Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources. If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as someone who eats meat.
Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption
You can enhance your body's absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.
Food has two types of iron — heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is found in meat, fish and poultry, and is the form of iron that is most readily absorbed from your stomach and taken up into your body after you eat it. Non-heme iron is found in plant foods as well as meat. Foods with non-heme iron are still good to eat, but the iron contained in these foods won’t be absorbed as completely as heme iron. You absorb up to 30 percent of heme iron, found only in animal tissues (meat, poultry, and fish). You absorb 2-10 percent of non-heme iron, found in plant foods as well as meat. Eating meat generally boost your iron levels far more than eating non-heme iron. When you eat heme iron with other sources of non-heme iron, the iron is more completely absorbed. Foods high in vitamin C, like tomatoes, citrus fruits and red, yellow and orange peppers can also help with the absorption of non-heme iron.
| Food | Serving size | Iron (mg) |
| Vegetables and Fruits | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spinach, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 2.0-3.4 |
| Tomato puree | 125 mL (½ cup) | 2.4 |
| Edamame/baby soybeans, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.9-2.4 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 2.2 |
| Asparagus, raw | 6 spears | 2.1 |
| Hearts of palm, canned | 125 mL (½ cup) | 2.0 |
| Potato, with skin, cooked | 1 medium | 1.3-1.9 |
| Snow peas, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.7 |
| Turnip or beet greens, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.5-1.7 |
| Prune juice | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.6 |
| Apricots, dried | 60 mL (¼ cup) | 1.6 |
| Beets, canned | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.6 |
| Kale, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.3 |
| Green peas, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.3 |
| Tomato sauce | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.3 |
| Grains Products | ||
| Oatmeal, instant , cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 4.5-6.6 |
| Cream of wheat, all types, cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 5.7-5.8 |
| Cereal, dry, all types | 30 g (check product label for serving size) | 4.0-4.3 |
| Granola bar, oat, fruits and nut | 1 bar (32 g) | 1.2-2.7 |
| Cracker, soda | 6 crackers | 1.5-2.3 |
| Oat bran cereal, cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 2.0 |
| Pasta, egg noodles, enriched, cooked | 125 mL (½ cup) | 1.3 |
| Milk and Alternatives | ||
| Yogurt, soy | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 2.0 |
| Meats and Alternatives | ||
| Duck, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.8- 7.4 |
| Moose or venison, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.5-3.8 |
| Beef, various cuts, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.4-3.3 |
| Ground meat (beef, lamb), cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.3-2.2 |
| Lamb, various cuts, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.3-2.1 |
| Chicken, various cuts, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.4-2.0 |
| Pork, various cuts, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.5-1.5 |
| Ground meat (turkey, chicken, pork), cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.8-1.2 |
| Turkey, various cuts, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 0.3-0.8 |
| Organ Meats | ||
| Liver, pork ,cooked* | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 13.4 |
| Liver (chicken, turkey, lamb), cooked* | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 6.2-9.7 |
| Kidney, lamb, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 9.3 |
| Liver, beef ,cooked* | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 4.9 |
| Kidney (beef, veal, pork), cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.3-4.4 |
| Fish and Seafood | ||
| Octopus, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 7.2 |
| Oysters, cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 3.3-9.0 |
| Seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab), cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.2-2.3 |
| Sardines, canned | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.7-2.2 |
| Clams, canned | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 2.0 |
| Fish (mackerel, trout, bass), cooked | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.4-1.7 |
| Tuna, light, canned in water | 75 g (2 ½ oz) | 1.2 |
| Meat Alternatives | ||
| Tofu, cooked | 150 g (¾ cup) | 2.4-8.0 |
| Soybeans, mature, cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 6.5 |
| Lentils, cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 4.1-4.9 |
| Beans (white, kidney, navy, pinto, black, roman/cranberry, adzuki), cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 2.6-4.9 |
| Pumpkin or squash seeds, roasted | 60 mL (¼ cup) | 1.4-4.7 |
| Peas (chickpeas/garbanzo, black-eyed, split), cooked | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 1.9-3.5 |
| Tempeh/fermented soy product, cooked | 150 g (3/4 cup) | 3.2 |
| Meatless (sausage, chicken, meatballs, fish sticks), cooked | 75 g (2.5 oz) | 1.5-2.8 |
| Baked beans, canned | 175 mL (¾ cup) | 2.2 |
| Nuts (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia, pistachio nuts), without shell | 60 ml (¼ cup) | 1.3-2.2 |
| Eggs, cooked | 2 large | 1.2-1.8 |
| Sesame seeds, roasted | 15 mL (1 Tbsp) | 1.4 |
| Meatless, luncheon slices | 75 g (2.5 oz) | 1.4 |
| Hummus | 60 mL (¼ cup) | 1.4 |
| Almond butter | 30 mL (2 Tbsp) | 1.2 |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Blackstrap molasses | 15 mL (1 Tbsp) | 3.6 |
| Yeast extract spread (marmite or vegemite) | 30 mL (2 Tbsp) | 1.4 |
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