Facts on Finding Iron-Rich Foods

1. Oxygen and Iron Required

Iron has many jobs in the human body but the most important is its ability to help the blood carry oxygen to the body. If your body lacks iron, your blood can't carry enough oxygen which results in fatigue, and if your iron supply is low enough can lead to anemia. You get iron mainly from the foods you eat and getting enough iron is as simple as knowing which foods to eat.

2. Drink Orange Juice With That Steak

Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron so eating or drinking a small amount with your iron rich food is a good idea. You can get your vitamin C from any citrus fruit like oranges, lemons or limes and their juice, pineapple, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers, kiwi, sweet potatoes and melon. Caffeine can inhibit the absorption of iron so lay off the tea and coffee 15 minutes before and after you eat.

3. Popeye's Friend is Your Friend Too

Dark leafy greens like spinach, Popeye's favorite, are well known for their iron content but lots of other fruits and vegetables are good sources of iron. Fruit sources include apricots, currants, raisins and prunes. Vegetable sources of iron include avocados, broccoli, kale, spinach, collards, potatoes and asparagus.

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4. Meat Eaters Celebrate

The body likes iron from meat and absorbs it better than iron from other sources. But meat has it's downside, especially meat with high fat content. Fish is a good meat to eat if you want to get a rich iron source low in fat. Seafood, especially oysters and swordfish, is iron rich and so is tuna, especially if you get fresh or water packed tuna you can get all the benefits without the harmful fat. Turkey and chicken are good sources of iron and low in fat. Beef liver is one of the most well known but least loved sources of iron, but at over 5 mg of iron per serving it may be best to hold your nose and try it. Eat red meat to get iron but try to get less marbled, less fatty read meats and only eat them once or twice a week.

5. They're not Musical Fruits, They're Iron Rich Foods

Beans, lentils and whole grains provide iron too. Those "musical fruits," beans in almost all forms, have iron so get your daily requirement by eating kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, navy beans, green peas and lentils. Soy products like dried and fresh soybeans called edamame, tofu and soy milk have iron and can help vegetarians get the daily dose they need. Whole grains and iron fortified cereals do have iron and come in a wide variety so try brown rice, whole wheat or multi-grain breads and iron-fortified cereals and grains. Whole grains and cereals are not the best source of iron so try some of that vitamin C with them to boost iron absorption.