The best foods for iron are red meat, fish and poultry, but you can also find it in plant-based sources like legumes and tofu.
Here are some of the best sources of iron:
Iron-rich vegetables. Some vegetables have more iron than others, so if you eat a variety of vegetables daily, you can get enough iron. Good choices include spinach, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and lima beans.
Iron-rich fruit juices. You can increase your intake of iron by drinking orange juice or other fruit juices that have been fortified with vitamin C. Iron absorption is increased when you consume vitamin C along with meals or supplements that contain iron.
Iron-rich fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables also contain vitamins A and C, which help your body absorb more iron. These foods include cantaloupe, apricots, tomatoes and raisins.
Foods rich in iron. Meat, poultry and fish are excellent sources of heme protein (the type of protein found in animal products) because they contain hemoglobin — the oxygen-carrying protein found in the red blood cells of humans and other vertebrates
Vegetables
Vegetables are one of the best sources of iron. Many green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, mustard greens and turnip greens contain a lot of iron. Other good choices include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, dandelion greens, escarole and watercress.
Fruits juices
Fruit juices that are rich in iron include orange juice and grapefruit juice. Apple juice is also quite good for health but it may not be as rich in iron as orange or grapefruit juice.
Iron-rich fruits
Iron is an essential mineral that plays a role in the formation of red blood cells and helps your body use oxygen. If you don’t get enough iron, you are at risk for iron deficiency anemia, which can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches.
If you have low iron levels, eating more foods rich in iron can help boost your intake. The best sources of nonheme iron — the type of iron found in plant foods — include legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds. Heme iron — found only in animal foods such as meat and fish — is absorbed more easily than nonheme iron. For example, beef contains about 10 times as much heme iron as spinach does. However, if you eat a varied diet that includes meat occasionally and other sources of nonheme iron daily, you shouldn’t need to worry about getting enough iron from plant foods alone.
Here are some delicious ways to get your daily dose of this important nutrient:
Cooking with cast-iron cookware
Adding dried apricots or dates to baked goods such as muffins or cookies
Sautéing green beans with shallots or onions (or both!)
Spreading almond butter on whole wheat toast instead
Iron is an essential mineral that helps the body produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
When your body doesn’t get enough iron, you can develop iron deficiency anemia. Anemia occurs when you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues and organs.
Iron deficiency anemia is common in women of childbearing age, especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Other groups at risk include young children, adolescents, older adults and vegetarians or vegans. If you suspect anemia has developed due to low iron intake or absorption, speak with your doctor about any possible treatments.
There are a number of foods that are rich in iron and help to improve your body’s absorption of this important mineral.
The following list includes some of the best sources of iron:
- Red meat
- Chicken and turkey breast
- Fish, especially tuna and salmon
- Eggs
- Beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli
- Dried fruits such as raisins, prunes and apricots
Iron is a mineral that helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. If you don’t get enough iron in your diet, you may develop iron deficiency anemia.
The best way to prevent iron deficiency is to eat a balanced diet that includes foods with iron.
Some of the best sources of iron include:
Iron-rich vegetables: Examples include spinach, kale and collard greens. One cup of cooked spinach has 4.8 milligrams of iron, while a cup of boiled kale contains 3 milligrams and collards have 2.5 milligrams per cup cooked.
Iron-rich fruits: Fruits rich in vitamin C help your body absorb iron better, so pair them with meals containing meat and other non-animal sources of protein. Vitamin C also helps prevent scurvy, which is caused by lack of vitamin C intake. Good fruit choices include oranges, grapefruit and strawberries. One orange contains 0.9 milligram of iron; one cup raw strawberries contain 1 milligram; and one grapefruit contains 1 milligram per slice.
Foods rich in iron
Vegetables
Spinach, kale and Swiss chard
Dried fruits
Prunes, raisins and apricots
Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
Nuts and nut butters (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
Beans, legumes and lentils (kidney beans, black-eyed peas)
Meat (pork loin roast)
Seafoods (salmon, shrimp)
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. It can cause severe health problems, especially for women and children.
Iron is a mineral that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and organs. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells throughout your body. Hemoglobin also helps give blood its red color.
If you don’t get enough iron, you may develop iron-deficiency anemia — meaning you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin in your body. This can cause tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath when you exert yourself.
What food contains iron?
Iron is a mineral that is essential for life. It helps carry oxygen around the body and makes up part of the protein in red blood cells.
If you have anemia, you may have low levels of iron in your body. Anemia occurs when there aren’t enough red blood cells or platelets to carry oxygen around your body.
Iron deficiency anemia can be caused by:
A diet low in iron
Blood loss (from heavy menstrual periods, for example)
Poor absorption of nutrients from food due to digestive problems or surgery
Medications that interfere with how the body absorbs nutrients from food
Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world. It affects more than half of all pregnant women and nearly one-fourth of children under 5 years old in the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEKS90FYOqE
If you have iron deficiency, your body doesn’t have enough iron to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through your body. This can lead to anemia: fatigue, weakness, dizziness or shortness of breath.
Iron is an essential mineral that helps keep you healthy in many ways. For example, it helps regulate metabolism and boosts energy levels by releasing oxygen from food so it can be used by your cells for energy production.
The recommended daily intake of iron is based on age and gender. For men and women ages 19-50 years old, 8 milligrams (mg) per day is recommended; for men 51 years old and older, 10 mg per day is recommended; for women 51 years old and older, 12 mg per day is recommended; for pregnant women 18 years old or younger who do not take supplements containing iron, 27 mg per day is recommended; for pregnant women 19 years old or older who do not take supplements containing iron before becoming pregnant or during pregnancy and breastfeeding, 27 mg per day.