- Iron rich foods include beef, chicken, fish, seafood, pumpkin seeds, beans, raisins, and pistachios.
- Plant-based iron is absorbed less easily, but eating it with vitamin C foods can improve absorption.
- Pregnant people, babies, older adults, and people who menstruate may need more iron to maintain healthy levels.
Iron rich foods include animal-based options like beef, chicken, fish, and seafood, as well as plant-based foods such as pumpkin seeds, raisins, beans, and pistachios. Iron is an essential mineral needed to produce hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body.
Eating enough iron rich foods helps prevent iron-deficiency anemia, supports the immune system, and contributes to healthy growth and normal muscle function. Iron comes in two forms, heme iron from animal foods and non-heme iron from plant foods and fortified products.
Some people, including pregnant people, babies, older adults, and people who menstruate, need more iron. Eating iron rich foods with vitamin C can improve absorption and help maintain healthy iron levels.
Foods high in iron
There are two types of iron: heme iron, found in animal-based foods, and non-heme iron, found in plant-based and iron-fortified foods.
Animal sources
The table below shows the amount of iron in 100 g of each food:
Iron levels may vary depending on how each food is prepared.
Plant-based sources
The following table shows the amount of iron found in 100 g of each food:
Iron from plant-based sources is absorbed less easily by the body. According to the National Institutes of Health, eating plant-based iron sources with vitamin C foods, such as citrus fruits, strawberries, sweet peppers, tomatoes, or broccoli, can help the body absorb this type of iron more effectively.
Benefits of iron
The main health benefits of iron include:
- Preventing anemia, as iron helps produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
- Supporting the immune system, as iron helps immune cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, work properly.
- Supporting muscle function and energy, as iron is part of myoglobin, a protein that stores oxygen in the muscles.
Iron is also important for healthy growth and development in children, and helps the body produce and use certain hormones.
Also recommended: Iron Deficiency Symptoms: Common Signs Plus Treatment Options tuasaude.com/en/iron-deficiency-symptomsHow to improve iron absorption
When eating iron rich foods, you may want to consider the following tips to ensure optimal iron absorption:
- Avoid eating calcium-rich foods, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or pudding, with main meals, as calcium can reduce iron absorption.
- Limit tea, coffee, red wine, chocolate, and sweets with iron-rich meals, as some compounds in these foods may interfere with iron absorption.
- Cook foods in cast iron cookware when possible, as this can increase the iron content of some foods.
Combine fruits and vegetables in juices or smoothies, such as pineapple with parsley, to help increase iron intake.
Daily iron requirements
The recommended daily amount of iron varies by age and sex. Iron needs are higher during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, iron needs increase because blood volume expands and more red blood cells are needed to support the fetus and placenta. According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended daily iron intake increases to 27 mg during pregnancy.
Meeting daily iron requirements is important, and a doctor may recommend iron supplements when dietary intake is not enough.