You don’t have to eat meat to get the iron you need. There are lots of plant based foods rich in iron, plus these don’t contain heme-iron (that meat does), that can cause disease. 1. Leafy greens. Kale and spinach have lots of antioxidants, vitamins and are iron rich. They can be eaten cooked or raw or can be easily added to smoothies. 2. Beans and lentils. These are iron rich, but make sure you soak them for at least 24 hours, they cook them properly, you can also cook them