Let’s talk about iron. Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of low iron levels in my practice and wanted to showcase this amazing nutrient. Women in particular have an increased demand for iron, particularly during menstrual periods and pregnancy, so let’s keep those iron reservoir full! The easiest way to do this is by eating a diet rich in iron. Animal products are a high source of iron but so are dark leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, and mushrooms. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from food, especially plants, so make sure to add citrus to that spinach salad – or pineapple to the stir fry!

Ingredients

· 1 ½ lb beef tenderloin sliced into strips

· 1 20-oz can pineapple chunks

· 1 Tbs ginger root, grated

· 1 Tbs soy sauce

· ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

· ½ onion

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· 2 bell peppers (any color) – the more colors the better!

· 6 scallions, chopped

· 1 Tbs avocado oil

Directions

1. Slice tenderloin into strips

2. Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Prepare vegetables, grate ginger, slice onion, mince garlic, cut pepper into ½” pieces, chop scallions.

3. Whisk together 1/3 cup of the reserved pineapple juice with ginger, soy sauce, and ½ of the cilantro. Let the tenderloin strips marinate in mixture for at least 15 minutes. Drain meat from marinade.

4. Add oil to a wok or large sauté pan. Over medium heat, sauté meat strips until almost cooked through. Remove from pan.

5. Add onion, garlic, and peppers to pan and stir fry until vegetables are al dente (just softened). Return meat and any juices to pan and stir to coat.

6. Stir in 1 cup of pineapple chunks, scallions, and reserved cilantro.

7. Serve over brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Pro tip: Avoid overcooking meat. If meat is cooked for a long period of time or at too high of a temperature, the heme will convert to non-heme making iron less available for absorption.