The body holds onto and recycles iron; most iron losses occur from bleeding.
If iron is not adequate in the diet, iron-deficiency can occur which typically
causes tiredness, apathy and a tendency to feel cold.
How Much Iron do I Need? | top
Women (ages 19-50) 18 mg per day
Pregnant Women 27 mg per day
Men (ages 19 and older) 8 mg per day
Because of the lower bioavailability of iron from plant foods, women 19-50
consuming a vegetarian diet may need up to 33 mg of iron per day.
Endurance athletes may need more iron. Ask your health care provider if
you have any concerns.
Optimizing Iron Intake | top
1. Choose lean meats, fish and poultry - the iron in
these foods is absorbed better than the iron in plant sources.
2. Eat vegetables and grains with lean meat - the average
absorption of iron from plant sources is low, but increases when these
are eaten with meat, poultry and fish.
3. Eat iron-rich legumes - dried beans and peas are the
most iron-rich plant products in our diets.
4. Combine iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C
- a glass of orange juice with your breakfast can more than double the
amount of iron your body absorbs.
5. Avoid drinking tea or coffee with your meals - a cup
of tea with breakfast can block 3/4 of the iron you would have absorbed.
6. Cook foods in an iron pot whenever practical - spaghetti
sauce simmered in an iron pot for about 20 minutes increases its iron
content nine fold. This would work as well for other acidic foods.
7. Eat iron-fortified foods - iron-fortified or enriched
breakfast cereals and other foods can help boost your iron intake. Be
sure to combine them with high vitamin C foods like citrus fruit, broccoli,
cantaloupe, strawberries or kiwi to increase absorption.
Iron in Low-Fat Foods
| SOURCE |
AVERAGE SERVING |
IRON (MG) |
| SEAFOOD |
| Clams |
3 oz. |
14.00 |
| Oysters |
3 oz. |
6.60 |
| Shrimp |
3 oz. |
2.50 |
| Tuna |
3 oz. |
1.30 |
| MEAT AND POULTRY |
| Chicken (breast roasted) |
3 oz. |
1.00 |
| Duck (flesh only, roasted) |
3 oz. |
2.00 |
| Sirloin (lean, broiled) |
3 oz. |
2.00 |
| Turkey (breast, roasted) |
3 oz. |
1.20 |
| Turkey (drumstick) |
3 oz. |
2.00 |
| LEGUMES |
| Lentils (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
3.30 |
| Lima beans (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
2.25 |
| Dried beans (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
2.30 |
| Split Peas (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
1.25 |
| Tofu (raw) |
1/2 cup |
6.65 |
| GRAIN PRODUCTS |
| Cream of Wheat (reg, cooked) |
1/2 cup |
6.00 |
| Fortified breakfast cereal (Total, e.g.) |
1/2 cup |
18.00 |
| Pasta (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
1.00 |
| Wheat germ, toasted |
2 Tbsp. |
1.30 |
| FRUITS AND VEGETABLES |
| Apricots (dried) |
1/4 cup |
1.50 |
| Broccoli (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
0.6 |
| Brussels Sprouts (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
1.00 |
| Peaches (dried) |
1/4 cup |
1.60 |
| Peas (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
1.26 |
| Potato (cooked, with skin) |
1 medium |
2.35 |
| Prunes |
1/4 cup |
1.00 |
| Raisins |
1/4 cup |
1.00 |
| Spinach (raw) |
1 cup |
1.00 |
| Spinach (boiled) |
1/2 cup |
2.00 |
| Squash (winter, acorn, cooked) |
1 cup |
1.37 |
High Iron Menus | top
| SAMPLE MENU #1 |
SAMPLE MENU #2 |
| Breakfast |
1 cup Cheerios (6 mg iron)
1 cup 1% milk
1 slice whole wheat toast
1-2 tsp soft spread margarine
1 cup orange juice |
1 scrambled egg with 1 extra egg white
2 slices whole wheat toast
1-2 tsp soft spread margarine
1 cup skim milk
½ grapefruit |
| Lunch |
1 6” whole wheat pita bread (2 mg iron)
½ cup hummus (3 mg iron)
fresh lettuce and tomato
1 cup watermelon
1 cup 1% milk or yogurt |
Wendy's single hamburger (4.0 mg iron)
Wendy's Garden Side Salad with reduced
fat dressing
Wendy's small French fries
|
| Dinner |
4 oz roasted chicken breast
1 medium baked potato with skin (2.3 mg iron)
2-3 tsp soft spread margarine
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cup tossed salad with light dressing |
1 cup spaghetti noodles
½ cup marinara
sauce (2 mg iron)
1 cup cooked spinach (4 mg iron)
2 pieces French bread with
1-2 tsp soft spread margarine
1 apple
|
| Snack |
| 1 Health Valley raisin granola bar (3.5 mg iron) |
1 cup skim milk
1 Archway soft molasses cookie (2.7 mg iron) |
| (1600 calories, 22.5 mg iron) |
(1950 calories, 20 mg iron) |
Reducing Gas | top
Dried beans and peas are an excellent source of iron, fiber and other nutrients,
but many people avoid these foods because of flatulence (gas). There are
ways to prepare beans to reduce flatulence and gas is less of a problem
for those who regularly eat beans.
- Change the soaking water two or three times and rinse the beans thoroughly
after they've soaked.
- After soaking, cook beans in fresh water.
- Cook beans thoroughly—they should be soft.
- When using canned beans, rinse well before using.
- Activated charcoal capsules can be taken after the fact. There is
also a commercial enzyme product (Beano) that breaks down the complex
sugars that cause gas.
For more information on Nutrition Education services, please contact the
Health Promotion Department at the University Health Center at 706-542-8690.
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