The nutritional level of your diet can slip gradually, so that you may wind up with health problems such as iron-deficiency anemia. If you're in a high-risk group for low iron -- like some vegetarians, athletes and pregnant women -- you can avoid illness by getting your iron levels back up through dietary improvement.
While your condition may warrant a mineral supplement, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for American advises getting most of your nutrients from healthy food sources. Mixing and matching a few menu items with high iron content will provide the average daily value, or DV, of 18 mg recommended by the FDA.
Spinach
Spinach is considered a strength-building food due to its strong dietary iron level. Cooked spinach contributes 6 mg per 1 cup, or 33 percent of your total daily value, as reported by the USDA Nutrient Database. Add variety to your meals by using cooked spinach as an ingredient in other dishes with moderate iron, such as egg omelets and tomato-based pasta entrees.
Lentils
Among the legume food sources suggested by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to elevate iron levels, cooked lentils provide nearly 40 percent DV, with 7 mg in 1 cup. Only soybeans have greater iron content among legumes, at 9 mg per cup, but these are less widely used by everyday cooks. Other legume choices with high dietary iron include white, black and kidney beans, chickpeas and refried pinto beans, as listed by the USDA.
Whole-Grain Cereal
Whole grains themselves have moderate iron levels, but enriched whole-grain cereals represent some of the healthiest food sources, since iron is added. These breakfast foods meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for nutrient density, packing up to 100 percent DV of iron and other vitamins and minerals into calorie counts as low as 100. Make sure to check the package labels and buy cereals with the least sugar that provide 20 percent DV or greater iron content.
Clams
Make occasional trade-offs of unwanted cholesterol for beneficial dietary iron by eating canned, raw or fried clams. The USDA lists a 3-oz. serving of canned clams as the highest iron food source, containing 24 mg, or over 100 percent DV. Oysters make a lower-cholesterol, lower-iron alternative but still provide as much as 6 mg of iron content in 3 oz.
Tofu
Tofu is perhaps a more well-known form of soybeans, made from pressed and condensed soymilk. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements relates that 20 percent DV of iron can be found in just 1/2 cup of some types of tofu. Read the package nutrition facts for specific dietary iron amounts.
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