Iron Rich Foods

Iron Rich Foods

When you eat food with iron, iron is absorbed into your body mainly through the upper part of your small intestine.

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and nonheme. Heme iron is derived from hemoglobin. It is found in animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin, such as red meats, fish, and poultry. Your body absorbs the most iron from heme sources. Nonheme iron is from plant sources.

Foods rich with Heme Iron
Foods rich with Non-Heme Iron
Three ounces of Beef: 3 mg iron
One cup cooked Enriched white rice or pasta: 1.9 mg iron
Three and a half ounces of Beef Liver: 7 mg iron
Half a cup Spinach, boiled: 3.2 mg iron
Three ounces of Chicken: 1.2 mg iron
Half a cup Green peas: 1.2 mg iron
One medium Egg: 1.0 mg iron
Half a cup cooked, Dried Peas or Beans: 2.0 mg iron
Half a cup Fish Tuna: 1.6 mg iron
Two tablespoons of Peanut butter: 6 mg iron
Three and a half ounces of Lean ham: 5 mg iron
One ounce of Fortified cereal: 4.5-18 mg iron
Three ounces of Oysters: 7.8 mg iron
Half a cup raw Tofu: 6.6 mg iron
Three ounces of Pork: 7 mg iron
One packet of Instant oatmeal: 6.3 mg iron
Three ounces of wild Salmon: 8 mg iron
One cup Lentils: 6.6 mg iron
One cup Kidney beans: 5.2 mg iron
One cup Garbanzo beans: 4.73 mg iron
One slice Wheat bread: 0.9 mg iron
Five whole Dried apricots: 1.9 mg iron
Five medium Prunes:1.2 mg iron
Half a cup Prune juice: 5.2 mg iron
Two tablespoons Raisins: 0.6 mg iron
One tablespoon Blackstrap molasses: 3.2 mg iron