Foods With Iron

Most iron rich foods are animal in origin. For this reason, it can be tricky for vegans, vegetarians and people who avoid red meats to get enough iron in a day. Luckily, there are plenty of supplements you can take, but if you’d rather get iron through your daily diet, you’ll want to incorporate some red meats and other foods rich in iron into your diet.



Iron is important for weight loss as your body needs iron to produce red blood cells, which are required to oxygenate and burn fat and calories. This is why starvation diets don’t work: if you don’t eat foods that are high in iron, you won’t effectively lose fat, only muscle and organ weight. You need to have food high in iron if you want to stay in shape.



If you don’t have any good sources of iron in food, you may feel lethargic and fatigued even when you’ve eaten and rested. People who get enough iron in a day tend to be more up and active throughout the day.


To be clear, overdosing on iron will not help you burn fat more quickly. Oxygenated blood is a necessity for any effective fat burning, but that doesn’t mean that an extra piece of liver will result in double-time fat burning. You can overdose on iron just as easily as you can overdose on sugar, so be reasonable while arranging your diet.

Iron Rich Foods for Iron Deficiency Anemia

For iron deficiency anemia in women, a diet with iron rich foods along with iron supplements is often recommended. Absorption of iron from food is influenced by multiple factors. One important factor being the form of the iron. Heme Iron, found in animal sources, is highly available for absorption. Non-heme iron on the other hand, found in vegetable sources, is less available. Iron rich foods of an iron rich diet are listed below:

Iron Rich Foods containing Heme Iron

Excellent Sources Good Sources

# Clams # Beef
# Pork Liver # Shrimp
# Oysters # Sardines
# Chicken Liver # Turkey
# Mussels
# Beef Liver

Iron Rich Foods containing Non-Heme Iron

Excellent Sources Good Sources

# Enriched breakfast cereals # Canned beans
# Cooked beans and lentils # Baked potato with skin
# Pumpkin seeds # Enriched pasta
# Blackstrap Molasses # Canned asparagus

Warning: Pregnant women should not eat liver because of its very high Vitamin A content. Large amounts of Vitamin A can be harmful to the baby.The absorption of Non-heme iron can be improved when a source of heme iron is consumed in the same meal. In addition, the iron
absorption-enhancing foods can also increase the absorption of non-heme iron. While some food items can enhance iron absorption, some can inhibit or interfere iron absorption. Avoid eating them with the iron-rich foods to maximize iron absorption.

Iron Absorption Enhancers

Iron Absorption Inhibitors

* Meat/fish/poultry
* Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit etc
* Vegetables: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers
* White wine
* Red Wine, Coffee & Tea
* Vegetables: Spinach, chard, beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potato
* Whole grains and bran
* Soy products