In addition, make sure to eat plenty of vitamin C rich foods as vitamin C improves iron absorption from plant based foods.

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Combining plant-based sources of iron with vitamin C rich foods including oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes and green peppers helps increase the absorption of iron.

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While crushing pills may ensure that they break down appropriately in the stomach, taking them with milk is not great idea, as milk may interfere with the absorption of some of the nutrients in a multivitamin such as iron.

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If you take iron supplements, make sure to take them separately from calcium supplements, which can interfere with their absorption.

CNN: Will eating meat help recovery after long runs?