photo from iStock

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Vegans looking to boost their iron intake have lots of options. Here are some higher-iron foods, all with more than 3 milligrams per serving,  some of which may be surprising sources of iron. When product names are mentioned, it’s because a brand I happened to look at had the specified amount of iron. To put this in perspective, the RDA for iron is 8 milligrams for adult males and for postmenopausal women and 18 milligrams for women prior to menopause.

1. Look for an iron-fortified breakfast cereal. While many fortified cereals contain vitamin D from lanolin, Quaker instant oats (8 milligrams of iron per packet), Trader Joe’s O’s (8.1 milligrams of iron per 1-3/4 cup serving), and Grape Nuts (16.2 milligrams of iron per ½ cup serving) are some of the cereals that are fortified with iron and not with vitamin D.
2. Eat more beans, a powerhouse food when it comes to iron. Lentils (6 milligrams of iron per cup), kidney beans (5.3 milligrams of iron per cup), chickpeas (5.2 milligrams of iron per cup), and black beans (5 milligrams of iron per cup) are among the beans highest in iron.
3. Drink a cup of hot cocoa. If you follow the instructions on the cocoa package and combine 2 Tablespoons of cocoa with a cup of (plant) milk, and 2 Tablespoons of sugar, you’ll get 4 milligrams of iron from the cocoa alone.
4. Add spinach to soups, pasta sauce, and stir-fries. A cup of cooked spinach has 4.2 milligrams of iron.
5. Choose an iron-rich canned soup. For example, Amy’s Lentil Soup has 3.8 milligrams of iron in a can, Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable Soup has 3.9 milligrams of iron per can, a can of Amy’s Lentil Vegetable Soup has 4.3 milligrams of iron, and a can of Amy’s Indian Golden Lentil Soup has 4.7 milligrams of iron.
6. Toast a bagel for breakfast or a snack. A medium bagel made with iron-enriched flour has 3.75 milligrams of iron.
7. Snack on pumpkin seeds. A quarter cup of hulled pumpkin seeds supplies 4 milligrams of iron.
8. Heat up a bowl of vegetarian chili. For convenience, use a canned product like Amy’s 3 Bean Vegetable Chili with 5 milligrams of iron in a cup.
9. Add shelled edamame to salads, soups, stir-fries, and other dishes. A cup of shelled edamame has about 4 milligrams of iron.
10. Mix barbecue sauce or peanut sauce with cubed tempeh and bake until heated through. A cup of tempeh cubes has 4.5 milligrams of iron.

You can promote iron absorption from plant foods by including a source of vitamin C at the meal or snack with high iron foods. Citrus fruit and juices, tomatoes and tomato products, cantaloupe, guava, mangos, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, and bell peppers are all good sources of vitamin C.

To read more about iron in the vegan diet see:

Iron in the Vegan Diet

Vegan Iron Sources in the Grocery Store

Latin American Vegan Foods High in Iron

Sources of information for the iron content of foods was package labels and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. FoodData Central.

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

My parents decided to go vegetarian a little before I was born, so they raised me as such. But by the time I was 3, however, they went back to eating animal products. Despite this, I stayed vegetarian and refused to eat meat when it was offered. When I turned 12, I started learning more about the dairy industry and realized if I wanted to make an authentic change I needed to go vegan. I ditched dairy and eggs and never looked back. Within my first couple years of high school, I wrote articles for my school paper in relation to veganism – mostly recipe ideas or vegan food places. In my sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to give a speech on veganism in front of all the English classes. I was terrified of what people would think about it, but I thought the message was so important, I decided to commit. I got mean looks and snickers, but ultimately, people came up to me and asked for clarification on some things I discussed. Seeing an opportunity for leadership, I joined the Raven Corps. It was a lot of work, organizing zoom calls, giving and receiving feedback. I joined a bi-weekly filmed campaign, where the scenarios of the game led to real-life discussion of activism. I then started my own branch of Ravens Corp, in which I attended marches, organized meetings, and advocated for plant-based milk options for my school.
Veganism is important to me because it gives me hope for the future. I think there is a lot of injustice going on in the animal agriculture industry, but know that there’s an extremely dedicated group of people out there who feel the same about the industry as I do and want to combat it.

