12 Healthy Foods That Are High in Iron

Key Takeaways

• Iron helps carry oxygen in blood; low intake can lead to deficiency and fatigue.
• Clams, beef liver, and lentils offer some of the highest iron amounts per serving.
• Spinach, tofu, and dark chocolate also add iron; pair plant sources with vitamin C.

Iron is a mineral that serves several important functions, its main one being to carry oxygen throughout your body as a part of red blood cells (

The Daily Value (DV) for iron is 8-18 mg for non-pregnant adults. A deficiency can occur if your intake is too low to replace the amount you lose daily (

Interestingly, the amount of iron your body absorbs is partly based on how much you have stored.

Iron deficiency can cause anemia and lead to symptoms like fatigue. Menstruating women who don’t consume iron-rich foods are at a particularly high risk of deficiency.

Here are 12 healthy foods that are high in iron.

Shellfish is tasty and nutritious. All shellfish is high in iron, but clams, oysters, and mussels are particularly good sources.

For instance, a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of clams may contain up to 3 mg of iron, which is 17% of the DV (

Organ meats are extremely nutritious. Popular types include liver, kidneys, brain, and heart — all of which are high in iron.

For example, a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of beef liver contains 6.5 mg of iron, or 36% of the DV (

Organ… Show more

Legumes are loaded with nutrients.

Some of the most common types of legumes are beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and soybeans.

They’re a great source of iron, especially for vegetarians. One cup (198 grams) of cooked lentils contains 6.6… Show more

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Pumpkin seeds are a tasty, portable snack.

A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of pumpkin seeds contains 2.5 mg of iron, which is 14% of the DV (

In addition, pumpkin seeds are a good source of vitamin K, zinc, and manganese. They’re also among… Show more

Turkey meat is a healthy and delicious food. It’s also a good source of iron, especially dark turkey meat.

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion of dark turkey meat has 1.4 mg of iron, which is 8% of the DV (

In comparison, the same amount of white… Show more

Broccoli is incredibly nutritious. A 1-cup (156-gram) serving of cooked broccoli contains 1 mg of iron, which is 6% of the DV (

What’s more, a serving of broccoli also packs 112% of the DV for vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the… Show more

Dark chocolate is incredibly delicious and nutritious.

A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving contains 3.4 mg of iron, which is 19% of the DV (

This small serving also packs 56% and 15% of the DVs for copper and magnesium, respectively.

In… Show more

Fish is a highly nutritious ingredient, and certain varieties like tuna are especially high in iron.

In fact, a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving of canned tuna contains about 1.4 mg of iron, which is approximately 8% of the DV (

Fish is also… Show more

Iron is an important mineral that must be consumed regularly as your body cannot produce it on its own.

Yet, it should be noted that some people need to limit their intake of red meat and other foods high in heme iron.

However, most people are easily able to regulate the amount they absorb from food.

Remember that if you don’t eat meat or fish, you can boost absorption by including a source of vitamin C when eating plant sources of iron.