Photo Caption Trail mix is convenient and, thanks to various nuts and dried fruit, chock-full of iron, too. Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images Iron is essential to the human body because red blood cells use it to carry oxygen to the rest of the body. Without enough iron, people feel weak, tired, look pale and bruise easily. Extra iron is particularly important for teenage girls because they're still growing but lose iron each month through menstruation. Teen girls should try to eat 15 mg of iron a day and teen boys should try for 11 mg a day, according to the website KidsHealth. Fortunately, iron-rich snacks are easy to add to a teen's diet. In fact, you can get your teenager on board with preparing some of these iron-rich foods for herself.
Whether you buy a prepackaged blend or your teenager makes his own, trail mix is an excellent snack source of iron. Try to find or make a mix that includes iron-rich components such as dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, raisins, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios or sunflower seeds. But feel free to let your teen add some fun stuff such as chocolate candies, yogurt-covered raisins or dried coconut, too.
Eggs contain a decent dose of iron. And if you hard-boil them ahead of time, they become a convenient grab-and-go food you can keep in the refrigerator at all times. Again, this is a cooking task your teenager can help out with herself as well.
A bowl of cold cereal and milk makes for a quick snack any time of day. Many breakfast cereals are enriched with iron and other vitamins and minerals to help people meet their daily nutritional needs. Look for a cereal low in sugar content and high in fiber, preferably made of whole grain.
Chickpeas are extremely rich in iron; they're a veritable nutritional powerhouse. Sesame seeds, too, deliver a potent dose of this important mineral. These two ingredients are the building blocks for the Middle Eastern dip called hummus. Nowadays, hummus is sold prepared in convenient tubs at almost any grocery store. Pair it with some dippers such as green or red pepper strips -- also high in iron -- or whole-grain crackers made from enriched flour.
Bake potatoes, wrap them in foil and store them in your refrigerator. They make a convenient snack when reheated. They also are a solid source of iron. Let your teenager add whatever toppings they like, but encourage them to try adding some additonal iron-rich foods to the mix. A baked potato topped with broccoli and cheese sauce, for example, gets an added iron boost from the broccoli. A baked potato topped with beef and bean chili gets extra iron from the beans.
If you can talk your teenager into eating dark green leafy vegetables, you will have another handy source of iron to add to their diet. One option to try is a green smoothie. Tell them they're popular with weightlifters and athletes, if you need an angle to work. And while they might look glowingly healthy, the addition of plenty of fruit makes them delicious too. For a simple smoothie blend yogurt, soy milk or almond milk with shredded collard greens or kale plus a banana and a couple handfuls of blueberries or other fresh or frozen berries. Vary the fruit if you like -- you can even add cocoa powder. Package up all the ingredients in a plastic zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for extra convenience.
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