Support Young Veg Activists
To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also send a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Do you know an amazing high school student who promoted veganism? If so, let them know about our annual scholarship contest. The deadline for high school seniors is February 20th of each year. To see scholarship rules and past winners, visit www.vrg.org/student/scholar

video camera photo from Freepik

The Vegetarian Resource Group is once again sponsoring a video contest. We will be awarding several $100 awards. The deadline for entries this year is July 15, 2025.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about veganism. Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and veganism, veganism and animal rights, or other veggie topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made. Please do not enter videos made completely using AI.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others. Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media.

To see the video contest rules, visit: http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

Previous wining videos can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Mother Earth Vegan Hotel

• 3 Place des Arbes (B&B in Felletin, France)
• Andean Spirit Lodge – Limatambo (vegetarian guesthouse with vegan options; Cusco, Peru)
• Appalachian Trail Adventures (Killington, VT, US)
• Beck Hall (vegan hotel located in the Yorkshire Dales in England)
• Black Sheep Inn (vegan Inn in Hammondsport, NY, US)
• Brookton Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast (near Ithaca, NY, US)
• Carmel Valley Lodge (Carmel Valley, CA, US)
• Casa Albets (Vegan hotel Lelida, Spain)
• Deer Run on the Atlantic (vegan B&B in Big Pine Key, FL, US)
• Haskell’s House (vegetarian guest house with vegan options in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, US)
• Haus Sonnenstein Bed & Breakfast (vegetarian B&B with vegan options in Germany)
• Kingston House Bed & Breakfast (B&B with vegan options in Bermuda)
• Koukoumi Hotel (vegan hotel in Greece)
• La Vimea (vegan hotel in Italy)
• Lands in Love (vegan hotel in Costa Rica)
• Le Cheval Blanc (vegan B&B in St Antonin-Noble-Val, France)
• Mikasa boutique Hotel (vegan hotel located in Spain)
• Mother Earth Vegan Hotel (vegan hotel located in Costa Rica)
• Omassim Guesthouse (vegetarian guest house with vegan options in Ericeira, Portugal)
• Paradiso Pure.Living (vegan hotel in Italy)
• Park Lane Guest House(vegetarian guest house with vegan options in Austin, TX, US)
• Red Robin Song Guest House (vegan guest house in Lebanon, NY)
• Saorsa 1875 Hotel (vegan hotel in Scotland)
• Sewall House Yoga Retreat (vegetarian with vegan options in Island Falls, ME, US)
• Speedwell Forge B&B (B&B with vegan options in Lititz, PA, US)
• The Stanford Inn by the Sea (vegan hotel resort in Mendocino, CA, US)
• Sugar Ridge Retreat Centre (vegetarian center with vegan options in Ontario, Canada)
• Sundogs Bed and Breakfast (vegan B&B in Shepherdstown, WV, US)
• Vegan Agrivilla i Pini (vegan hotel located in Italy)
• Volcano Eco Retreat by Heart Core Hotels (vegan hotel located in Hawaii, USA)
• The White Pig Bed & Breakfast at Briarcreek Farm (vegan B&B at pig sanctuary in Schuyler, VA, US)

Come meet dietitians from the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group and VRG members. The public is invited. You must preregister. You can pay at www.vrg.org/donate Write in names of attendees and that this is for the Networking dinner.

When: Sunday, October 12, 2025, 6 PM

Where: Thyme and Tempo Vegan Restaurant

Menu:

• Quinoa chili with tomato, organic quinoa, beans, olive oil, kale, organic corn, onion, and spices.
• Music City Power Bowl with sweet potato, corn & mango salsa, black beans, guacamole, vegan sour cream, broccoli, beets, carrot, lettuce, mung beans, pumpkin seeds, corn chips, and basil vinaigrette.
• Vegan chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie

Cost: $30 before September 12, 2025. $35 before October 1, 2025. Includes tax and tip.

