Your body needs sufficient amounts of dietary iron to produce oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Peanut butter provides a moderate amount of iron. It can be a significant source of iron for people who follow a vegetarian diet or who eat little meat. However, if plant foods are your only source of this essential mineral you will need to consume almost twice as much dietary iron as people who eat meat.
Peanut Butter and Iron
The iron content of 2 tbsp. of chunky peanut butter is 0.6 mg. A serving of peanut butter provides 7.5 percent of the total daily recommended amount for an adult male. The type of iron found in peanut butter and other plant foods is nonheme iron. Your body is not able to absorb this form of iron as well as the heme iron found in meat and animal foods.
Requirements
The recommended daily amounts of iron vary with age and sex. Adult men ages 19 to 50 need 8 mg of iron daily, while women need 18 mg. Adults 51 years and older need 8 mg daily. Pregnancy increases the body's demand for iron to 27 mg per day. While breast-feeding, women should get 9 mg daily. Children age 1 to 3 years old need 7 mg per day. Between ages 4 and 8 years of age, children should get 10 mg each day and between 9 and 13 years of age they need 8 mg daily. Adolescent boys age 14 to 18 need 11 mg of iron and girls in the same age group need 15 mg each day.
Other Nonheme Iron Sources
Beans and lentils are excellent plant sources of nonheme iron. One cup of soybeans provides 8.8 mg of iron and 1 cup of lentils provides 6.6 mg. Lima and navy beans contain 4.5 mg of iron in each 1 cup. One cup of boiled spinach contains 3.2 mg of iron per serving. Fortified breakfast cereals contain up to 18 mg of iron and may provide up to 100 percent of your recommended daily value. Your body can absorb nonheme iron better when you consume it along with a source of vitamin C.
Heme Iron Sources
Chicken liver is high in iron with 12.8 mg per 3.5 oz. serving. A serving of oysters and clams contain 4.5 mg and 3.0 mg of iron, respectively. A serving of beef contains 2.2 to 3.2 mg of iron, depending on the cut of meat. Chicken, turkey, pork and seafood are other foods high in iron.
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