Iron Rich Foods: Top 10 Iron Suppliers

Iron Rich Foods

130 5 minutes read

Many people spontaneously think of spinach when they think of iron-rich foods. But there are many other sources of iron. Here you can find out why iron is so important for the body and which foods contain a lot of iron.

It’s true, for a long time spinach was considered the iron-rich food par excellence, until new calculations showed that a small error had crept in. Nevertheless, spinach is still one of the major sources of iron. But there are many other foods that are rich in this trace element. Meat, for example, but also cereals or pulses, which is very important for vegetarians and vegans.
But why should we make sure to eat enough iron-rich foods in the first place? There are several reasons. The most important function of iron is to transport oxygen in the blood. If we do not take in enough iron with our food and have a deficiency, the body is poorly supplied with oxygen. We feel tired, have trouble concentrating and are irritable.

How much iron do we need?

To avoid deficiency symptoms in the first place, we should eat iron-rich foods regularly. This is the only way we can meet our daily iron requirements.

However, our iron needs depend on various factors such as age and gender. For example, women need more iron than men, while children need less iron than adults.

The Nutrition Society recommends the following iron intake:

The iron requirements of babies & children (in mg/day):

Babies up to 4 months: 0.5 mg
Babies up to 11 months: 8 mg
Children from 1 to 9 years: 8-10 mg

Iron requirements of adolescents (in mg/day):

Boys from 10 to 19 years: 12 mg
Girls from 10 to 19 years: 15 mg

Adult iron requirements (in mg/day):

Men from 19 years: 10 mg
Women from 19 to 50 years: 15 mg
Women > 50 years : 10 mg

Iron requirement of women in case of pregnancy (in mg/day):

Pregnant women 30 mg
Lactating women 20 mg

Vegetarians and vegans in particular should watch their intake and eat enough iron-rich foods. However, this is no cause for concern! We present iron-rich foods from meat to vegetarian and vegan varieties so that you can prevent a possible iron deficiency.

What is the best way for the body to absorb iron?

It is best to eat all foods regularly, because the iron from them is utilized differently by our bodies.

For example, the body absorbs iron from animal foods particularly well, whereas it has more difficulty with iron from plant foods such as vegetables or cereals. But here, too, there is a trick: Combine especially plant-based iron-containing foods with a little vitamin C, which improves the body’s absorption of iron.

For example, have a glass of orange juice with your oatmeal at breakfast or eat some berries or other fruit for dessert.

Good to know: Black tea, coffee or milk, on the other hand, hinder the body’s absorption of iron!

1. foods containing iron: pulses such as lentils.

Whether red, brown or green: lentils are very good sources of iron and, because they are purely vegetable, are particularly popular with vegans and vegetarians. On average, 100 grams of dried lentils contain about 8 milligrams of iron. The canned variety, on the other hand, contains only 2.4 milligrams, so it is better to use dried lentils.

Other pulses such as chickpeas, beans and soybeans also contain plenty of iron:

white beans: 6.5 mg per 100 g
Chickpeas: 6.0 mg per 100 g
Soybeans: 6.6 mg per 100 g
Tofu: 3.7 mg per 100 g

2. iron-rich foods: oatmeal

Oatmeal is also an excellent iron-containing food. 100 grams contain 5.5 milligrams of iron. So eat oatmeal for breakfast again!

But the other cereals do not have to hide:

Wheat: 3.2 mg per 100 g
Rye: 2.8 mg per 100 g
Barley: 2.8 mg per 100 g
Green spelt: 4.4 mg per 100 g

3. iron-containing foods: chanterelles

Too bad the chanterelle season is so short! The brown mushrooms are very good sources of iron. 100 grams contain about 6.5 milligrams of iron. In the dried variety, the value rises even higher: 100 g of dried chanterelles have 17.2 milligrams of iron.

Other types of mushrooms cannot keep up with this. Mushrooms and the like contain on average only about 1 milligram of iron.

4 Iron-containing foods: millet

Have you ever eaten millet? If not, you should try the little yellow grain. It tastes wonderfully nutty and is extremely healthy thanks to its high iron content. 100 grams of millet contain 7 milligrams of iron.

By the way, millet is just as quick and easy to prepare as couscous or bulgur. Simply cook it in vegetable broth according to package instructions and serve it as a side dish with vegetables, meat or fish.

Besides millet, there are two other pseudo-cereals that belong to the group of iron-rich foods: Quinoa and amaranth:

Quinoa: 8 mg per 100 g
Amaranth: 9 mg per 100 g

5. iron-rich foods: salsify

Black salsifies also deserve a regular place on our plate, because fresh they are one of the very good sources of iron when it comes to vegetables. 100 grams have about 3.3 milligrams of iron.

Other iron-rich vegetables are:

Purslane: 3.6 mg per 100 g
Lamb’s lettuce: 2 mg per 100 g

6. iron-rich foods: spinach

Spinach was long considered THE iron source par excellence, until it turned out that the green vegetable was not quite as bursting with iron as Popeye had led us to believe.

Nevertheless, when it comes to iron-rich foods, spinach is a must. After all, it contains about 3.4 milligrams of iron per 100 grams.

7. iron-containing foods: wholemeal rye bread

Who would have thought it: even a slice of bread can help fill our iron stores. But only if it is wholemeal bread. You won’t really get far with a croissant. 100 grams of wholemeal rye bread contains 2 milligrams of iron.

Other types of bread:

Pumpernickel: 1.9 mg per 100 g
Graham bread: 1.6 mg per 100 g
Wholemeal wheat bread: 2.0 mg per 100 g

8. foods containing iron: poultry

People often think of beef when they think of meat and iron content. But poultry also contains quite a bit of iron. For example, 100 grams of roast chicken leg contain 1.8 milligrams of iron. Liver contains more: 100 grams contain about 7.4 milligrams of iron.

Other poultry:

Duck: 2.5 mg per 100 g
Goose: 1.9 mg per 100 g
Turkey: 1.5 mg per 100 g

9. foods containing iron: meat

Meat is considered the best source of iron of all, because the body can best utilise the iron from animal foods. Offal is ideal because it has the highest iron content. But offal like heart and kidney is not for everyone. Besides, you should not eat them regularly, as they can contain harmful substances in large quantities.

It’s up to you which meat you choose. As far as iron content is concerned, there is hardly any difference.

Veal (breast, shank): 3 mg per 100 g
Veal (chop): 2.1 mg per 100 g
Veal (liver): 7.9 mg per 100 g
Beef (fillet): 2.3 mg per 100 g
Ground beef: 3 mg per 100 g
Beef (prime rib): 1.9 mg per 100 g
Beef (kidney): 9.5 mg per 100 g