Try these tasty and nutritious treats if you're anemic or just want to sneak in a healthy dose of iron into your diet guilt-free.
Anemia is a major public health concern in India, as well as in parts of Asia and Africa. A significant number of Indian children, adolescents, and women are affected by this condition, primarily due to an iron-deficient diet. Iron is a crucial mineral, contributing to immune health, cognitive function, and overall growth and development. If you're fortunate enough to not have anemia, you should be familiar with its common symptoms: dizziness, fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, pale skin, and more.
Improvements are easy to make through a diet rich in iron, which typically includes leafy greens, lentils, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and meat, along with doctor-prescribed supplements. Adopting an iron-rich diet doesn't mean limiting yourself to savory foods; there are plenty of desserts that incorporate this essential mineral in a delicious way.
Til Laddoo
Sesame seeds have 14 mg of iron for every 100 gm.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 ¼ cup of jaggery (adjust the sweetness according to your preference)
- ¼ cup of roasted peanuts
Instructions:
- Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan till they turn golden brown and start to pop. Set aside to cool.
- Add ghee in another pan, and then the jaggery to make a syrup. You can either chop it or even turn it into powder in your mixer-grinder so it melts easily.
- Add the sesame seeds, and peanuts and mix. Leave it on low flame for about a minute.
- Transfer this onto a silicone tray or a greased steel plate.
- After it’s cooled, roll it into ladoos of any size.
Bean Brownies
A cup of cooked kidney beans (rajma) contains about 7-8 gm iron.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of soaked and pressure cooked rajma
- ⅓ cup of smooth peanut butter
- 5-6 cups of Cadbury cocoa powder
- ½ cup flour of your choice
- Salt to taste
- 5-6 tbsp of maple syrup
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract (to mask any beaniness)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- ½ chocolate chip or chopped chocolate
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- This brownie recipe requires no hand mixing, just chuck everything except the chocolate into your blender. You can also use a handheld immersion blender.
- Ensure that the mixture is smooth and has no bean chunks.
- Oil your cake tin or use a silicon cake tray. Pour this mixture evenly and cover it with chopped chocolate/choco chips.
- Place it in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until you get a clean toothpick.
- Eat it warm or cool. Choice is yours.
Nut and Seed Chikki or Gajak
All nuts and seeds are loaded with iron in varying quantities.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups chopped or powdered jaggery
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp ghee
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Instructions:
- Take a broad, flat pan and roast all the seeds till they are fragrant and take on a slight color. Put them aside to cool.
- Lightly grease a thali.
- Then melt a teaspoon of ghee in a saucepan over low heat, followed by the cupful of jaggery. Stir occasionally to ensure that the jaggery melts evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Now, add the cardamom powder for some flavoring. Then mix in the peanuts and all the seeds.
- After the above step, you will have to work quickly to prevent the jaggery from solidifying.
- Pour this mixture evenly into the thali, and wait for it to cool down completely.
- Once solid, cut it into squares or rectangles. Store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Iron Energy Bites
A 100 gm of cocoa has about 18 gm iron.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup Cadbury cocoa powder
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 cup of coconut flakes or desiccated coconut
Instructions:
- If you want to roast the cashews and seeds, feel free to do so. You can also make a paste out of the pitted dates.
- After the nuts and seeds have cooled down, add them to a blender or food processor along with the cocoa powder and the date paste
- Remember to pulse for a coarse, crumb-like texture. If you blend for too long, you’ll end up with chocolate flavored cashew butter.
- Scoop out the mixture from the blender jar and mold them into balls. Then roll them in the coconut.
- Chill in the fridge to allow all the flavors to meld together.