Top food sources for Iron, B12 and Folate
Healthy eating is important for everyone but especially if you’re lacking some of the important nutrients, such as iron, B12 and folate. The best sources of these nutrients are listed below. Reach for these foods more often to make sure you’re meeting all of your nutritional needs.
Iron
- Meat - liver (chicken, beef and pork), beef, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken
- Seafood – oysters, mussels, shrimp, sardines
- Fish – perch, halibut, trout, swordfish, bluefish
- Wholegrain and enriched breads
- Iron-fortified hot and cold breakfast cereals
- Dried fruit – figs, apricots, prunes, raisins
- Dark green, leafy vegetables – spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green peas, asparagus
- Pulses – beans, peas, lentils, chick peas, tofu
- Enriched pasta
- Nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Amaranth, quinoa (grains)
It is important to eat foods rich in vitamin C or drinking a glass of orange juice with these foods to improve your body’s ability to absorb the iron.
B12
- Meat - beef, poultry, pork
- Fish – bluefish, bass, salmon, trout
- Shellfish – clams, oysters, crab
- Dairy – eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese
- Nutritional yeast (grown on a vitamin B12 enriched medium) – Red Star
Folate
- Poultry, pork, liver
- Asparagus, broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, avocado
- Cantaloupe, oranges, papaya, strawberries, bananas
- Legumes, nuts, seeds
- Wheat bran, other wholegrains
- Folate-fortified breakfast cereals