Skip to Content

What Nuts Are Rich in Iron? [TOP 9]

what nuts are rich in ironWhen looking for iron in your diet, it’s important to find foods that are both easy to find and enjoyable to eat.

Many people consider nuts when thinking of their iron content. Iron is important because it helps your body produce red blood cells, which provide oxygen to your body. Now let’s find out just how good nuts are for your diet.

But let’s first answer that question that brought you here.

So what nuts are rich in iron?

Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts all contain significant amounts of iron.

Pistachios have the most iron.

Generally speaking, yes nuts are a great source of iron for your diet and there are many choices.  I’ll cover off how to add these great iron sources to your body

Adding Nuts To Your Diet For Iron

Our bodies require certain amounts of nutrients in every area to survive and to keep your body as healthy as possible.

Iron is one of these important nutrients. Its function is to make sure that the body gets the oxygen it needs. If you think about what happens if you don’t get oxygen, you can imagine that the results would be pretty scary. It’s extremely important for our cardiovascular system to keep operating at peak health.

Some people have a misconception about iron, it is the same kind of mineral that can be found in the earth like in iron ore.

It helps the circulatory system spread oxygen molecules that start in the lungs and travel to the rest of the body. Getting hemoglobin to the extremities of the body via oxygen is necessary for our survival.

So where do nuts come in?

It turns out that many types of nuts are a great source of iron for the body. Pistachios generally lead the way but Cashews, almonds, and Brazil nuts are also an excellent source for your body.

As a matter of fact, the following nuts can be a great source of iron:
  • Almonds
  • Brazil nuts
  • Cashews
  • Chestnuts
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Pistachio
  • Pine Nuts
  • Walnuts

All of these nuts can be utilized into your diet especially if you are anemic or looking for more iron.

One thing to keep in mind is that these foods all have high iron content for the most part. They can also include iron inhibitors that may reduce the absorption of the iron into your blood.

This is only likely to affect you if you are eating a high number of these foods, so it may not be appropriate to try and replace your whole diet with these nuts, but a reasonable amount abiding by portion control should let you see increases in your iron intake.

While nuts do a great job, there are some other great natural sources of iron as well.

These include beef, dark meat of chicken, and bran cereal.

These extra sources can be added to nuts to create some interesting recipe combinations.


Who Needs Iron in Their Diet?

There are a lot of people who need iron in their diet.

Certain groups of the population are more at risk of having low levels of iron. Having too little iron can cause symptoms like becoming dizzy, having high levels of fatigue, and can even cause problems breathing.

The groups of the population that are at risk for anemia should take this risk seriously as it’s important to take your health seriously, especially when the concern is as great as what is seen here.

One group of the population that is at risk is women who are in the years where they could be pregnant.

Either through menstruation or childbirth, women of this age are especially at danger to anemia and should be careful to add more iron than they normally would in their diet.

Another population that should be wary of their iron intake is people over 65 years old.

Additionally, those who take blood thinners are also in danger of having too little iron. Unfortunately, these populations can often mix so those who are over 65 and taking blood thinners for situations like the possibility of a blood clot can really be in trouble.

You should make sure regardless of your health or age that you are meeting your dietary allowance for iron intake.

Women should probably have higher levels of iron intake according to recent announcements by the FDA.


What Seeds Are High in Iron?

What seeds are high in iron

Seeds are an awesome source of iron in most cases.

The leading seed when it comes to giving someone their daily amount of iron is sesame seeds. This is great news because sesame seeds are easily inserted into a lot of recipes and can go well with a lot of different foods.

Right behind sesame seeds are pumpkin seeds. These are a great snack that many people love to eat regardless of whether they eat them plain or whether they put some different seasonings on top of them.

Watermelon seeds are also another good iron source with about 40% of the daily recommended amount is 100 grams. While many people enjoy eating watermelons, it’s less likely that many love watermelon seeds as a snack, although your mileage may certainly vary.

If you’ve ever attended a sports game it’s highly likely that you’ve seen people munch on sunflower seeds. Compared to watermelon seeds, these definitely are a more popular snack.

If you’re looking for a singular seed that doesn’t need to be put into trail mix or just something that you can snack on by itself, sunflower seeds are going to make a great choice as they are a salty tasty snack.

These seeds can have even more iron in them than nuts do, so seeds are an amazing source of iron that can help your body circulate that important oxygen to all of your body.


Are Nuts Good For Anemia?

Are nuts good for anemia

Nuts are an amazing source for those trying to fight anemia. People who have anemia need to get oxygen to all of the extremities of their body and nuts are one of the best ways to get iron that will help you do that.

Almonds have a great amount of protein and can fight anemia quite well.

These are great nuts because they also have a lot of calcium to go along with all of the iron they have. Some people think that they might not be the easiest nut to digest, so you should be careful when introducing lots of almonds to your diet at one time.

Cashews are another great nut for fighting anemia. These nuts have a ton of other benefits as well. While they are rich in iron, they also have a ton of calcium and magnesium as well as omega-3 and 6 essential fats.

They’re a tasty snack as well which is going to make them easy for individuals to eat; however at times they can be a little bit expensive, so just be careful if you are going to buy in bulk.

Walnuts are an awesome source of iron, because it comes with omega acids that are great for you.

One warning here is that walnuts lose some of their iron content in the cooking process. Raw walnuts are the way to go if you are looking for the iron you need to fight anemia.

Peanuts don’t have as much iron as some of the other nuts listed here; however, they do have a decent amount of iron. They are a great source of protein and are easily found in most marketplaces. Peanuts are already popular so it is possible that they’re a regular snack for you. They do have a lot of saturated fat so you may need to be careful when snacking.

Macadamia nuts are a tasty nut that you can eat that has some decent iron in it. You’ve also got omega-3, 6, and 9 inside which will provide you with various health benefits.


Which Fruits Are High in Iron?

Which fruits are rich in iron

While nuts and seeds can provide a lot of iron for your diet, fruits can also do the same thing.

Apricots are probably the fruit that has the most iron for your diet.

After apricots, you can also eat things like peaches or prunes that are similar fruit that has a ton of iron. Anything that is considereddried fruit” will be high in iron and even things like apples and figs have a lot of iron as well .

Other berries are also fruits that have a lot of iron content.

Raspberries have a lot of iron in them and make a great snack. Other berries that are quite similar to raspberries carry iron similarly. Things like blackberries, strawberries, or elderberries have a fair amount of iron and make for a great snack around the house.

We all love to eat fresh fruit, there’s nothing like in the Summertime and now you know its a good way to increase iron intake that can also help combat anemia.