Green leafy vegetables are usually rich in iron. Having a good helping of green salads is a good, inviting option for lunch, and dinner. It would also help in keeping a check on the amount of calories, and is a nice & healthy way to go dieting. For breakfast, you may consider having iron fortified cereals with milk. Check the nutrition information on package label for specific iron content. You can also have some prune juice as a source of Iron.Other sources include Broccoli, Dates, Kidney beans, Lima beans, Molasses- blackstrap, Peas- frozen and prepared, Bread (both white and whole wheat), and Brown rice.Some dry fruits like almonds and raisins are also rich in dietary iron. Whew!! Looks like there's a lot of choice for you!! As far as my knowledge goes, having carbonated water does not have any effect on the amount of iron in your body, neither does it help your body in absorbing iron better. Unless, it is fortified with Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), which is a facilitator of iron absorption into your body.
FYI:
In general, iron is not readily absorbed by the body. Dietary iron is either HEME or NON-HEME iron. HEME iron is found only in MEAT, FISH, AND POULTRY and is ABSORBED MUCH MORE EASILY than NON-HEME iron, which is found primarily in FRUITS, VEGETABLES, DRIED BEANS, NUTS AND GRAIN products.
The following factors will increase the iron absorption from non-heme foods:
- A good source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - i.e., oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries, eaten with a NON-HEME food
- A HEME and NON-HEME food eaten together
- A NON-HEME food cooked in an iron pot, such as a cast iron skillet.
A lot of information is available on the net for people interested in knowing more. To quote a few:
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