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Dietary advice on foods rich in iron

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The two forms of dietary irons (heme and nonheme) are supplied by a variety of sources. Most dietary irons are non heme irons (1).

  • heme iron
    • found in animal foods that contain haemoglobin
    • e.g. - chicken liver, oyster, beef, clams
  • non heme iron
    • found in plant foods
    • e.g. - lentils, soybeans, spinach
    • is the form of iron added to iron-enriched and iron-fortified foods (1)

Lentils contain more protein and iron than beef or lamb.

Other foods rich in iron include:

  • hazelnuts
  • apricots
  • whole rice
  • spinach
  • prunes

Vitamin C helps iron absorption.

Iron absorption is decreased by:

  • antacids
  • tetracyclines
  • phosphates
  • phytates - for example, in chapati flour

Reference:


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