Sunday, January 10, 2010

Foods That Provide High Iron

Seafood like clams are high in iron.


Iron is a metal found in trace amounts in human blood. Humans need iron to fortify their blood and improve health because low amounts can result in anemia and other health problems. According to Blood Book, women need about 18 mg of iron a day while men need about 10 mg. Older women need 10 mg of iron, and children need around 10 to 15 mg depending on their age. Pregnant women need between 30 to 60 mg for optimum health. Eating a diet rich in high-iron foods will prevent anemia and health problems associated with iron deficiencies.








Broccoli


Broccoli is high in iron and high in vitamin C, which helps the blood with iron absorption. Green vegetables such as broccoli are noted for high levels of iron, but it is the vitamin C in the broccoli that makes it an ideal high-iron vegetable because it absorbs the iron. Some green vegetables have high iron amounts but also prevent the absorption of iron into the blood stream because of acids in the vegetable, such as cooked spinach.


Seaweed


Seaweed, which is a type of sea vegetable, is very high in iron. Foods that contain seaweed include seaweed soup and miso soup. The type of seaweed makes a difference in iron content, but all seaweed types have high levels. According to Fat Free Kitchen, the typical levels of iron in a serving of seaweed are 18 to 42 mg of iron.


Clams


Clams are a meat option that is high in iron. The iron found in clams is different from the iron found in vegetables because it is heme iron. Heme iron is easier for the human body to absorb than non-heme iron, making clams an ideal option for anyone with low iron. Clams have 23.8 milligrams of iron per 3-oz. serving of clam meat.


Liver


Liver also has high levels of heme iron. Like clams, the iron absorbs easily into the human body and blood. Although liver has high levels of iron, it also has high levels of vitamin A, so pregnant women should not eat liver for iron because vitamin A is bad for unborn babies. Anyone who is not pregnant can eat liver for iron without bad side effects.

Tags: high iron, high levels, levels iron, with iron, women need, also high