What Foods Don't Have Iron?

Iron is an essential nutrient, needed to carry oxygen throughout the body. If not enough iron is consumed through the diet, a person may feel tired and heavy. Typically, an adult male needs to consume about 10 mg of iron per day. An adult female's requirements, however, are a little bit higher due to the fact that women lose iron-carrying red blood cells when they menstruate. Adult women need to consume about 15 mg of iron per day. However, some people cannot handle iron in their diets because they have medical conditions. Examples are gout or a disease called hemochromatosis, which makes the body accumulate excess iron. Thus, people suffering from these diseases should avoid foods that are high in iron and try to eat only foods that contain little to no iron.

Foods Containing Little to No Iron.

Fruit contains insignificant traces of iron. Additionally, fruits are very high in other vitamins and minerals, as well as anti-oxidants. Another low-iron option is dairy products. Milk, cheese and yogurts contain high amounts of calcium, but very low amounts of iron. Nuts contain about 1 mg of iron per serving. A normal serving of nuts is about one ounce. Whole wheat bread can also be found to have very little iron per serving. In order to avoid consuming too much iron from whole wheat bread though, it is important to keep in mind that one serving is one slice. At some supermarkets, it is possible to find cereals that have not been fortified with iron. In this case, cereals will contain very little iron. It is important, then, to read the nutrition fact labels carefully.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Iron

If iron is not well tolerated, it is important to avoid eating foods that are high in iron. Generally, any type of animal flesh will contain significant amounts of iron. However, red meat has substantially higher amounts of iron compared to poultry. Other foods to avoid include, clams, oysters, shrimp and sardines, fortified oatmeal, dried beans, soybeans, tofu, and vegetables such as spinach or other leafy green vegetables. Although fruits normally contain little to no iron, dried fruits, such as dried prunes or apricots, do contain higher amounts of iron, so it is important to be careful and monitor serving sizes.

Other Foods to Avoid

Other foods to avoid if iron is not recommended or not well-tolerated are foods that contain vitamin C. Vitamin C promotes iron absorption in the small intestine. In other words, vitamin C makes the small intestine very efficient at absorbing any trace of iron. Foods containing high amounts of vitamin C include any type of citrus fruit, such as limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and fruits such as kiwi and papaya.