Iron is an essential mineral that plays vital roles in red blood cell oxygenation, cell growth and differentiation and enzymatic reactions. The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of iron is 18 milligrams per day for adult females ages 18 to 50 and 8 milligrams per day for all adult males and adult females over age 50. Deficiencies can cause iron-deficiency anemia, the most common type of anemia. Symptoms include irritability, fatigue and increased heart rate, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Avoid this by including in your diet the many foods that offer significant amounts of iron.
Meat, Poultry and Seafood
Dietary iron exists in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is present in animal food products and is more easily digestible than non-heme iron, which is present in non-animal food products, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, or ODS. Chicken liver is one of the richest food sources of heme iron; a 3.5-ounce serving provides 70 percent of the RDA. Other significant sources of heme iron include: beef, shellfish, dark meat chicken and turkey, pork, tuna and halibut.
Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are excellent sources of non-heme iron. A single cup of boiled soybeans supplies 50 percent of the RDA of iron, 1 cup of boiled lentils provides 35 percent of the RDA, 1 cup of kidney, navy or lima beans has 25 percent of the RDA and 1 cup of black or pinto beans offers 20 percent of the RDA.
Fruits and Vegetables
Spinach is a significant source of non-heme iron. Depending on the method of preparation, a 1/2-cup serving can offer from 10 to 20 percent of the RDA. A 1/2-cup serving of seedless raisins has 8 percent of the RDA.
Fortified Foods
Many grains and cereals are fortified or enriched with non-heme iron in the United States. A 3/4-cup serving of fortified ready-to-eat cereal can offer anywhere from 25 to 100 percent of the RDA. Fortified hot cereals can offer up to 60 percent of the RDA. Enriched white bread has about 6 percent of the RDA.
Supplements
Iron supplements are available as either ferric or ferrous salts. Ferrous salts, which include ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate, are more bioavailable than ferric salts. Since the iron in iron supplements is in a compound with other elements, it's important to look at the amount of elemental iron--or the amount of iron that will be available to your body--listed on the label, rather than the total gram weight of the supplement. A 300 milligram iron supplement made from ferrous sulfate contains only 50 to 60 milligrams of elemental iron. Keep iron supplements away from children; as little as 200 milligrams of supplemental iron can be lethal for children.
Member Comments