While spinach will not endow you with superhuman strength to fight off villains like Popeye’s nemesis Bluto, this leafy green and other iron-rich foods can aid you in combating a different type of foe: iron-deficiency anemia.
Iron-deficiency The most common type of anemia is anemia, which is a decrease in the number of red blood cells caused by a lack of iron. Without enough iron, your body is unable to produce enough hemoglobin, a substance found in red blood cells that enables them to transport oxygen to the body’s tissues. As a result, you may experience weakness, fatigue, and irritability.
Around 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women, and 3% of men have insufficient iron in their bodies. In many cases, the solution is to consume more iron-rich foods.
The Way Your Body Utilizes Iron from Food
When you consume iron-fortified foods, iron is absorbed primarily through the upper portion of your small intestine.
Iron is available in two forms: heme and nonheme. Heme iron is a byproduct of hemoglobin. It is found in animal foods that were originally hemoglobin-containing, such as red meats, fish, and poultry (meat, poultry, and seafood contain both heme and non-heme iron). Most of the iron is absorbed by the body from heme sources. The majority of nonheme iron is derived from plants.
Foods high in iron
Excellent sources of heme iron, containing 3.5 milligrams or more per serving, include the following:
- 3 oz. beef or chicken liver
- mussels (3 oz.)
- oysters, 3 oz.
The following foods contain 2.1 milligrams or more of heme iron per serving:
- 3 oz. of cooked beef.
- 3 oz. oil-packed canned sardines
Additional sources of heme iron, containing 0.6 milligrams or more per serving, include the following:
- 3 ounces chicken
- 3 ounces cooked turkey
- ham (3 oz.)
- 3 ounces veal
Other sources of heme iron that contain at least 0.3 milligrams per serving include the following:
- 3 ounces of perch, salmon, or tuna
Nonheme iron is found in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach. This is the form of iron that is added to foods that are iron-enriched or iron-fortified. Our bodies absorb nonheme iron more slowly, but the majority of dietary iron is nonheme iron.
Nonheme iron sources that provide 3.5 milligrams or more per serving include the following:
- Iron-fortified breakfast cereals
- 1 cup drained cooked beans
- 12 cups of tofu
Nonheme iron sources that contain 2.1 milligrams or more per serving include the following:
- Half a cup of lima beans, red kidney beans, or chickpeas, canned
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1 cup cooked enriched egg noodles
- a quarter cup of wheat germ
- 1 ounce of seeds from pumpkin, sesame, or squash.
Other sources of nonheme iron containing at least 0.7 milligrams include the following:
- 12 cups of cooked split peas
- roasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, roasted cashews, or sunflower seeds 1 ounce
- Dried seedless raspberries, peaches, or princesses, half cup
- one medium stalk broccoli
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup of pasta (cooked, it becomes 3-4 cups)
- 1 bread slice, 1/2 small pumpernickel bagel, or bran muffin
- 1 cup brown or enriched rice
How to Increase Your Iron Consumption Through Food
Certain foods aid the body’s absorption of iron from iron-rich foods, while others obstruct it. To ensure that you absorb the maximum amount of iron from your food, avoid drinking coffee or tea or consuming calcium-rich foods or beverages with meals that contain iron-rich foods. Calcium itself is capable of interfering. To maximize iron absorption, combine it with a vitamin C-rich food such as orange juice, broccoli, or strawberries, or combine nonheme iron foods with meat, fish, or poultry products.
If you are having difficulty obtaining enough iron through food alone, you may require an iron supplement. However, consult your health care provider regarding the proper dosage and carefully follow their instructions. Due to the fact that the body excretes very little iron, iron can accumulate in body tissues and organs when the normal storage sites for iron — the liver, spleen, and bone marrow — are full. Although iron toxicity from food sources is uncommon, supplement overdoses can be fatal.