Foods for anemia and low iron
What APEX holds on the table for anemia and low iron: the foods it leads with, each with where it comes from and why it is ours. Not a treatment plan — the food, and the reason it is on the list.
Compiled by APEX Legacy from published research and documented food
history, under the editorial direction of
Jonathan Jackson, Founder .
How we write and review these pages →
Beans & Peas
Black-Eyed Pea Sprouts The ancestral New Year's pea, sprouted. The same black-eyed pea that crossed the ocean… Black-Eyed Peas Creamy white bean with distinctive black eye. One of the most nutritious legumes…
Vegetables
Cowpea Leaves The leaves of the black-eyed pea vine — the same vine that produced the Hoppin' John peas…
Meat & Poultry
Beef Liver and Onions Iron- and B12-dense organ meat pan-fried with caramelized onions; the dish every Black… Smoked Hot Links The deep-red, coarse-ground, fiercely seasoned smoked sausage of East Texas — the 'hot… Squirrel and Dumplings Squirrel simmered until the meat falls from the bone, the broth thickened and dropped… Virginia Country Ham Salt-cured and dry-aged whole ham, distinct from the wet-brined hams sold in grocery… Coot The coot — 'poule d'eau' (water hen) in Louisiana — and the rail-marsh hen of the… Chicken Gizzards (Stewed & Fried) Gizzards are the working muscle of the bird — all it does is grind and work, so it is… Smothered Round Steak Thin slices of tough round steak floured, browned, and smothered low and slow in… Smothered Turkey Wings Big turkey wings browned and slow-braised until the meat slides off the bone, blanketed…
Desserts & Sweets
Molasses Pie A dark, deep-flavored custard pie sweetened with molasses or sorghum syrup. Shoofly Pie A molasses pie with a gooey or 'wet-bottom' layer beneath a brown-sugar crumb top. Benne Wafers Thin, crispy sesame seed cookies from the Gullah Geechee coast.
Pantry & Condiments
Sorghum Molasses Made from sorghum cane, distinct from cane molasses. Poured on biscuits and cornbread in…
Dishes & One-Pots
Smothered Rabbit (Creole) Rabbit browned and smothered low in an onion-and-roux gravy until it falls off the bone… Dirty Rice Rice cooked with chicken livers, gizzards, ground pork, onion, celery, bell pepper, and… Liver and Onions Beef or pork liver pan-fried with caramelized onions in brown gravy over white rice. Ji na Akwukwo Ugu Boiled white yam served with a quick sauteed sauce of ugu (fluted pumpkin leaf), red palm… Calulu Calulu is the Angolan ancestor of Lowcountry okra stew and Louisiana gumbo: dried and… Gizdodo Chicken gizzards and fried ripe plantain (dodo) tossed together in a peppery tomato-bell… Peppered Gizzard Tender chicken gizzards seared and tossed in a thick, fiery pepper-and-onion sauce. Savannah Red Rice Rice simmered in tomato, smoked sausage, and bacon until it stains deep red — Savannah's… Gullah Crab Rice Picked blue crab folded into rice that has cooked in crab stock, onion, and a little…
Drinks
Blackstrap Molasses Tonic A spoonful of blackstrap molasses in warm water — the ancestral iron and mineral tonic. Greens Pot Likker The dark, mineral-laden broth left in the pot after greens cook down low and slow…
Seafood
Crawfish Étouffée Crawfish tails simmered in a dark roux and the holy trinity until thick enough to mound…
Rice, Grains & Starch
Syrup and Biscuits A hot biscuit broken open and sopped through a pool of cane or sorghum syrup, often cut…
Also on the table
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APEX Legacy is an AI intelligence layer for Black Americans — the food,
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Wellness and educational information only. It is not medical advice, and
it does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your own clinician
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