How much iron does a vegetarian need?

He eats his spinach!

After the worry about where we would get enough protein comes the concern - where will we get enough iron?

Already anaemic enough to make a convincing family of vampires, we don't want to be neglecting this part of our diet.

There are, of course, supplements that we can take (and we currently ARE taking them) but ultimately, I would rather get all the nutrients we need from our daily diet.

So, how much iron does a body need?

Children (under 13) need about 8mg

Teen boys need about 11mg

Teen girls need slightly more, at 15mg

Adult men/women should be taking about 8 - 10mg

Menstruating women about 15mg

Pregnant women, about 30mg

So, where do you get it if you are not able to pop into the butchers and come out clutching some dripping flesh?  *momentarily fantasises about bacon sanger* 

Well we can help our absorption of iron by drinking some orange juice - Vitamin C helps us get the most out of our iron.

Chickpeas           6.2mg in 100g  (boiling them halves it, however)

Tofu                    5.4mg in 100g (although different types and ways of                                            cooking affect this.

Boiled spinach   3.6mg in 100g  (turns out Popeye had a point!)

Puy lentils          7.5mg in 100g (which is quite a lot of lentils!) 

What else are good sources of iron?