Diet S.O.S.: The best iron-rich foods

>> s.o.s.

>> time for joy's diet s.o.s., answers to your daily diet dilemmas. "today" nutritionist joy bauer is here to discuss everything from iron rich foods to gluten-free meals that are cheap and quick.

>> good morning, al.

>> mikayla is joining us via skype. good morning. what's your question?

>> i'm a serious ballet dancer at the institute of american ballet theater . i have a demanding dance schedule and mild anemia. often during class i get light headed. can you recommend iron rich foods besides the spinach and kale i already eat?

>> the best sources are clams, oysters, lean beef like sirloin, top and bottom round, flank steak and skinless poultry. interestingly enough, the dark sources have more iron than the white types of poultry like breast. so go for drumsticks or thighs when you can. the second best category of iron-rich foods are the vegetarian sources. the dark greens you're eating are loaded. keep eating leafy greens . also edamame, lentils, starchy beans and tofu have iron as well. and when you eat the vegetarian sources they are not as absorbable as the animal proteins. couple them with a food rich in vitamin c because c helps to boost the absorption within your body. when you eat your spinach and kale, drizzle some fresh lemon juice on top. the lemon juice brings vitamin c to the table to bump up the iron in your body.

>> thanks for your question.

>> good luck.

>> now to sharon in texas on the line joining us live. good morning. what's your question? hello, sharon ? i think we may have lost sharon . let's go to our viewer e-mail. this one coming from emily in north carolina . emily writing, i'm a graduate student with a busy schedule and a tight budget. i found out this summer i have celiac disease . what are delicious gluten-free meals that are cheap and quick? i'm sick of rice and beans.

>> good question. you can pretty much eat anything that you would normally eat if you were eaten gluten. sandwiches, cereals. hit a large grocery store or health food shop and buy a few gluten-free healthy staples like whole grain crackers, cereal, pasta and condiments. then learn a few go-to recipes for each of the meals. she should definitely hop on the computer to check out so. gluten-free recipe blogs. gluten-free girl, gluten-free goddess. there are a slew out there.

>> and there is so much more available today than five years ago. our son is gluten-free.

>> no more rice and b.c. lioeans, emily .

>> this e-mail from shannon in south dakota . she writes, what's your take on having a cheat maeal or the cheat day on the weekend when you're dieting?

>> give yourself the option for one cheat meal each weekend while dieting can be a good idea. it keeps you from feeling deprived, gives you staying power . and also acts like incentive or reward for putting in so much work during the week. for people that don't know what a cheat meal is, it's an indulgent meal or caloriffic meal that ordinarily wouldn't fit on the diet.

>> splurge.

>> that's what it is. it's a splurge meal. on the other hand, i really don't think having a cheat or splurge full-on day is a good idea. you take in thousands and thousands of extra calories and it can take you two, three, four days to recover. really.

>> that's not a splurge. that's a binge.

>> exactly. people turn it into that. i give two thumbs-up