Calabash contains .25 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 146 grams.
In the category of vegetables, we included whole vegetable products in the Top 10 list. We excluded dried/dehydrated products from the Top 10. You will find some dehydrated vegetables high in iron per 100 grams,but they tend to be far more volume than anyone would consume. Furthermore, foods may be fortified with iron but are not included in this Top 10 list. The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Gourd, white-flowered (calabash), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Read more about iron in vegetables or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Vegetables in the main are not a strong iron source. Those vegetables that have a high content of iron also have the tendency to be loaded with iron inhibitors, making it difficult to absorb much of the iron from the vegetable itself.
However, even a vegetable with little iron may play a valuable role in your ability to metabolize iron. Vegetables are often abundant in vitamin C, which will help you assimilate the iron more completely in vegetarian food items; white-flowered gourd (calabash) is a modest source of vitamin C.
Despite this, as an example you can combine bell peppers and vine ripened tomatoes with a grain-based main dish or with legumes to improve your digestion of the iron in your whole meal. A fresh orange dessert with a meal would also help because of the fruit’s vitamin C content. A glass of fruit juice is one more a good idea.