Drinking certain fruits juices could help you meet your daily needs of iron. Prune and raspberry juice are the richest fruit juices in iron.
How much iron do I need per day?
The recommended daily intake of iron is 8 mg and 18 mg for men and women, respectively. Pregnant women need even higher dosages of 27 mg.[1]
So, it’s a bit tricky to get adequate amounts of iron from food. Especially, for women. But, you could get more than enough iron if you follow a well-balanced diet, containing many foods high in iron.
Healthy people should prefer to get adequate amounts of iron from food, instead of supplements. There are dietary supplements providing more iron than the maximum safe dose!
Common vegan foods high in iron
First, beans, such as lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, and white beans are excellent natural sources of iron. Moreover, many common vegan foods, such as spinach, dandelion greens, beet leaves, leeks, mustard greens, kale, tomatoes, and potatoes also contribute to the daily intake of iron. Even dark chocolate is a great dietary source of iron.
Fruit juices high in iron
Actually, we can get high doses of iron from fruits. For instance, just a tbsp of dried goji berries contains 1.9 mg of iron, or more than 10% of the Daily Value!
Drinking certain fruit juices could significantly increase are daily intake of iron.
| iron (mg) per serving | % DV | |
| prune juice | 2.8 | 16% |
| raspberry juice | 2.8 | 15% |
| blackberry juice | 1.1 | 6% |
| carrot juice | 1.1 | 6% |
| cherry juice | 1.0 | 6% |
| tomato juice | 0.9 | 5% |
| papaya juice | 0.8 | 4% |
| pineapple juice | 0.7 | 4% |
| grape juice | 0.6 | 3% |
| blueberry juice | 0.4 | 2% |
| orange juice | 0.3 | 2% |
| apple juice | 0.3 | 2% |
| cranberry juice | 0.3 | 1% |
| lemon juice | 0.2 | 1% |
| buko juice (coconut water) | 0.1 | 0% |
Actually, the richest fruit juices in iron are prune and raspberry juice, providing up to 16% of the DV per serving. Blackberry juice, carrot juice, and cherry juice also have high doses of iron.
What’s the best time to drink a fruit juice high in iron?
Actually, the best time to drink them is before or after a workout. As fruit juices are high in sugar, they provide us with steady levels of energy during exercise. Also, their high sugar content helps us replenish muscle glycogen stores after a workout out, promoting muscle recovery.
Last, but not least, you could drink your favorite fruit juice in the morning. The body uses sugar for energy more effectively in the morning than in the evening.