Did you know that it may be impossible to meet your iron needs in pregnancy without incorporating iron-rich foods into each meal- including breakfast? Iron is an absolutely essential nutrient in pregnancy. It's needed not only to make extra red blood cells, but also plays a crucial role in the transportation of oxygen for both you and baby. Being deficient in iron can cause poor fetal growth and development as well as maternal depletion, impaired healing, shortness or breath and fatigue. Here's 10 ideas to start your day with plenty of iron:

DIY Granola

Granola can be a great source of iron, especially if made with the right ingredients like dried fruit, rolled oats, mollasses, nuts and seeds. Plus, making your own granola is suprisingly easy and affordable. Here's a perfect recipe from Bean Town Kitchen that's packed with iron: https://beantownkitchen.com/iron-rich-granola/. Have it on it's own or with Greek Yogurt.

Duck Eggs Scramble

While regular chicken eggs are a good source of iron, duck eggs are even better, containing nearly 3 grams of iron per egg. Duck eggs also have more omega -3's, B6, B12 and protein than chicken eggs. Plus, many people find duck eggs to have a creamier, richer flavor; so if you come across them at the store or farmer's market, make sure to grab a pack! For an extra boost of iron try making a scramble with leeks (2 grams of iron per sup) and mushrooms (3 grams of iron per cup). Fo more ideas, here's a great post from Good Food Baddie all about how to cook duck eggs: https://goodfoodbaddie.com/how-to-cook-duck-eggs-duck-eggs-info/ 

Sun Dried Tomato Egg Bites

Sun dried tomatoes are a great source of iron, containing about 3 grams in 1 cup. Combo that with some eggs (chicken or duck!) and spinach, and you're in business. Love this meal-prep friendly egg muffin bite recipe from Kara Creates: https://karacreates.com/spinach-feta-and-sun-dried-tomato-egg-muffin-cups/

Image from KaraCreates.com

Spinach Blueberry Smoothie

Here's a quick and easy breakfast smoothie recipe from registered dietician Desiree Nielson with 4.5 grams of iron. She's included a small amount of ginger which can be great if you're experiencing nausea in your pregnancy.

https://desireerd.com/5-minute-blueberry-spinach-smoothie-high-iron/

Image from DesireeRD.com

Bison Sausage Patty

Bison has an exceptionally high iron content, even compared to beef. It can be found in ground-form at many grocery stores, which you can use to create your own surprisingly easy to make breakfast sausages with. Here's a recipe to follow from With The Woodruffs: https://withthewoodruffs.com/ground-bison-breakfast-sausage/

Image from WithTheWoodruffs.com

Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are the nutrient-dense cousin of traditional oatmeal. While regular oatmeal is cooked on the stove top or in the microwave, overnight oats are not actually cooked at all; rather they are soaked (usually in milk or a milk alternative) for several hours. This soaking process creates a more nutritious product that is higher in protein, fiber and vitamins, (including iron), that is also more "bioavailable" or easy to absorb the nutrients out of. Here's a recipe with several variation and everything you need to know about how to prepare overnight oats from Feel Good Foodie: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/overnight-oats/

Sweet Potato Bran muffins

Both bran (the outer portion of the grain that is often discarded with processing) and sweet potatoes are good sources of iron that happen to pair well together flavor-wise. I love this recipe from Sweet Potato Soul that incorporates other iron-rich ingredients like almond flour, dates and nuts: https://sweetpotatosoul.com/2017/10/oat-bran-sweet-potato-muffins.html

Steak and eggs

A classic iron-rich pairing! Make it however you please or try this recipe from Allrecipes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/255912/steak-and-egg-hash/

White Bean Toast

With 5mg of iron per cup, white beans are an excellent choice if you're looking to increase your intake. They also make for a simple and delicious breakfast with plenty of fiber and protein to start your day off right. Here's a yummy, easy recipe for white bean toast (with cherry tomatoes for some additional vitamin C) from Well Plated by Erin: https://www.wellplated.com/white-bean-toast-garlic-tomato/

Image from WellPlatedByErin

Date Nut Bars

In addition to being a good source of iron, dates are also full of fiber, which is important for a healthy gut microbiome and blood sugar stabilization. Here's a no-cook date bar recipe from Natural Delights that makes a nice snack of light breakfast:  https://www.naturaldelights.com/recipes/medjool-date-raw-energy-bars 

Image from NaturalDelights.com

Other ways to boost your iron at breakfast

• Avoid having coffee or tea with your meal as they interfer with iron absorbtion

• Have a mandarian orange, kiwi or tomatoes with your breakfast, all of which are great whole-food sources of vitamin C which may improve iron absortion from your meal

• Cook with cast iron to add a little extra iron to your food