This food contains 2.8 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 164 grams.
In the category of beans, we excluded protein isolates and other processed foods from the Top 10 list and include only whole beans. You can assume that if the whole version made the top 10 list, so too would the refined version.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Bengal gram (garbanzo beans, chickpeas), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt
Read more about iron in beans or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Iron-Rich Bengal Gram
Bengal gram is an iron rich food however, it suffers from a problem faced by all pulses: it contains iron inhibitors that keep you from absorbing all of the iron in the bengal gram. The good news that there are very simple cooking techniques you can do that will increase your absorption of iron in those pulses. Generally, we recommend that you soak pulses overnight in very warm water. We put near-boiling water in a large bowl with our pulses, put the bowl in a warm place in our house, and cover it with a tea towel to keep out bugs and debris. You can do this in the morning as well if you are preparing for dinner. Allow the bengal gram to soak throughout the day. When you are ready to cook the bengal gram, pour off the soaking water, cover the bengal gram with fresh water, and then cook them as you normally would.
Read more about your favorite iron-rich foods here on this website using our searchable database and be sure to check out our tips page on iron rich foods.