A Call to My Iron Deficiency People – Let’s Rise Up! (But Not Too Fast)
How much are the current recommendations for healthy people?
- Women (ages 19-50 years): 18 mg iron per day
- Women (ages 19-50 years): 27 mg if pregnant; 9 mg if breastfeeding
- Men (ages 19 years and older): 8 mg iron per day
- Older women (ages 51 years and older): 8 mg iron per day
Ways to add iron into your day:
- Iron from meat, fish, and poultry is better absorbed than iron from plants.
- Include foods high in vitamin C such as citrus juice and fruits, melons, dark green leafy vegetables, and potatoes with your meals.
*This may help your body absorb more iron.
- Eat enriched or fortified grain products.
- Limit coffee and tea at mealtimes so as not to decrease iron absorption.
- Some cereals contain 18 mg iron per serving (such iron-fortified bran or whole grain).
Foods High in Iron (More Than 2 mg)
| Food Group | Food | Serving |
| Grains | Bagel, Biscuit, English Muffin, or Bran Muffin | 4 Inches |
| Cereals: 100% Iron-Fortified Bran or Whole Grain | ½ Cup | |
| Cereal, Other Dry | ½ Cup | |
| Hot Cereals: Instant Grits, Instant Oatmeal, Cream of Rice, or Cream of Wheat | ½ Cup | |
| Pasta Made from Garbanzo Beans or Lentils | 2 Ounces | |
| Pretzels | 2 Ounces | |
| Protein Foods | Beans: Baked Beans with Pork, Cannellini, Great Northern, Kidney, Lima, or White | ½ Cup |
| Lentils | ½ Cup | |
| Liver, Beef, or Chicken | 3 Ounces | |
| Meats: Beef, Lamb, or Pork | 3 Ounces | |
| Pumpkin Seeds | ¼ Cup | |
| Seafood: Clams, Oysters, Shrimp, or Sardines | 3 Ounces | |
| Soybeans | ½ cups | |
| Tahini | 2 Tablespoons | |
| Tempeh | 1 cup | |
| Veggie Burger | 1 | |
| Vegetables | Potatoes with Skin | 1 Medium |
| Spinach | ½ Cup Cooked | |
| Fruit | Prunes | 4 |
Foods Moderate in Iron (1-2 mg)
| Food Group | Food | Serving |
| Grains | Bread, Whole Wheat | 1 Slice |
| Oatmeal, Regular | ½ Cup | |
| Pasta, Egg Enriched | ½ Cup | |
| Pasta, Whole Grain | 2 Ounces | |
| Tortilla, Flour | 1 Each | |
| Protein Foods | Beans: Vegetarian Baked, Black, Garbanzo, or Pinto | ½ Cup |
| Egg or Egg Substitute | 1 Large or ¼ Cup Liquid | |
| Fish: Canned Tuna or Fresh or Canned Mackerel | 3 Ounces | |
| Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, Mixed, Pistachios, or Walnuts | ¼ Cup | |
| Peas, Dried and Cooked | ½ Cup | |
| Poultry: Chicken or Turkey | 3 Ounces | |
| Seeds: Sunflower or Sesame | ¼ Cup | |
| Tofu | ½ Cup | |
| Dairy and Dairy Alternatives | Soymilk | 1 Cup |
| Vegetables | Asparagus | 6 Spears |
| Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms, or Green Peas | ½ Cup | |
| Greens: Collards, Beet, Kale, Turnip, or Swiss Chard | 1 Cup Cooked | |
| Pumpkin, Canned | ½ Cup | |
| Sauerkraut, Canned | ½ Cup | |
| Tomato Sauce | ½ Cup | |
| Fruit | Apricots, Dried | 7 Halves |
| Prune Juice | ½ Cup | |
| Raisins | 5 Tablespoons | |
| Wheat Germ | 2 Tablespoons |
Iron Deficiency Anemia Sample Menu (1 Day)
| Breakfast | 1 Serving Citrus Fruit 2 3/4 Cup Raisin Bran Cereal 1 Egg 1 Slice Whole-Wheat Toast 1 Tsp Butter Substitute |
| Lunch | 3 Oz Tuna Fish 2 Slice Whole-Grain Bread ½ Cup Carrots1 Medium Apple 1 Tsp Mayonnaise ½ Cup Low-Fat or Non-fat Milk |
| Afternoon Snack | 1 Cup Nonfat Yogurt ½ Cup Grapes 1 Pear |
| Evening Meal | 3 Ounces Chicken 1 Medium Baked Potato, With Skin 1.5 Cups Mixed Salad 1 Tsp. Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing ½ Cup Low-Fat or Non-fat Milk |
Iron-Deficiency Anemia Sample Menu for Vegans (1 Day)
| Breakfast | 1 Cup Fortified Bran Cereal With Raisins 1 Cup Soymilk Fortified With Calcium, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D 1/2 Cup Strawberries |
| Morning Snack | 2 Tablespoons Walnuts |
| Lunch | 1 Cup Kidney Beans ½ Cup Sweet Potatoes, Mashed ½ Tablespoon Butter Substitute 1 Cup Raw Broccoli 1 Orange |
| Afternoon Snack | 3 Apricots, Dried 11 Almonds |
| Evening Meal | Stir-Fry Made with 1 Cup Tofu 1 Cup Brown Rice 1 Cup Spinach Cooked ¼ Cup Coconut Milk 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter |