Iron is an essential mineral that is readily available from the foods you eat. It occurs naturally in certain foods, but other foods are fortified with iron. The most important function of iron is to transport oxygen. Cells, tissues and organs rely on oxygen for proper function. Although you can get adequate amounts of iron from your diet, in some cases, you may need a supplement. Before you take an iron supplement, talk with your physician as a precaution.
Types of Iron
There are two types of iron found in food and cereal: heme and nonheme iron. Heme iron is easier for your body to absorb. About two-thirds of the heme iron in your body comes from hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen. Beef, oysters, clams and dark chicken or turkey meat are all rich in heme iron. Nonheme iron comes from plant-based foods, such as fortified cereal, soybeans, lentils and tofu. Your body does not use nonheme iron a efficiently because of its chemical structure. Although heme iron can be absorbed at any time, nonheme iron is only absorbed if your iron stores are running low, explains Ohio State University.
Enriched versus Fortified
Some foods are enriched or fortified with iron. If a food is enriched with iron, the original product contained the mineral, but it was lost during processing. Enriching the food product means iron has been added back in after processing. Fortified foods have added iron or other nutrients. Breakfast cereal is fortified with iron because it would normally have very low iron levels. Iron used to enrich or fortify foods is nonheme iron.
Plant Foods
Iron is one of the most abundant minerals in soil. Plants, like humans, require iron for oxygen transport. As plants grow, they absorb iron from soil. Eating the plant allows you to get the iron that the plant directly absorbed. Plant foods that grow close to the ground, such as beans and spinach, are loaded with iron.
Iron in Meat
You get iron indirectly from animals that consume plant products. Cows, chickens, turkey and sheep feed on whole grains and grass. The animals get the iron they need from the plant food. Seafood, such as shrimp, clams and oysters, absorb iron from algae. When you consume meat, you are getting the iron that the animal had in its body.
Recommended Amount
Because women are at a greater risk of iron loss from bleeding during menstruation, they need more. Women require 18 mg of iron each day, while men need only 8 mg, says the Office of Dietary Supplements. A 3 oz. serving of beef has about 3 mg of iron, six oysters provides 4.5 mg, 3 oz. of dark turkey meat contains 2 mg and the same amount of dark chicken has a little more than 1 mg. Beans provide 3 to 5 mg per cup, depending on the variety, while a 1-cup serving of sauteed spinach contains nearly 2 mg. Fortified breakfast cereal can have as much as 18 mg per 3/4 cup serving.
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