How to Incorporate Iron Into Your Diet

Iron is considered an essential mineral found in every cell in your body. It is needed to make part of blood cells through the production of hemoglobin and myoglobin, which are proteins that carry oxygen. It's important to incorporate iron into your diet when your storage of iron in your body becomes too low.

Things You'll Need

• Iron-rich meats
• Iron-rich cereal
• Beans
• Seeds
• Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables
• Iron supplements
• Multivitamins

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Instructions

• 1

  Eat iron-rich meat, fish and poultry. Some of the best sources of iron are in beef, clams, mollusks and oysters. All of these have 3.5 mg of iron or more per 3-ounce serving.

• 2

  Eat other iron-rich foods. Your body does not absorb the iron from these foods as well, but they still can be very helpful. The best sources include breakfast cereals fortified with iron; cooked beans such as white beans, soybeans and lentils; tofu, and pumpkins; sesame or squash seeds.

• 3

  Combine those foods with vitamin C-rich foods. If you eat vitamin C along with the non-meat iron-rich foods, it will increase the absorption of iron. Good sources of vitamin C include fruits such as oranges, strawberries, grapefruit and cantaloupe; and vegetables such as sweet red peppers, broccoli, peas and cauliflower.

• 4

  Separate foods that decrease the amount iron you absorb from foods. Drink coffee and tea apart from meals containing iron. That will allow your body to increase the absorption of iron from the foods. Certain high-fiber foods and soy products should be eaten with a source of vitamin C or with iron-rich meats.

• 5

  Take iron supplements under medical supervision. They should only be taken if there is a significant deficiency of iron. However, many multivitamins contain iron in moderate amounts.