You can reduce your risk of iron deficiency by choosing iron-rich foods.
Foods rich in iron include
- Red meat, pork and poultry
- Seafood
- Beans
- Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
- Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
- Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
- Peas
Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources.
If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as does someone who eats meat.
Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption, You can enhance your body’s absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron. Vitamin C is also found in:
- Broccoli
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Leafy greens
- Melons
- Oranges
- Peppers
- Strawberries
- Tangerines
- Tomatoes