Iron rich foods or foods high in iron are recommended to overcome
iron deficiency and anemea. How much iron you need daily? You should
eat foods with high content of iron if you are anemic (low haemoglobin).
A list of foods with iron is given on this page.
Iron
Iron is an essential for the
formation of haemoglobin. The iron in haemoglobin combines with oxygen
and transports it through the blood to all parts of the body. Anemia
is a result of iron deficiency. As a result of
Vegetables like broccoli and bok choy are
rich in iron. These vegetables are high iron and also high in vitamin
Iron Absorption By Body
The iron absorption by body depends on the form of the iron. The iron from animal sources, known as heme iron, is absorbed easily by the body. The iron found in vegetable sources, known as non-heme iron, is less available to the body. The amount of iron absorbed from vegetarian foods is around 1 - 10% , while it is 10 - 20% from animal foods. Eating of iron rich foods removes iron deficiency.
Good Enhancer Foods for Iron Absorption: Combinations of foods such as beans and tomato or tofu and broccoli result in good iron absorp tion. In general vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, capsicums, potato, tomato, etc. and fruits such as cantaloupe, grapefruit, strawberries, orange, etc. enhance the iron absorption.
Foods Not Good (Inhibitors) For Iron Absorption: Avoid the following foods in combination with high iron foods as they inhibit the iron absorption: Tea, coffee, chard, etc.
Daily Iron Requirement
Iron Level: The RDA for iron is 10 mg/day for adult men and for post-menopausal women and 15 mg/day for pre-menopausal women. These amount of iron are considered good for health. The daily requirement of iron is very easily met with vegetarian diets. For example, 1 cup of cooked spinach contains 3 mg, 1 cup of tofu contains 13.2 mg and 1 cup cooked lentils give 6.4 mg of iron.
The requirement of iron in the following table is given in terms of Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI), the amount of iron which is enough for at least 97% of the population.
Age | RNI (mg) | Age | RNI (mg) |
0 to 3 months | 1.7 | Men 11 - 18 yrs | 11.3 |
4 to 6 months | 4.3 | Men 19 + yrs | 8.7 |
7 to 12 months | 7.8 | Women 11 - 49 yrs | 14.8 |
1 to 3 yrs | 6.9 | Women 50 + yrs | 8.7 |
4 to 6 yrs | 6.1 | ||
7 to 10 yrs | 8.7 |
You can plan your daily meals to take in the amount of iron recommended in the above table.
If you have iron deficiency, and you are advised to take iron supplements, then you should keep in mind that iron supplements may be fatal for adults when taken in doses of 200-250 mg/kg from body weight. The upper limit for iron as recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine is approximately 45 mg daily for adults.
List of Iron in Foods : Vegetarian Iron Rich Foods
|
|
| |
Bran flakes, 1 cup | 11.0 |
Oatmeal, 1 packet | 6.3 |
Pasta, 1 cup, cooked | 1.7 |
Samolina, Cream of wheat, 1/2 cup cooked | 5.5 |
Wheat germ, 2 tablespoon | 1.2 |
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice | 0.9 |
White bread, 1 slice | 0.7 |
| |
Sea vegetables |
18.1- 42.0 |
Swiss chard | 2 |
Turnip greens | 1.6 |
Sweet potatoes, canned | 1.7 |
Turnip greens | 1.6 |
Pumpkin, cooked | 1.7 |
Potato, baked with skin | 1.7 |
Turnip greens | 1.6 |
Prune juice, 4 oz | 1.5 |
Spinach cooked | 1.5 |
Beet greens cooked | 1.4 |
Potato, 1 large | 1.4 |
Bok choy cooked | 0.7 |
Peas, cooked | 0.65 |
Green beans, cooked | 0.60 |
Tomato juice | 0.6 |
Broccoli, cooked | 0.55 |
Watermelon, 1/8 medium | 0.5 |
| |
Lentils | 3.2 |
Black eye beans | 2.6 |
Navy beans | 2.5 |
Pinto beans | 2.2 |
Lima beans | 2.2 |
Kidney beans Rajmah | 1.5 |
Chick peas (200 g) | 6.2 |
| |
Tofu | 6.6 |
Soybeans | 4.4 |
Tempeh | 1.8 |
Soy milk | 0.9 |
| |
Pumpkin seeds | 2.5 |
Figs, dried, 5 | 2.0 |
Dried apricot, 5 | 1.6 |
Almond, 1/4 cup | 1.3 |
Tahini | 1.2 |
Sesame | 1.2 |
Sunflower seeds | 1.2 |
Cashew nuts | 1.0 |
(Heme Iron Sources) (100 g) | |
Clams, steamed | 22 |
Clams, cooked | 8.5 |
Oysters, cooked | 8.5 |
Oysters, raw | 5.4 |
Chicken liver, cooked | 8.5 |
Beef liver, cooked | 6.3 |
Beef, roasted | 3.5 |
Ground beef, cooked | 2.2 |
Lamb beef, cooked | 2.2 |
Turkey, white meat | 1.6 |
Sources:
USDA Nutrient Data Base for Standard
Reference, Release 12, 1998.
Pennington J. Bowe's and Church's Food
Values of Portions Commonly Used. 16th ed. Lippincott-Raven; 1994.
US Dept of Agriculture: 1988: Publication No. HNIS/PT-103.
US Dept
of Agriculture; 1986. Agriculture Handbook No. 8-16.
From the above table you can chose foods high in iron.
Following is a list of foods that provide 8 mg or more of iron per 100 gms of the food.
- Cereals & Grains: Bajra, Rice flakes
- Pulses & Beans: Cow pea, Lobia (black-eye beans), Lentils, Soyabean
- Vegetables: Beetroot greens, Mint, Parsley, Turnip greens
- Spices: Turmeric (Haldi)
- Fruits: Dried dates, Watermelon, Raisins
- Fish and Red meats
Iron in Animal Sources : Heme Iron
Beef Liver, Chicken Liver, Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Pork Liver, Sardines, Shrimp and Turkey are good in iron content.