Foods that raise your energy and concentration levels might be legendary, but their effects are real. Liver and spinach contribute significant amounts of iron and energy to your diet. Because this mineral exists in two forms, one of which is less easily absorbed, you should get your daily dose from a variety of animal- and plant-based foods. Iron is a major component in hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body. Low iron levels can make you feel tired and weak. You might get sick more often or have cold hands and feet. Increasing your intake of dietary iron can help. The Food and Drug Administration recommends 18mg per day for ages 4 and up. Pregnant women or individuals with diagnosed low iron should increase that dosage to 27mg.
Fortified Foods
The biggest help with low iron levels can come from daily doses found in enriched cereals and other grain products. Just 3/4 of a cup or more of ready-to-eat wheat, corn or oat cereals can provide 25 percent to 100 percent of the recommended daily value (RDV) of iron (5 to 18mg). With milk and fruit added, you can also help satisfy your body's calcium, potassium and vitamin needs.
Other fortified sources of dietary iron include instant oatmeal (1 cup, 10mg), frozen waffles (one piece, toasted, 2mg) and breads (white or wheat, one slice, 1mg).
Animal Sources
Nutritionally, heme (an enzyme) iron intake is most effective in correcting low iron levels. Heme iron is in mollusks, meats, fish and crustaceans. Quick boosts to your daily dose include chicken livers (4 oz., 13mg), oysters (3 oz., 5mg) and clams (3 oz. solids, 23mg).
Beef eye of round, tenderloin and chuck (3 oz., 2 to 3mg) are good heme sources of dietary iron, as are turkey and chicken meat (3 oz., 1 to 2mg). Pork, halibut, crab, tuna and shrimp (3 oz.) all have less than 1mg of iron, but they do increase your daily total intake of easily absorbed iron minerals.
Vegetarian Sources
Soybean products are excellent non-heme sources of dietary iron. Get part of your daily dose from soybeans (1 cup cooked, 9mg), tofu (1/2 cup raw, 3mg) and soy milk (1 cup, 2mg).
More plant-based sources include cooked dry lentils (1 cup, 7mg), kidney beans (1 cup, 5mg), cooked spinach (1/2 cup, 3mg) and raisins (1/2 cup, 2mg). Blackstrap molasses (1 tbs., 4mg), derived from sugar cane, is another well-known iron-rich food.
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