Drinks can be purchased from the restaurant separately. PLEASE PAY AT

www.vrg.org/donate and write in the Comments: Networking Dinner with the Attendee names. Or call (410) 366-8343. Or mail payment to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. We look forward to seeing you there.

Photo from Vecteezy

Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, offers a number of picnic buffet ideas that you can serve your family and friends this Memorial Day Weekend. Whether it be a Build-Your-Own Burrito or Wrap, Build-Your-Own Salad Entrée, Build-Your-Own Gazpacho, Create Fruit or Vegetable Sushi, or Build-Your-Own Dessert, Nancy has you covered.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue2/2018_issue2_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: Subscribe to Vegan Journal

One day in art class, everything changed. By pure chance, I was assigned my final project on factory farming. Ironically, both my grandparents had been farmers, but I had never so much as stepped foot on a farm. When I first heard the words factory farm, I pictured something almost absurd. The more I learned, I couldn’t keep supporting an industry that reduced sentient beings to mere commodities. I decided to go vegan. That was five years ago. I have always been an environmental advocate. That passion led me to co-found and serve as president of my school’s Green Team. After becoming vegan, I wanted to help my peers understand the connection between diet and climate change, so I began volunteering as an intern at the nonprofit Climate Diet. I started by volunteering at local events like DC VegFest, where I led fun games and conducted meaningful conversations on the ethical impacts of veganism.

I brought sustainable eating initiatives to my school by partnering with PLNT Burger to cater our Green Team fair. I worked with Climate Diet to launch environmental food education lessons in my school’s fifth grade science curriculum. I also testified before the DC school board to push for expanded environmental education. I started creating vegan cooking videos for Climate Diet’s Instagram and I participated in the Montgomery County Youth Climate Summit to educate students about the environmental, ethical, and health aspects of veganism.

As an aspiring mechanical engineer, I’m eager to apply my skills to sustainability-driven projects, whether by improving plant-based food production systems or developing more efficient agricultural technologies. I will be attending Harvey Mudd College.

 Support Young Veg Activists

To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also mail a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Do you know an amazing high school student who promoted veganism? If so, let them know about our annual scholarship contest. The deadline for high school seniors is February 20^th of each year. To see scholarship rules and past winners, visit www.vrg.org/student/scholar

Nigari Flakes from Mitoku Co.

Nigari has been added to The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Food Ingredient Guide. Here’s this new entry:

Nigari
Alternate Names: nigai, bittern, magnesium chloride
Commercial Source: Mineral
Used in: tofu, non-cultured dairy cheese, mineral water
Used as: coagulant, flavoring agent, mineral supplement
Definition: Translated from the Japanese word for bittern, nigari, used to make tofu, is composed of magnesium chloride and several trace minerals.
Manufacturers:
Sandra Gibson of Sea Salts of Hawaii: “No, it is only deep ocean magnesium solar evaporated, not other ingredients.”
Newfoundland Salt Company: “No.”
Ema Sogabe of Mitoku Co.: “Our Nigari does not contain any animal/animal derived ingredients/processing aids. As a matter of fact, we would like to confirm that there are no animal derived ingredients/processing aids at the processing site at all.”
Additional Information:
Kameyumado
Classification: Vegan
Entry Added: May 2025

More ingredient listings are at https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php#n

You can support The Vegetarian Resource Group research by joining at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

tortillas photo from Freepik

Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, shares some tortilla meal ideas:

