Muscle recovery is very vital for physically active women because it prevents muscle strain and injury when performing lifts. This means that physically dynamic women must continuously take the recommended amount of minerals and vitamins to hasten the repair and healing process of muscles. Unfortunately, most women are not getting the right amounts of iron in their system and hence end up nauseated, tired with muscle pain all over the bodies.

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Doctors recommend a daily intake of 18mg of iron for women who are physically active. By now you’re wondering how you can get that much iron in your body without taking supplements; take a look at the following natural sources of iron.

Liver, this is a great source of iron especially beef liver that has 5mg of iron per single slice. Pork liver is even better as it is leaner, has Vitamin C and iron. Only eat small amounts of liver to control your intake of cholesterol.

Beef, apart from a cow’s liver, the meat also has good amounts of iron. Three ounces of beef have 5.25mg of iron. Beef also has high amounts of proteins that help your muscles to heal and strengthen especially after a tough workout session.

Spinach, consuming cooked spinach gives your body plenty of nutrients including Vitamin A, Potassium, Calcium and 6.43mg of iron. All these nutrients work hand-in-hand to repair your muscles.

Tomatoes, a cup of tomatoes gives you 3.39mg of iron and antioxidants that protect your body from aging. The fun part is tomatoes are easy to grow and you can plant them in your backyard.

Chickpeas, a cup of these legumes give you 2.7mg of iron. They are also a good source of protein for muscle strengthening and repair. Add chickpeas to your salads or pasta for added texture.

Potatoes, one potato has up to 2.7mg of iron. You can steam, bake or make French fries from potatoes. Add some olive oil to your potatoes for extra health benefits.

Oysters, if none of the above is your favorite or you want to spice things up with some sea food; oysters are a good source of iron. A medium sized oyster has about 3 to 5mg of iron.

These are just a few iron containing foods. Eating these foods daily will give your body an adequate amount of iron to help recover after an intense work out session and naturally build your muscles. Other benefits include cholesterol reduction, improved blood pressure and keeping away iron deficiency diseases.

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