prunes every morning. A handful of raisins, a few dried figs, or apricots, along with a snack or lunch, can boost your child’s iron absorption. Prunes are a source of non-heme iron, which is less easily absorbed by the body compared to heme iron.
Chickpeas: Chickpeas are a great source of non-heme iron, which is the type of iron found in plant-based foods and is absorbed less efficiently by the body than heme iron found in animal products. This rich source of iron helps combat deficiencies while also providing protein and fibre in the diet. Chickpeas are a key component of the Mediterranean diet, especially in the form of hummus, where chickpeas serve as the base. They can also be enjoyed roasted as a snack, added to salads, or incorporated into lentil dishes in India, boosting both protein and iron content.
Poultry and eggs:Egg yolks are an excellent source of iron. Including one egg in your child’s daily diet will help ensure they get the recommended amount of iron. If your family enjoys non-vegetarian food, dark meats also provide a good source of iron for children. Eggs are not only rich in iron but also in vitamin B12, making them a nutritious addition to any meal. You can serve eggs as part of a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are versatile and can be enjoyed in various ways, such as in omelettes with vegetables, boiled, scrambled, or poached on their own. Your children are sure to enjoy this delicious and nutritious option.
Red meat: Red meat is one of the richest sources of iron to be included in your child’s diet. Consuming red meat makes the absorption of iron easier. Refer to the other iron-rich foods mentioned above for additional options.

Tips on How to Include Iron Foods in Your Child’s Diet

Feed your child vitamin C-rich foods: Incorporate foods like oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers into your child’s diet. Vitamin C helps enhance the absorption of iron, as it is converted into a usable compound in the body, preventing problems associated with iron deficiency.
Cook with iron pots: Using cast iron skillets can naturally increase the iron content of your dishes. Acidic foods, like those containing tomatoes, absorb more iron from the skillet, making this an easy way to boost dietary iron in your family’s meals.
Choose recipes that preserve iron content: Opt for cooking methods like steaming or stir-frying to retain iron in food. Avoid reheating food multiple times, as this can degrade its nutritional content, and cook on low heat to preserve both iron and vitamins.
Healthy cereals: Choose fortified cereals that list "iron" on the nutrition label. Many are enriched with iron and other essential nutrients, making them a convenient breakfast option to help meet your child’s daily nutritional needs.

Wrapping Up

Iron plays an important role in your child's growth, energy, and cognitive development. Including a variety of iron-rich foods like leafy vegetables, pulses, eggs, and red meat, along with vitamin C to enhance absorption, helps prevent deficiency. Creative meal planning and cooking methods like using iron pots can further boost iron intake. With these simple changes, you can ensure your child’s iron needs are met, supporting their overall health and well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a list of FAQs about 10 Best Iron Rich Foods For Kids

1. How do I know if my child has iron deficiency?

If your child is not eating well, seems to have a pale complexion or complains of feeling tired all the time, these can all be symptoms of iron deficiency. It is important to include iron-rich fruits and vegetables in your kid’s diet to avoid developing iron deficiency.

2. What to do to ensure iron absorption?

Vitamin C sources like citrus fruits are a great example of iron-rich fruits that help the body absorb iron better. Avoid consuming excess amounts of tea as it inhibits iron absorption.

3. Can reheating food destroy the iron in it?

No reheating food does not destroy the iron in the food. Iron is a stable mineral that remains intact while cooking or reheating. However, other vitamins and nutrients are lost due to excessive reheating.

4. How much iron do children need daily?

Children aged 1-3 years need 7 mg daily, 4-8 years require 10 mg, and 9-13 years need 8 mg of iron daily. This can be given either through iron-rich fruits and vegetables or through iron supplements.

5. What is non-heme iron?

Non-heme iron is present in plant-based foods like spinach, lentils, etc. Heme iron is derived from animal sources. Non-heme iron gets absorbed by the body more easily than heme iron.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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