Iron-Rich Foods
Spinach may not give you superhuman powers to fend off bad guys like Popeye's nemesis Brute, but these leafy greens and other iron-rich foods are a different kind of foe. Helps fight iron deficiency anemia.
The most common form of anemia, iron deficiency anemia, is a low red blood cell count caused by not having enough iron. If you don't have enough iron, you won't be able to make enough hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's tissues. As a result, you may feel weak, tired, and irritable.
About 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women and 3% of men have too little iron in their bodies. Often the solution is to eat more iron-rich foods.
how your body uses iron in food
When you eat iron-rich foods, iron is absorbed into your body primarily through the upper small intestine.
There are two forms of dietary iron:
Heme and non-heme. Heme iron is derived from hemoglobin. It is found in animal foods that naturally contain hemoglobin, such as red meat, fish, and poultry (meat, poultry, and seafood contain both heme and non-heme iron). Your body absorbs most of its iron from heme sources.Most non-heme iron comes from plants.
foods high in iron
Very good sources of heme iron with 3.5 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces beef or chicken liver
• 3 ounces clams
• 3 ounces oysters
Good sources of heme iron with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces cooked beef
• 3 oz canned sardines in oil
Other sources of heme iron with 0.6 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces chicken
• 3 ounces cooked turkey
• 3 ounces of ham
• 3 ounces of veal
Other sources of heme iron with 0.3 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces haddock, bass, salmon or tuna
Non-heme iron is found in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach. This is the form of iron added to iron-fortified and iron-fortified foods. Our bodies absorb non-heme iron less efficiently, but most dietary iron is non-heme iron.
At least 3.5 milligrams per serving, very good sources of nonheme iron include:
• Breakfast cereals fortified with iron
• 1 cup of cooked beans
• 1/2 cup tofu
Good sources of nonheme iron with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving include:
1/2 cup canned lima beans, red kidney beans, or chickpeas
• 1 dried apricot
• 1 cup cooked fortified egg noodles
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 ounce pumpkin, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds
Other sources of nonheme iron containing 0.7 milligrams or more include:
• ½ cup boiled peas
• 1 ounce of peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, toasted almonds, toasted cashews, or sunflower seeds
• ½ cup dried seedless raisins, peaches, or plums
• medium sized broccoli stalks
1 cup raw spinach
• 1 cup of noodles (3-4 cups cooked)
• Slices of bread, halves of small pumpernickel bagels, or bran muffins
1 cup of brown or fortified rice
How to Get More Iron From Your Food
Some foods can help your body absorb iron from iron-rich foods; others can hinder it. To absorb the most iron from the foods you eat, avoid drinking coffee or tea or consuming calcium-rich foods or drinks with meals containing iron-rich foods. Calcium itself can interfere.To improve your absorption of iron, eat it along with a good source of vitamin C -- such as orange juice, broccoli, or strawberries -- or eat nonheme iron foods with a food from the meat, fish, and poultry group.
If you have trouble getting enough iron from food sources, you may need an iron supplement. But speak to your health care provider about the proper dosage first and follow their instructions carefully. Because very little iron is excreted from the body, iron can accumulate in body tissues and organs when the normal storage sites -- the liver, spleen, and bone marrow -- are full. Although iron toxicity from food sources is rare, deadly overdoses are possible with supplements.
The most common form of anemia, iron deficiency anemia, is a low red blood cell count caused by not having enough iron. If you don't have enough iron, you won't be able to make enough hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's tissues. As a result, you may feel weak, tired, and irritable.
About 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women and 3% of men have too little iron in their bodies. Often the solution is to eat more iron-rich foods.
how your body uses iron in food
When you eat iron-rich foods, iron is absorbed into your body primarily through the upper small intestine.
There are two forms of dietary iron:
Heme and non-heme. Heme iron is derived from hemoglobin. It is found in animal foods that naturally contain hemoglobin, such as red meat, fish, and poultry (meat, poultry, and seafood contain both heme and non-heme iron). Your body absorbs most of its iron from heme sources.Most non-heme iron comes from plants.
foods high in iron
Very good sources of heme iron with 3.5 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces beef or chicken liver
• 3 ounces clams
• 3 ounces oysters
Good sources of heme iron with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces cooked beef
• 3 oz canned sardines in oil
Other sources of heme iron with 0.6 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces chicken
• 3 ounces cooked turkey
• 3 ounces of ham
• 3 ounces of veal
Other sources of heme iron with 0.3 milligrams or more per serving include:
• 3 ounces haddock, bass, salmon or tuna
Non-heme iron is found in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach. This is the form of iron added to iron-fortified and iron-fortified foods. Our bodies absorb non-heme iron less efficiently, but most dietary iron is non-heme iron.
At least 3.5 milligrams per serving, very good sources of nonheme iron include:
• Breakfast cereals fortified with iron
• 1 cup of cooked beans
• 1/2 cup tofu
Good sources of nonheme iron with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving include:
1/2 cup canned lima beans, red kidney beans, or chickpeas
• 1 dried apricot
• 1 cup cooked fortified egg noodles
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 ounce pumpkin, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds
Other sources of nonheme iron containing 0.7 milligrams or more include:
• ½ cup boiled peas
• 1 ounce of peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, toasted almonds, toasted cashews, or sunflower seeds
• ½ cup dried seedless raisins, peaches, or plums
• medium sized broccoli stalks
1 cup raw spinach
• 1 cup of noodles (3-4 cups cooked)
• Slices of bread, halves of small pumpernickel bagels, or bran muffins
1 cup of brown or fortified rice
How to Get More Iron From Your Food
Some foods can help your body absorb iron from iron-rich foods; others can hinder it. To absorb the most iron from the foods you eat, avoid drinking coffee or tea or consuming calcium-rich foods or drinks with meals containing iron-rich foods. Calcium itself can interfere.To improve your absorption of iron, eat it along with a good source of vitamin C -- such as orange juice, broccoli, or strawberries -- or eat nonheme iron foods with a food from the meat, fish, and poultry group.
If you have trouble getting enough iron from food sources, you may need an iron supplement. But speak to your health care provider about the proper dosage first and follow their instructions carefully. Because very little iron is excreted from the body, iron can accumulate in body tissues and organs when the normal storage sites -- the liver, spleen, and bone marrow -- are full. Although iron toxicity from food sources is rare, deadly overdoses are possible with supplements.
26 Dec 2022
