Iron, an important nutrient for health, assists the blood in transporting oxygen to the rest of the body. Hemoglobin, the portion of the blood that contains most of the iron in the body, suffers when iron levels drop. Some people need more iron than others do, including pregnant women and women with heavy menstrual flows as well as patients with kidney failure. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets the recommended Daily Value (DV) for iron consumption at 18 mg for adults.
Animal Sources
Meat, poultry and some types of seafood are good sources of iron. Because this type of iron comes from the hemoglobin of animals, it is easy to assimilate in the human body. Highest on the list of animal sources of iron are chicken liver with 12.8 mg per 3 ½ oz. serving, followed by six pieces of fried oysters with 4.5 mg.
Roasted beef tenderloin, serves up 3 mg of iron in a 3-oz. portion and beef roast has 2.2 mg per 3-oz. serving. Braised beef chuck offers a substantial 3.2 mg for the same amount.
Less substantial amounts of animal sources of iron include tuna, pork loin, shrimp, blue crab and halibut, which all provide less than 1 mg of iron in a 3-oz. portion.
Vegetarian Sources
Non-animal sources of iron are abundant. One cup of cooked soybeans offers 8.8 mg of iron, and the same amount of lentils provides 6.6 mg. Other beans provide iron, with kidney beans at 5.2 mg, lima beans at 4.5 mg and both pinto beans and black beans at 3.6 mg.
Half of a cup of fresh spinach will provide 1.9 mg of iron and a half of a cup of cooked spinach packs a punch with 3.2 mg.
Fortified Foods
During processing, some food items lose valuable nutrients but the manufacturer adds vitamins and minerals in order to fortify the food's nutritional content. Breakfast cereals are among the most commonly fortified foods, and many manufacturers enhance their product with a full day's recommended allotment of iron at 18 mg per each ¾-cup serving. However, not all breakfast cereals are fortified so check the nutrition label before buying.
Fortified oatmeal has 10 mg of iron per 1 cup of prepared oatmeal, and blackstrap molasses offers a good source of iron with 3.5 mg in each tablespoon.
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