Ingredients
- Iron sources: palak, methi, ragi, til, rajma, chana, dates, jaggery
- Vitamin C sources: lemon, amla, tomato, capsicum, guava, orange
- To move away from meals: tea, coffee, calcium supplements
Method
Pair them. Lemon over palak, tomato in rajma, amla alongside a ragi breakfast, capsicum in a chana salad.
Add the vitamin C off the heat. It degrades with cooking, so the lemon goes in at the end.
Move chai an hour away. Tannins in tea and coffee bind iron substantially. This one change often matters more than adding iron-rich food.
Separate calcium from iron. They compete for absorption, so a calcium supplement or a large dairy portion is better at a different meal.
Use a cast iron pan for acidic dishes. It adds a measurable, if small, amount.
None of this substitutes for testing ferritin. Where stores are significantly low, food alone is usually too slow.
Why it works
Nutrition, per serving
| Energy | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
A recipe is a good start, and it is not a plan.Which foods will help you specifically depends on numbers this page cannot see. The check below takes two minutes and asks for nothing.
Take the 2-minute check2-minute check
Why are you so tired?
Four questions. Fatigue nearly always has a findable cause.
How much do you sleep, and how well?
Any hair fall, breathlessness on stairs, or heavy periods?
Do you crash in the afternoon?
Any low mood or difficulty concentrating?
No obvious driver from these answers
If it persists, thyroid, ferritin and vitamin D are the sensible first tests.
There are likely contributors here
Ferritin, thyroid and vitamin D between them explain most persistent fatigue.
Several contributors appear to be present
This is worth testing properly rather than pushing through. All three common causes are treatable.
This check is an indication, not a diagnosis. It does not replace medical advice.
Who this recipe is for
This recipe is used in our plans for the conditions below. Each page sets out the symptoms, the tests worth having and how the condition is treated.
More recipes like this
Palak and lemon dal
The lemon at the end is not a garnish. It is what makes the iron usable.
See the recipe →Overnight soaked figs and prunes
The most reliable thing we recommend for constipation, and the one instruction people skip.
See the recipe →Selenium and zinc seed mix
A spoon a day for thyroid and immune support — and why two Brazil nuts is the limit.
See the recipe →Start with your own numbers.Free assessment, free first consultation, and no figure quoted that we cannot substantiate.
Start my free assessmentThis recipe is general nutrition information. It is not a treatment for any condition and it does not replace advice from your doctor. Never change prescribed medication on the basis of a dietary change.