Iron-rich foods that you must add to your child's diet

One of the biggest concerns that parents have about their child’s nutrition is ensuring a well-balanced diet that includes all the necessary nutrients. It’s a little tricky to make sure that kids get everything needed for their development in terms of food: something or the other gets missed out from their diet. In fact, ensuring a diet with all the necessary nutrients and micro-nutrients becomes all the more challenging if you have a fussy eater. Insufficient nutrition not only leads to delayed development, it can also trigger certain health conditions. For example, lack of iron can cause a blood disorder named anemia.  

There are two types of iron available in foods: Heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron is observed in like meat, fish and poultry. Only 30% of this type of iron gets absorbed in the body. Non-heme iron is found in plant-based options like fruits, nuts and vegetables, of which 2-10% is absorbed by the body.  

How much iron do kids need? 
It’s important to make sure that kids get their daily dose of iron from the foods they eat. However, don’t go overboard on it. Excessive iron intake can lead to several health consequences. The estimated average daily requirement of iron for healthy Indian kids (1-9 years of age) ranges between 5.6 and 11.0 mg/d. For adolescents (10–17 years of age), the figure hovers between 10.8 and 18.4 mg/d. While adolescent boys need 15.4 mg/d every day, girls of that age require 18.5 mg/d of this nutrient on a daily basis. 

Best food sources for iron 
There are numerous foods that can be included in your child’s meals to ensure the right intake of iron. Here is a list that for you to choose from.  

• Meats and Eggs: Lamb, ham, turkey, chicken, pork,  
• Seafood: shrimp, clams, scallops, oysters, tuna, sardines, haddock, and mackerel. 
• Vegetables: Spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, string beans, beet greens, dandelion greens, collards, kale, and chard. 
• Fruits: Strawberries, watermelon, raisins, dates, figs, prunes, prune juice, dried apricots, and dried peaches. 
• Beans and other foods: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, white beans, tofu, dried peas, lentils, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses. 
• Fortified foods: Many foods come with artificially added iron. These are known as iron-fortified foods. They include oats, enriched pasta, white bread, enriched rice, etc.