Iron Deficiency: Iron Rich Foods to Include in Your Diet

Iron is an essential mineral that supports several of your body’s most important functions. Its primary duty however, is to transfer oxygen throughout the body and produce red blood cells. The only way to get iron into your body is through your diet. Read on to learn some of the best food sources of iron available:

Shellfish

Shellfish is one of the best sources of iron available. Shellfish can be considered a good source of iron, but the best shellfish for iron are oysters, clams, and mussels.  A 3.5 oz serving of clams possesses approximately 28 mg of iron; that is 155% of the recommended daily intake.

Spinach

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables are not the most amazing sources of iron. A 100 gram serving of spinach has 3.5 mg of iron, which is 20% of the recommended daily iron intake. And the iron contained in spinach is the non-heme variety, meaning that it is a bit harder to absorb. What makes spinach a good iron source is that it has a prodigious amount of vitamin C, which substantially boosts iron absorption.

Liver and Organ Meats

Organ meats are amazing sources of nutrition in general, and phenomenal sources of iron in particular. This includes the liver, heart, kidneys, and brain. A 100 gram serving of beef liver has 6.5 mg of iron, which is 36% of the recommended daily intake. Organ meats are also rich in other essential nutrients such as, vitamin A, selenium, and choline.

Legumes

Legumes like, lentils, beans, chickpeas, soybeans, and peas are another great non -meat source of iron. A single cup of cooked lentils has 6.6 mg of iron, which is 37% of the recommended daily intake. They also pair great with foods that are rich in vitamin C, which improves the rate that your body is able to absorb iron.