You know what I love about this time of year? Everything! The cheery music, so many treats, and enjoying laughs with loved ones over delicious meals are all things that make this time of year special.
In honor of this wonderful time of the year, today’s post is a little different. I wanted to share all of the things I love about the holidays with you and have come up with a way to combine them all. Are you familiar with the song The 12 Days of Christmas? Don’t worry – you won’t be getting a partridge in a pear tree delivered to your door and there most certainly will not be eight maids a-milking anything! You will, however, get some great ideas for iron-rich foods to enjoy over the holidays and hopefully a little chuckle from my version of the song.
So, without further ado, I present to you The 12 Days of Iron-Rich Foods. Feel free to sing it to the tune of the ol’ classic too!
On the first day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
A yummy tray of cheese and deli meat
(Turkey breast and salami contain 1.2 mg of iron/56 g)
On the second day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Cooked wild duck contains 7.4 mg of iron/75 g)
On the third day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Spinach contains 0.9 mg of iron/32 g)
On the fourth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Ham contains 0.5 mg of iron/56 g; molasses glaze contains 1 mg of iron/21 g)
On the fifth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Canned asparagus contains 2.0 mg of iron/108 g; grilled bacon contains 0.4 mg of iron/47 g)
On the sixth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Kale contains 0.6 mg of iron/69 g; lentils contain 4.9 mg of iron/146 g)
On the seventh day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Fresh cooked lamb contains 1.6 mg of iron/75 g)
On the eight day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Almonds contain 1.5 mg of iron/36 g; raisins contain 0.7 mg of iron/37 g)
On the ninth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Depending on the cut, steak contains 1.5 – 3.1 mg of iron/75 g)
On the tenth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Boiled or steamed oysters contain 5 mg of iron/42 g)
On the eleventh day of the holidays, my true love made to eat
(Homemade shortbread contains 0.7 mg or iron/33 g)
On the twelfth day of the holidays, my true love made to eat…
12 pounds of turkey
(Dark roasted turkey contains 1.7 mg of iron/75 g)
Let’s put it all together now…
On the 12 days of the holidays, my true love made to eat
12 pounds of turkey
11 shortbread cookies
10 grilled oysters
9 juicy steaks
8 nutty fruit cakes
7 lamb chops
6 kale & lentil soups
5 bacon-wrapped asparagus
4 glazed hams
3 spinach salads
2 Peking ducks
And a yummy tray of cheese and deli meat!
Content and advice provided on The Iron Maiden is for information purposes only and should not serve as a substitute for a licensed health care provider, who is knowledgeable about an individual’s unique health care needs
