So, your doctor told you you have iron deficiency, or that you need to get more iron in your diet. The following tables show dietary levels of iron for many common foods.
They are divided into heme sources and non heme sources. Heme comes from the hemoglobin of red blood cells and are animal sources. Non heme sources are plants.
Table 1: Selected Food Sources of Heme Iron
Food Milligrams
per serving% DV* Chicken liver, cooked, 3½ ounces 12.8 70 Oysters, breaded and fried, 6 pieces 4.5 25 Beef, chuck, lean only, braised, 3 ounces 3.2 20 Clams, breaded, fried, ¾ cup 3.0 15 Beef, tenderloin, roasted, 3 ounces 3.0 15 Turkey, dark meat, roasted, 3½ ounces 2.3 10 Beef, eye of round, roasted, 3 ounces 2.2 10 Turkey, light meat, roasted, 3½ ounces 1.6 8 Chicken, leg, meat only, roasted, 3½ ounces 1.3 6 Tuna, fresh bluefin, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces 1.1 6 Chicken, breast, roasted, 3 ounces 1.1 6 Halibut, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces 0.9 6 Crab, blue crab, cooked, moist heat, 3 ounces 0.8 4 Pork, loin, broiled, 3 ounces 0.8 4 Tuna, white, canned in water, 3 ounces 0.8 4 Shrimp, mixed species, cooked, moist heat, 4 large 0.7 4
Table 2: Selected Food Sources of Nonheme Iron
Food Milligrams
per serving% DV* Ready-to-eat cereal, 100% iron fortified, ¾ cup 18.0 100 Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared with water, 1 cup 10.0 60 Soybeans, mature, boiled, 1 cup 8.8 50 Lentils, boiled, 1 cup 6.6 35 Beans, kidney, mature, boiled, 1 cup 5.2 25 Beans, lima, large, mature, boiled, 1 cup 4.5 25 Beans, navy, mature, boiled, 1 cup 4.5 25 Ready-to-eat cereal, 25% iron fortified, ¾ cup 4.5 25 Beans, black, mature, boiled, 1 cup 3.6 20 Beans, pinto, mature, boiled, 1 cup 3.6 20 Molasses, blackstrap, 1 tablespoon 3.5 20 Tofu, raw, firm, ½ cup 3.4 20 Spinach, boiled, drained, ½ cup 3.2 20 Spinach, canned, drained solids ½ cup 2.5 10 Black-eyed peas (cowpeas), boiled, 1 cup 1.8 10 Spinach, frozen, chopped, boiled ½ cup 1.9 10 Grits, white, enriched, quick, prepared with water, 1 cup 1.5 8 Raisins, seedless, packed, ½ cup 1.5 8 Whole wheat bread, 1 slice 0.9 6 White bread, enriched, 1 slice 0.9 6
*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. It is important to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet.