If you've been diagnosed with low iron or just seem to lack your usual energy, building mineral levels in your diet can improve your health. Chronic iron deficiency is known as anemia, or low red blood cell count. The body's stores of iron can be built back up with foods rich in dietary iron such as some fish, dark meat, grain foods and leafy green vegetables. To achieve your recommended daily dose, shoot for an average of 18mg. If you know you have low iron levels or if you become pregnant, you may budget for as much as 27mg in your daily diet.
Big Boosts
Big mineral boosts are defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as 20 percent or more of the average daily value (DV). The type of iron you ingest also plays a part. Animal sources of dietary iron provide heme iron, a form of the mineral that the body absorbs most readily. High-iron animal foods include poultry giblets (1 cup turkey or chicken, 10 to 11mg); braunschweiger (pork liver sausage, 2 slices, 6mg); and clams and oysters (3 oz., 23mg and 6mg).
Add to your daily dose of iron with a fast-food hamburger, bacon cheeseburger, chicken sandwich or roast beef sandwich (4 to 5mg). Ready-to-eat cereals are good remedies for low iron, with a full 100 percent DV (18mg) in standard servings. These are among the non-heme iron foods, which are less efficiently utilized but still strong mineral sources. Other high-iron items include cooked dry beans, rice, spinach, tomato puree and potatoes.
Moderate Mainstays
Many heme and non-heme sources for your daily dose of dietary iron can provide a continual infusion of mineral content. Tap these often to alleviate low iron symptoms, such as fatigue and poor concentration: turkey meat, beef tenderloin or eye of round (3 to 4 oz., 2 to 3mg); bagels, biscuits and pretzels (standard servings, about 3mg); and fast-food fried clams, shrimp and breakfast sandwiches (single order, about 3 mg).
Other foods that add moderate amounts of iron include pumpkin seeds, cashews, bulgar, tuna salad and collard greens.
Little Extras
Many of the low-iron foods contribute other important nutrients to your diet, too, such as fiber and vitamin C. While these items have less than 5 percent DV (1mg or less), they're still considered nutritious in standard serving sizes.
Pork loin, fried chicken and orange roughy represent heme iron sources. Pineapple, watermelon, carrots and a slice of bread are all low-calorie, non-heme iron foods that add up steadily toward your daily dose.
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