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The best sources of iron include:
- Oysters
- Liver
- Lean red meat (especially beef)
- Poultry, dark red meat
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Iron-fortified cereals
- Dried beans
- Whole grains
- Eggs (especially egg yolks)
- Dried fruits
Reasonable amounts of iron are also found in lamb, pork, and shellfish.
Iron from vegetables, fruits, grains, and supplements is harder for the body to absorb. These sources include:
- Whole grains
- wheat
- millet
- oats
- brown rice
- Legumes
- lima beans
- soybeans
- dried beans and peas
- kidney beans
- Seeds
- Dried fruits
- Vegetables
- broccoli
- spinach
- kale
- collards
- asparagus
- dandelion greens
If you mix some lean meat, fish, or poultry with beans or dark leafy greens at a meal, you can improve absorption of vegetable sources of iron up to three times. Foods rich in vitamin C also increase iron absorption.
Some foods reduce iron absorption. For example, commercial black or pekoe teas contain substances that bind to iron so it cannot be used by the body.
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