Iron is an important part of your good health, making up proteins in the blood that carry oxygen. The blood, according to the National Institutes of Health, is where the majority of iron is found in the body. Low iron levels mean the cells don't get enough oxygen, and you can experience fatigue, while too much iron can poison the body. Iron is available from several food sources, and eating a variety of them can insure that you are getting the proper amount of iron in the diet.
Meats
The iron found in meats is called "heme" iron, as it is from a blood source. This type of iron is more easily absorbed by the body, and therefore readily available for use. Excellent sources of heme iron, as listed by University of Illinois McKinley Health Center, are beef and chicken livers, containing 7.5 and 7.3 mg, respectively, in a 3 oz. serving. The RDI (recommended daily intake) of iron, according to the NIH, is 40 to 45 mg per day. Choosing beef or chicken liver as a meal option will put you well on your way to obtaining that amount. Fresh pacific oysters also have a high iron content, with 7.8 mg in a 3 oz serving. If you don't enjoy beef liver, the next best portion of beef is beef round, beef flank and then ground beef. Chicken, other than liver, is not a good source of iron. A chicken thigh with the bone in contains 1.7 mg, while chicken breast only contains 0.9 mg. A pork loin chop contains 3.5 mg, 3 oz of dark meat turkey has 2.0 mg and light meat contains only 1.2 mg.
Nuts and Seeds
Any iron source that is not meat is referred to as a "non-heme" source, and this includes nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are often listed as good dietary sources of iron. While the iron content per serving is high: for example, the NIH reports that a 1 oz serving of roasted pumpkin or squash seeds contains 4.2 mg, the fact is that the bioavailability of the iron in nuts and seeds has been found to be low. The bioavailability of a product is the amount of the dose or serving that actually gets into the system. A study published in the May 1993 issue of "Plant Foods for Human Nutrition," and currently published with the US National Library of Medicine, reports that the amount of iron in nuts that is actually available for the body to use is 10 percent. The low bio-availability of iron is common in all non-heme sources. To increase the absorption of iron in these sources, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements advises consuming a fruit, or food, high in vitamin C along with the nuts, as vitamin C will improve the body's iron uptake..
Beans and Other Foods
Beans also contain iron, although they are not nearly as high in content as meat sources. Lentils are one of the best sources, with 6.6 mg in a 1 cup serving, while kidney beans contain 5.2 mg in a 1 cup serving. Other bean sources of iron include navy, black, pinto and black eyed peas. Along with beans, other non-heme sources are soybeans, tofu, molasses, spinach, eggs and raisins.
Fortified Foods
While they may not be natural sources of iron, there are many foods that are fortified that contain a high iron content. These foods include breakfast cereals, instant cereal, including oatmeal, and breads and baked goods. Fortified foods and cereals can contain anywhere from 4 to 18 g of iron per serving. To determine the amount in your product of choice, check the nutrition label for information.
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