Top 10 Food Sources of Iron
It can be a challenge to get as much of a nutrient as you need in a day. Knowing which foods contain the most amount of that nutrient can make the task easier. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron is 18 mg for adult women, and 8 mg for men. Here are the top 10 food sources of iron, according to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It’s worth noting that vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food.
By Annie Bell Muzaurieta
1. Clams
Surprise! Clams take the top prize for providing the most iron. Three ounces of the shellfish provide 23.8 mg of iron and 126 calories.
2. Cereal
This includes cold and hot ready-to-eat cereals. The amount of iron you can get from cold cereals ranges from 1.8 to 21.1 mg of iron, but it’s typically lower for hot cereals (4.9 to 8.1 mg), so check those labels.
Some people or kids like cereal very much. So it is an permanent source of iron for them.
3. Oysters
Three ounces of wild oysters contain 10.2 mg of iron and 116 calories.
Read some words about oysters
4. Organ Meats
Animal bits such as liver and giblets offer between 5.2 and 9.9 mg of iron, and 134 and 235 calories per three ounces.
So know another things about organ meats – traditional foods for kids
5. Soybeans
A half-cup of cooked soybeans contains 4.4 mg of iron and 149 calories.
6. Pumpkin Seeds
Just in time for the season, an ounce of roasted pumpkin and squash seed kernels contain 4.2 mg of iron and 148 calories.
Try cranberry and pumpkin seed cookies or best roasted pumpkin seeds recipe
7. White Beans
White beans deliver 3.9 mg of iron and 153 calories per half cup.
Great to have white bean chili on cold days.
8. Blackstrap Molasses
One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses offers 3.5 mg of iron and 47 calories.
Blackstrap molasses can also give you more potassium to avoid leg cramps, for example.
9. Lentils
Hearty lentils are delicious and nutritious: one half-cup offers 3.3 mg of iron and 115 calories.
Taste ethiopian lentil dish.
10. Spinach
Cooked spinach follows closely behind lentils. One half-cup has 3.2 mg of iron and 21 calories.
Did you enjoy this article? Please share it!
By Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips on Dec 9, 2008 | Reply
Wow. Was I glad to see spinach at the bottom of your list. I was scrolling through thinking “No, that’s not in my diet. Next. No, that’s not part of my usual diet”.
By Summit on Dec 10, 2008 | Reply
Thank you for telling me that beans are there
I am crazy about usage of Soya bean and White beans in my recipes
Thanks alot, nice I would surely look forward to this list to be a part of my recipes
By Taylor on Dec 13, 2008 | Reply
That was a bit of a relief. :) Normally when I think of iron, I think of liver, which I don’t like. :O But clams, I love. :)
By Sanavas on Mar 18, 2009 | Reply
My favourite is beef lever and I am happy to know that lever contains lots of iron.
By British Recipes on Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
Hi Alex,
You missed one… Guiness. Well ok, its not a traditional food source. However, my Gran swore by it, saying “Its full of Iron so its good for you”. I’m happy to say I am using the same excuse today for drinking it.
Please don’t rubbish my claim, as it may cause me to question my drinking habits ( if only briefly) lol.
All the best