Foods enriched with iron generally provide enough of this important nutrient for everyday physical needs. Iron plays a part in blood health and cell growth and differentiation. That's why children should especially get the recommended daily value (DV) of iron. Vegetarians, teenage girls, some women and people suffering from anemia need more iron than the general population. Iron can be added to a healthy diet through naturally fortified foods like spinach or artificially enriched cereals, flour, rice, salt and baby formula. Too much iron, however, can be toxic, so monitor your diet if you add iron-rich foods.
Grains, Seeds and Nuts
Just 3/4 of a cup of the most potent cereal fortified with iron provides 100 percent of the recommended daily value of the mineral. Baking with wheat flour enriched with iron presents an additional source. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends intake amounts based on age and gender. Boys and girls ages 7 to 12 months, 11 mg; 1 to 3 years, 7 mg; 4 to 8 years, 10 mg; 9 to 13 years, 8 mg. For a safe, healthy diet, all children in this age group should get less than 40 mg of iron per day.
As iron needs increase, choose seeds and nuts that are fortified with iron. One ounce of pumpkin seeds offers more than 2 mg of iron or about 10 percent DV for the following groups: ages 14 to 18, boys (11 mg), girls (15 mg); ages 19 to 50, men (8 mg), women (18 mg); men and women over 50 (8 mg); pregnant women (27 mg). Iron-rich foods for this population should not exceed 45 mg daily.
Lesser but still significant amounts of iron can be found in sesame and sunflower seeds and in almonds, cashews and other nuts.
Meats and Fish
Meats and fish are the most iron-rich foods, and among them, organ meats have the highest concentration of iron. For a healthy diet that includes animal fats, add up the iron content in milligrams of your meat and fish servings.
Chicken liver (3½ oz) gives the greatest iron boost, with nearly 13 mg and 70 percent DV. Beef liver contains about half as much. Oysters (6 pieces) are the shellfish most highly fortified with iron, with 4.5 mg providing 25 percent DV. Other meats and fishes that are good iron sources include beef cuts, clams, turkey, chicken, tuna and halibut.
Fruits and Vegetables
Spinach's fame among iron-rich foods is well deserved, with 1 cup of cooked, fresh spinach packing nearly 7 mg of iron (over 30 percent DV). One cup of cooked soybeans provides nearly 9 mg (50 percent DV), closely followed in iron content by lentils, cooked dry beans and tofu.
For fruits that introduce iron into a healthy diet, choose prune juice (1 cup, canned) for 3 mg iron (20 percent DV) and raisins (1/2 cup) for 1.5 mg iron (8 percent DV).
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