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Food That Has a Lot of Iron

If you're feeling tired or fatigued, add more iron to your diet. Iron is an essential nutrient that cannot be produced by the body. It helps make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body's tissues, DNA and it carries carbon dioxide out of the body. The muscles also rely on iron because it makes myoglobin, an oxygen storage protein. Insufficient intake of iron can lead to iron-deficiency anemia.

  1. Non-Heme Iron

    • Humans primarily consume non-heme iron, which is found in vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and legumes. Iron-rich vegetables include dark leafy greens, lima beans, green peas and baked potatoes with skin. Sunflower seeds have 8 mg of iron and pumpkin seeds contain 4.2 mg. Legumes or beans such as white beans, chickpeas and lentils and dried fruits like apricots, peaches, raisins and dates are good sources of iron. These iron-rich foods are healthy options because they are low in calories.

    Heme Iron

    • Heme iron, which is only found in meats, is easily absorbed by the body. It is a good source of iron for people who are iron deficient. However, meats are unique because they also contain 55 to 60 percent non-heme iron. Iron-rich meats include beef, chicken, pork and eggs. Liver is particularly rich in iron; it contains 8.5 mg. Eat seafood like salmon and shrimp; 3 oz. of hard shell clams and oysters contain 23.8 and 10.2 mg of iron, respectively.

    Other Foods

    • One tbsp. of molasses provides 2.3 mg of iron and 1 cup of prune juice has 9.8 mg. Enriched and fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals, oatmeal, rice, pasta and bread, are also good sources of iron because they have additional nutrients added that were lost during processing. Fortifying foods can create a larger mineral or vitamin content than previously present in the food. Read the nutritional label to determine the amount of iron per serving.

    Tips

    • Although meats are a good source of iron, eat lean cuts to avoid saturated fats. In addition, pregnant women should not consume liver because the high concentration of vitamin A can harm the baby. Since non-heme vegetables can be difficult to absorb, they should be eaten with meats or with foods rich in vitamin C. For example, eating a salad with orange or grapefruit slices helps the body absorb non-heme iron. The tannins found in coffee and tea and high calcium foods can affect the absorption of both types of iron.

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