Lemon grass contains 8.1 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 67 grams.
- 1 tbsp equals 4 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 grambut 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:
Lemon grass (citronella), raw
Read more about iron in vegetables or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Vegetables typically are not a good iron source. Those vegetables that have a high content of iron also tend to be high in iron inhibitors and so you may not absorb a large amount of iron from the vegetables.
On the other hand, even a vegetable with little iron can play an important part in your ability to metabolize iron. Vegetables are often a good source of vitamin C and vitamin C can actually help you assimilate the iron better in your vegetarian foods; lemon grass (citronella) is a poor source of vitamin C.
Still, for example you can combine peppers and tomatoes with a grain-based salad or with a bean recipe to help you absorb more of the iron in your entire meal. A raw kiwi dessert with your dinner would help as well because of the fruit’s content of vitamin C. A glass of fruit juice is a further an excellent plan.