What Food & Vegatables Are High in Iron?

The mineral iron is essential throughout the human lifespan. The presence or absence of adequate iron in the blood dictates how much oxygen is carried to all the body's cells. Proper iron levels are essential to growth and development and are needed to carry on life on a day-to-day basis. Knowing which foods are iron-rich is valuable information for balanced nutrition at all ages.

Basics

• Iron plays three main roles in the body toward optimum health: it is a carrier of oxygen, it aids in supplying energy, and it ensures a healthy immune system (McGill).

  A low level of iron results in a condition called anemia. In anemia, the cells of the body receive insufficient amounts of oxygen to do their work. This results in fatigue. Anemia can be diagnosed through a complete blood count (CBC) in which hemoglobin, a protein molecule in red blood cells which carries oxygen, is measured.

  A low hemoglobin level may also indicate other conditions which your health-care provider will determine based on multiple factors.

Iron-Rich Vegetables and Fruits

• Watermelon, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, peas, asparagus, potatoes, beets, green beans, lima beans and tomato juice are all rich in iron, as are apricots, peaches, dates and prunes.

Iron-Rich Meats and Fish

• Iron-rich meats and fish include organ meats such as liver and kidney, beef, pork, lamb, clams, oysters, chicken, sardines, scallops, tuna, lake trout and dark meat turkey.

Other Iron-Rich Foods

• Many processed grain foods are iron-fortified, such as breads, pastas and cereals. Also rich in iron are dried beans such as lentils and split peas, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, eggs, blackstrap molasses, whole-wheat flours, soy milk, oatmeal and nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts and cashews.

Considerations

• The body requires the presence of vitamin C to best absorb available iron. A daily diet enhanced with vitamin C-rich foods--such as many fruits and vegetables--will aid in the proper absorption of iron.

  Avoid drinking tea when eating iron-rich foods because the tannin in tea inhibits the absorption of the iron.

Precautions

• Pregnant women should not eat liver without their health-care provider's recommendations due to the organ meat's high concentration of vitamin A. It is possible to take in too much vitamin A, a fat soluble vitamin which can be harmful to the fetus.