Iron is a mineral that is essential in a healthy diet. An insufficient dietary amount of iron can cause iron poor blood, which is a condition that results in anemia. Anemia is a condition characterized by the blood not delivering sufficient amounts of oxygen to the body. Although there are other causes of anemia, a low level of iron is one cause. Iron in the diet is found in two types: heme and nonheme. Heme iron is absorbed more easily by the body than nonheme. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, most dietary iron is the nonheme type.
Heme Iron Foods
Foods that include heme iron are usually animal foods that at one time contained hemoglobin, which is a protein rich in iron. These foods are fish, poultry and meat. Some examples of these foods include turkey, beef, chicken livers, oysters, chicken, crab, pork, halibut, shrimp and tuna.
Nonheme Iron Foods
Foods that include nonheme iron are generally found in plant foods that contain a chemical structure that is called nonheme iron. Some examples of these foods include lentils, molasses, spinach and tofu. Beans are also sources of nonheme iron, including lima, kidney, black, navy and pinto beans.
Enriched Nonheme Iron Foods
Some foods are enriched or fortified with iron. Some ready-to-eat cereals are iron enriched. Other iron-enriched foods include oatmeal, grits and white bread.
Daily Value
The daily values (DV) are numbers that are used to help consumers know how much iron is present in a serving of a particular food. The daily intake requirement for iron is 18 milligrams. The DV for a serving of lima beans is 25 percent, which means the serving contains 25 percent of the daily requirement of iron. Foods that contain 25 percent or more of the daily requirement are chicken liver, oysters, ready-to-eat cereal and oatmeal that has been fortified, soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, lima beans and navy beans.
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