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Food Sources of Iron

Certain foods that you eat are higher in iron than others are, but contrary to some myths, you do not have to be a meat eater in order to get plenty of iron into your diet. You can make several choices when it comes to eating to get iron into your diet: by eating meat, seafood and even by eating vegetarian.

  1. Meat

    • Pork contains 7.4 milligrams of iron in a three-ounce serving. A three-ounce serving of beef, chicken or turkey provides four to seven milligrams of iron.

    Seafood

    • The highest amounts of iron are found in clams and oysters: a three-ounce serving of one of these will give you seven milligrams of iron. Other choices that are not as high in iron--but are good to add to your diet--are sardines, mussels and salmon.

    Vegetarian

    • For those who are vegetarians, there are plenty of choices. A 2/3-cup serving of oatmeal, farina or rice will provide you with four to seven milligrams of iron, as will spinach.

    Beans

    • Lentils, legumes and soybeans all contain a healthy amount of iron.

    Considerations

    • It's proven that vitamin C can help your body to absorb iron, so eating foods high in vitamin C along with foods containing iron is a good recommendation.

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