Foods high in Iron, Fe

Iron lets red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, and without enough of it, cells are effectively starved for oxygen even when other nutrients are adequate, which is why low iron shows up first as fatigue and trouble concentrating rather than as an obvious symptom. Women of reproductive age generally need substantially more iron than men because of iron lost during menstruation, and needs rise further during pregnancy to support the growing blood supply. People who eat little or no meat, poultry, or seafood also tend to need more attention to iron, since the non-heme iron in plant foods is absorbed less efficiently than the heme iron in animal foods. The ranked list below reflects measured iron per the amount analyzed, so concentrated dried spices and fortified infant cereals often appear near the top even though they aren't realistic everyday sources at typical serving sizes. For most people, iron-fortified breakfast cereals, legumes such as lentils, and meat, poultry, and seafood are more practical contributors to look for further down the list. Pairing plant-based iron sources with a source of vitamin C at the same meal is one documented way to improve how much of that non-heme iron the body actually absorbs.

Adults need about 8.0000 MG/day (age 19-50 years) — NIH ODS Iron — Health Professional Fact Sheet (corroborated via Harvard Nutrition Source direct fetch, not directly re-fetched from ODS).