What Is Iron & What Foods Can I Find It In?
Iron is an important trace mineral.
One of its main tasks is to make hemoglobin. Dietary iron has two main forms: heme and non-heme.
Plant sources and iron-fortified foods only contain non-heme iron.
But meat, seafood, and poultry contain both heme and non-heme iron.
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Iron Is Very Important
Iron is a mineral that has many different roles in the body. It’s vital for making hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein contained in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. Iron also plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy immune system. (source ◳)
Almost two-thirds of the body iron is found in hemoglobin. (source ◳)
Iron has many benefits. You can see them in Iron, Fe: 8 Research-Backed Benefits .
Heme vs. Non-Heme Iron
You can find two types of dietary iron in food.
They are called heme iron and non-heme iron. Animal products, such as meat, poultry, and fish, contain both heme and non-heme iron.
Foods from plant sources only provide non-heme iron. The body does not absorb non-heme iron as well as heme iron.
It makes it hard for vegetarians, vegans, and other non-meat eating people to get enough iron from foods alone. (source ◳)
Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world. (source ◳)
Foods You Can Find Iron, Fe In
You find Iron, Fe mostly in spices and herb, american indian and alaska native food, breakfast cereal, and baby food products.
Examples of food sources include
- Thyme
- Basil
- Spearmint
- Marjoram
- Beluga Whale Meat
- Ralston Enriched Wheat Bran Flakes
- Oatmeal Cereal
Foods That Contain Iron, Fe In Our Nutrition Tool
You can find regularly updated top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most Iron, Fe we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Iron, Fe.