How can I get iron if I do not eat red meat?

I am asked this question a lot.  As you know, iron is an important mineral that helps maintain healthy blood, carries oxygen from your lungs to all parts of the body, it is important for healthy brain development, and for the normal production and function of various cells and hormones. 

There are two types of iron. Heme iron is found only in meat, poultry, seafood, and fish, so heme iron is the type of iron that comes from animal meat.

Non-heme iron, by contrast, is found in plant-based foods like grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Non-heme iron is also found in animal products.

Another way to think about Heme vs. Non-Heme is by categories of foods:
Animal meat is a combination of heme and non-heme.
Dairy and eggs are non-heme.
Plant foods are non-heme only.

It is important to note that heme iron comprises only 40-45% of the iron in meat. The rest of the iron contained in meat is non-heme form (55-60%).  When you see the milligrams of iron listed for a portion of meat, approximately half of that is heme, and half is non-heme.

Nearly every food we eat, or a large percentage of it, contains iron.  Wheat and most of the grains and cereals (in their whole state) contain iron in the form of iron phosphate, as do many vegetables, such as beets, turnips, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, celery, carrots, squash, parsley, mustard greens, dandelion leaves and watercress.  Our principal source of organic iron comes from fruit, apples are loaded with it.  All berries, plums, prunes, grapes, raisins, dates, figs and cherries contain organic iron in abundance.[i]

The tannins in tea and coffee can make it difficult to absorb iron so you may wish to reduce these if you feel depleted.

Vitamin C increases iron absorption and it is always a good idea to eat vitamin C rich foods like peppers, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, kiwi, oranges, strawberries or parsley when eating iron rich foods.  Chlorella is another good source of iron and it also contains vitamin C.  Combining vitamin C and iron rich foods is so easy when eating a bountiful Whole Food Plant Based Diet.

[i] Dr Christopher. Herbal Home Health Care. 1998. USA