Adolescent females have higher iron needs than guys do because of the blood loss experienced during their period. You can get iron in your diet from a variety of sources including animal products and vegetarian foods. Red meat, eggs, poultry, fish, legumes (beans), fortified cereals, and dark leafy greens (like spinach and broccoli) are good sources of iron. It is important to know that your body absorbs iron from animal sources (also known as “heme” iron) more easily than it absorbs iron from plant sources (also known as “non-heme” iron) but that doesn’t mean you need to eat meat if you are normally a vegetarian, you just need to be more aware to make sure you’re getting enough iron.
For a list of foods and their iron content, check out or Iron guide here: https://youngwomenshealth.org/2013/12/06/iron/
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