Not sure if you’re getting enough iron in your diet? Or looking for easy ways to boost your iron, aside from taking supplements? Our US Dietician, Maddie, has all the answers.

Am I consuming enough iron?

Adults in the United States typically consume adequate amounts of iron, but those who are menstruating or pregnant are particularly susceptible to inadequate iron intake.

This is because menstruation and pregnancy come with increased iron intake needs. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA’s, the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of 97%–98% healthy individuals) for adult males is 8mg of iron per day, however adult females require significantly more iron, with a RDA of 18mg per day. 

Those who are pregnant require the most iron, at 27mg per day. While some people may require supplementation for their iron deficiency, you can boost your iron intake through the variety of foods you eat as well as how you eat them.

Incorporating a variety of iron rich foods into your diet

Focusing on variety in your diet can help you meet your nutrient needs, and iron is no exception.

Contrary to popular belief, red meat is not the only way to incorporate iron into your diet. Meat and animal products are rich in “heme iron”, which is the most bioavailable form of iron.

This means it is used efficiently by the body. While beef is certainly a good source of iron, chicken, eggs, milk, and tuna also contain iron. Plenty of plant-based foods are rich in “non-heme iron”, such as spinach, lentils, beans, tofu, flaxseed, oats and other fortified grains. 

Maximizing absorption

Pairing your iron rich foods with vitamin C can help you get the most of your iron absorption. This is because vitamin C enhances our body’s ability to absorb iron, and can even reverse the inhibiting effect of substances such as tea and calcium, which can interfere with iron absorption.

Some delicious pairings could include adding red bell peppers to your bean chili, or pairing your morning eggs & toast with a side of orange slices. 

Cooking in a cast iron pan

What you cook with can impact your iron intake. Studies have shown that cooking in a cast iron pan can increase blood hemoglobin levels, as well as significant improvement in the amount of iron in food and iron bioavailability. While the vast majority of your iron intake will come from foods (or supplements if you require them), this can be a way to boost your intake.

Iron fish

Beyond cast iron pans, there are iron tools that are designed to naturally boost the iron content of liquids. Studies have shown that tools like the “iron fish”, an FDA-certified ingot made with food-grade iron, can be an effective way to boost iron intake.

By adding this tool to acidic water (Acidic liquids can be soups or even just adding a couple drops of lemon juice to the water you are boiling to make rice), the product will release microscopic amounts of iron into the food. Much like the cast iron pan, this won’t cure iron-deficiency anemia or replace iron rich foods, but it can be used alongside other interventions to boost your iron intake.