Iron In Your Diet?

So I mentioned that I've been attempting to eat more healthfully (fewer processed foods, more veggies, that sort of thing) and keeping an eye on nutrition.  Looking at my daily tracker, I find that I generally eat plenty of vitamin A and vitamin C (and I always eat too many sugars). But I appear to be consistently low in iron consumption.

So, 100 things meme entry...

IRON

Iron, one of the most abundant metals on Earth, is essential to most life forms and to normal human physiology.

Iron is an integral part of many proteins and enzymes that maintain good health and is an essential component of proteins involved in oxygen transport in the body.  Iron dificiency limits oxygen delivery to cells, resulting in fatigue, and decreased immunity.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and not only in developing nations.  In contrast with other vitamin deficiencies, iron dificiency persists in developed countries: 19% of the population in the Americas and 10% in Europe.

On the other hand, excess amounts of iron can lead to toxicity and even death.  Iron is much more toxic than many prescription drugs, and is a leading cause of poisoning death in children. (Ten adult-strength ferrous sulfate tablets can kill a small child.)



IRON IN FOOD?

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and nonheme.

Heme iron comes from hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells and is found in animal foods such as red meat, fish, and poultry.

Iron in plants is arranged in a chemical structure called nonheme iron.

“Heme iron” is well absorbed.  “Non-heme-iron” is not.  The absorption rates for heme iron range from 15% to 35%, and is not significantly affected by diet. In contrast, the absorption rate for nonheme iron from plant foods is 2% to 18% and is significantly influenced by other food components. 

Meat protein and vitamin C will improve the absorption rate of nonheme iron, while some of the proteins found in soybeans will actually inhibit the absorption of non-heme-iron.

Plants only contain non-heme-iron.  Vegetarians, especially female vegetarians, should monitor their diets to ensure they’re consuming enough iron.


IRON RICH FOODS

DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The FDA requires all food labels to include the percent DV (%DV) for iron. The percent DV tells you what percent of the DV is provided in one serving. The DV for iron is 18 milligrams (mg). A food providing 5% of the DV or less is a low source while a food that provides 10–19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient.     

Food	Milligrams per serving	% DV*
Chicken liver, 3 ounces	11.0	61
Oysters, canned, 3 ounces	5.7	32
Beef liver, pan-fried, 3 ounces	5.2	29
Beef, chuck, blade roast, lean only, braised, 3 ounces	3.1	17
Turkey, dark meat, roasted, 3 ounces	2.0	11
Beef, ground, 85% lean, patty, broiled, 3 ounces	2.2	12
Beef, top sirloin, steak, lean only, broiled, 3 ounces	1.6	9
Tuna, light, canned in water, 3 ounces	1.3	7
Turkey, light meat, roasted, 3 ounces	1.1	6
Chicken, dark meat, meat only, roasted, 3 ounces	1.1	6
Chicken, light meat, meat only, roasted, 3 ounces	0.9	5
Tuna, fresh, yellowfin, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces	0.8	4
Crab, Alaskan king, cooked, moist heat, 3 ounces	0.7	4
Pork, loin chop, broiled, 3 ounces	0.7	4
Shrimp, mixed species, cooked, moist heat, 4 large	0.3	2
Halibut, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces	0.2	1

Food	Milligrams per serving	% DV*
Ready-to-eat cereal, 100% iron fortified, ¾ cup	18.0	100
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared with water, 1 packet	11.0	61
Soybeans, mature, boiled, 1 cup	8.8	48
Lentils, boiled, 1 cup	6.6	37
Beans, kidney, mature, boiled, 1 cup	5.2	29
Beans, lima, large, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.5	25
Ready-to-eat cereal, 25% iron fortified, ¾ cup	4.5	25
Blackeye peas, (cowpeas), mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.3	24
Beans, navy, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.3	24
Beans, black, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	20
Beans, pinto, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	21
Tofu, raw, firm, ½ cup	3.4	19
Spinach, fresh, boiled, drained, ½ cup	3.2	18
Spinach, canned, drained solids ½ cup	2.5	14
Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, boiled ½ cup	1.9	11
Raisins, seedless, packed, ½ cup	1.6	9
Grits, white, enriched, quick, prepared with water, 1 cup	1.5	8
Molasses, 1 tablespoon	0.9	5
Bread, white, commercially prepared, 1 slice	0.9	5
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice	0.7	4