Cocoa powder, unsweetened and processed with alkali, the usual commercial product, is extremely rich in iron= 15 mg per 100 grams.
One abundant tablespoon is 1 mg. I'm an heavy consumer of such cocoa powder, usually mixed with water and honey
One cup soymilk with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder would contain 3.5 mg of iron, which is, considering homeostasis, nearly the daily needed value for an adult male.
No need to ingest supplements!!
I will have to remember this for the winter. Not sure about the caffeine levels though. i have used a cheap substitute for cocoa for years; carob. It is not as mineral rich as cocoa but is more naturally sweet and much less expensive. Using carob instead of chocolate can help you limit the amount of caffeine you consume. Carob has no caffeine. Carob has slightly more fiber content. In terms of other nutrients, carob boasts a significant amount of calcium—about three times as much as you’d get from cocoa. But cocoa has the advantage in terms of iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese.—and flavanols. Right now all the summer fruits and vegetables are coming in the northern hemisphere at cheaper prices because they do not have to be shipped from long distances and i have a garden as well.
Found this article interesting for iron rich vegetarian food;
http://bembu.com/iron-rich-foods-for-vegetarians-and-vegansi really have become a fan of some mediterranean and middle east foods like Hummus and Lebanese Falafel which are also iron rich.
i also like using soy milk over dairy milk because of treatment of cows but soy milk is twice the price of milk. So i wait for sales on soy milk. i am with u on finding food with B-12 in it. Often foods are fortified with it.... like breakfast food. Maybe not as good as having it naturally. i just ate some kellogg's Special K cereal. it has 100% daily requirement for vitamin B 12 and 110% with milk! Also 100% for Vitamin B 6 and Folic Acid.