• Tortilla Breakfast Pizza: Bake, toast, or steam a tortilla. Top with vegan cream cheese and either preserves or chopped fresh ripe fruit.
• Tortilla Soup: This recipe is traditionally made with chicken stock. Use a vegetable broth instead and simmer with chopped onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Just before serving, stir in some baked tortilla chips so they can soften and soak up some of the flavor. Then, garnish with some chips as well so you get two textures.
• Crunchy and Soft Baskets: Bake or purchase a hard tortilla bowl. Spread a soft tortilla (that will fit inside the hard bowl) with refried or black beans. Place the soft tortilla, bean side down, into the hard bowl. You’ve now got a ‘leakproof ‘ bowl. Spread the soft tortilla’s top side with beans, and then fill your basket with shredded romaine, spinach or mixed greens, cut corn, and other ingredients.
• Wraps: Rather than creating a conventional sandwich made with bread, use a soft tortilla to make a wrap. Top a large (at least 8 inches) tortilla with chopped salad, cooked beans, shredded vegan deli meat, minced smoked tofu or seitan, and a smidge of salad dressing or vegan mayonnaise. Roll tightly, and wrap in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or parchment paper. Now, you are ready to go!
• Pinwheels: (Pictured on the cover) Use the ‘wrap’ technique described above, but only use ‘smooth’ ingredients, such as nut butters, vegan cream cheese, puréed beans or thick hummus, and minced veggies, such as olives, pimentos, and thin sprouts (such as alfalfa). Spread evenly onto the tortilla, and wrap tightly. Slice at 2-inch intervals or into bite-sized pieces to create attractive pinwheels.
• Fast Micro-Mini Wraps: For grab-and-go lunches, place a soft tortilla on a plate and spread a thin layer of hummus or vegan cream cheese on top. Add a slice of vegan deli meat and/or a slice of vegan cheese and a squirt of mustard. Microwave for 15 seconds to make the tortilla easier to roll. Roll tightly, slice in half, and wrap tightly in foil or parchment paper. This style works well for nut butters, vegan cream cheese and jelly, mashed beans, and even very thinly sliced vegan hot dogs, cheese, and mustard.
• Quesadillas: Shred vegan cheese and sprinkle evenly across a tortilla. Top the cheese with refried beans or mashed black beans. (If you like the convenience of prepared beans, there are several mainstream brands, such as Rosarita, that are vegan and nonfat.) Then, top the beans with salsa, chopped onions, chopped chilies, and/or minced olives. Cover with a second tortilla and steam in the microwave or bake in the oven until bubbly.
• Layered Dinner: This is a great way to use up leftovers! Spray a baking dish with vegetable oil. Put down a layer of baked tortilla chips, whole soft tortillas, or soft tortillas cut into strips. Select the ingredients for your layers, which can include mashed avocado; mashed, cooked beans or garbanzos; sliced, cooked potatoes; cooked veggies; chopped smoked or firm tofu; leftover chili; shredded vegan cheese; vegan sour cream; leftover mashed potatoes, etc. Alternate layers of different ingredients with tortillas until the baking dish is full. Bake until hot and serve! A great tip is to assemble your layers early in the morning and then refrigerate until ready to bake in the oven later in the day.
• Tortilla Dessert Pizza: Bake, toast, or steam a soft tortilla. Top with vegan cream cheese or nut butter, vegan chocolate or carob chips, and fruit preserves.
• Sweet Tortilla Bowl: Spread nut butter or vegan cream cheese onto a soft tortilla and place it into a bowl. Fill the tortilla with cooked and cooled grains, chopped fresh or frozen fruit, dried fruit, cold cereal or cinnamon tortilla chips, and/or vegan yogurt or frozen vegan desserts, such as Tofutti or Rice Dream.

Read more here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2011issue2/2011_issue2_vegan_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see www.vrg.org/member

Kale Tabbouleh

Linda Tyler’s previous article published by VRG features Kale Salads. These recipes will inspire you to eat your greens! Find recipes for:

Thai-Inspired Coconut Kale Salad

Kale Tabbouleh

Pear Balsamic Salad with Candied Walnuts

Apple and Kale Salad with Curry Dressing

Kale Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Rainbow Kale and Grain Salad

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue2/2021_issue2_kale_salads.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php