Wanna pack a punch like Popeye? 5 foods with more iron than spinach

You’ve got to hand it to Popeye for giving spinach such a good name.

But while this leafy green is packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, despite its reputation, it turns out spinach doesn’t have as much iron as everyone thinks.

A German chemist actually miscalculated spinach’s iron content when one of his decimal points went rogue. There’s actually only 3.5mg of iron in 100g – nothing to be sneezed at but not the 35mg per 100g that everyone thought.

Iron is crucial for red blood cells. It allows them to do their job of pumping oxygen around the body (and without oxygen you, er, die). Experts recommend getting about 10mg of iron per day (a little more for ladies if it’s that time of the month, you’re pregnant or breastfeeding).

Looking for a little extra boost? Here are five foods that Popeye could have focused on instead!

1. Sunflower seeds.

As well as serving up vitamins E, B, copper and selenium, 100g of sunflower seeds contain about 5.3mg of iron. These Sunflower Seed Falafel Balls with Tahini Dipping Sauce come packed with a one-two punch of sunflower seeds AND iron-rich cashews.

2. Beef.

Haem iron from animal products is more easily absorbed by the body than non-haem iron from veggies. A medium steak has about 6mg of haem iron, making one of the best sources out there, if you do eat meat. (That’s not to discount veggie sources though!)

You can also increase your iron absorption by eating iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C, like greens. That makes our Beef Broccolini Fried Rice a surefire iron man meal!

3. Chickpeas.

100g of chickpeas contain about 6.2mg of iron, as well as a healthy dose of protein, fibre, folate and manganese. Whip up a batch of Foolproof Hummus at your next party, or enjoy solo as a tasty snack.

4. Cacao.

Aside from being a powerful antioxidant with promising mood-boosting, heart-helping and nerve-protecting properties, 100g of raw cacao packs in about 7.3mg of iron. It’s about time we introduced you to The Best Vegan Chocolate Mousse you’ll EVER eat!

5. Oysters.

The jury’s still out on whether oysters do in fact boost your libido. But half a dozen of these little sea dwellers will give you about 6.1mg of haem iron, as well as a hit of zinc, selenium and protein. We’ll still happily sample some Oysters Two Ways, in that case!

Are you getting enough iron? What are some of your favourite iron foods?

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