Who wants to avoid having to give their baby awful tasting iron supplements that turn their teeth grey?!
You are going to hear a lot about iron as your baby grows. This is because iron is a crucial micronutrient that helps form hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body. Iron also plays a big role in neurodevelopment. And many babies aren’t getting enough.
So to make things easier for you and hopefully help you avoid the dreaded iron supplements, we analyzed foods highest in iron and then whittled down the list to those most easily adapted for babies:
Top 25 Iron-Rich Foods for Babies (in order of most iron)
- Chicken liver
- Venison
- Lentils
- Cannellini beans
- Fortified infant cereals
- Navy beans
- Black beans
- Pumpkin seed butter
- Tahini (sesame seed paste)
- Goat meat
- Hemp seeds
- Black-eyed peas
- Beef liver
- Bison
- Kidney, lima and pinto beans
- Edamame
- Sardines
- Cashew butter
- Tofu
- Pine nuts
- Garbanzo beans
- Buffalo
- Beef
- Lamb
- Mackerel
Here’s the catch: not all iron is equal. Iron from animal sources such as chicken liver, is much more easily absorbed in the body than iron from plant-based foods like lentils and beans. To help your baby’s body absorb iron from beans, nuts and other plant-based foods, serve foods high in vitamin C along with them. Red bell peppers and lentils, anyone?
Reviewed by:
Venus Kalami, MNSP, RD
