Anemia is a blood disorder that occurs when your body does not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. There are different types of anemia, the most common of which is iron-deficiency anemia.
As its name implies, iron-deficiency anemia occurs when there is too little red blood cells because of too little iron. Iron is an essential mineral needed by the body to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body’s tissues. As a result, you may feel tired, out of breath and irritable. Conversely, chronic iron deficiency can lead to organ failure.
Iron-deficiency anemia is usually easily corrected by taking iron supplements in addition to increased consumption of iron-rich foods. There are two types of sources of dietary iron: heme and non-heme. Heme comes from sources that contain hemoglobin, such as meat, poultry and fish, while non-heme comes from plant sources. Your body absorbs the most iron from heme sources.
Below are 15 foods that have the highest iron content adapted from HealthAliciousNess.com. The current daily value (DV) for iron is 18 milligrams.
- Mollusks
Iron content per 3-ounce (85g) serving
Clams: 24mg (132% DV)
Oysters: 10.3mg (57% DV)
Cuttlefish: 9.2mg (51% DV)
Whelk: 8.6 mg (48% DV)
Octopus: 8.1mg (45% DV)
Mussels 5.8mg (32% DV)
Abalone: 3. 3.2mg (18% DV)
Scallops 2.5mg (14% DV)
- Liver (pork, beef, chicken, turkey)
Iron content per 4-ounce (113g) serving: 26mg (146% DV)
- Mushrooms
Iron content per 1- cup serving
Morel: 8.04mg (45% DV)
White Mushrooms, cooked: 2.7mg (15%DV)
Chanterelle Mushrooms: 1.8mg (10% DV)
Oyster Mushrooms 1.1mg (6% DV)
Shiitake Mushrooms, cooked: 0.72mg (4% DV)
- Dried fruits
Iron content per 1-cup serving
Apricot: 7.51mg (42% DV)
Peaches: 6.5mg (36% DV)
Prunes & Currants: 4.7mg (26% DV)
Raisins: 4.3mg (24% DV)
Pears: 3.8mg (21% DV)
Figs: 3.1mg (17% DV)
Apples: 1.3mg (7% DV)
- Seeds
Iron content per 1-ounce (28g) serving
Pumpkin and squash seeds: 4mg (23% DV)
Sesame seeds: 4.1mg (23% DV)
Sunflower: 2mg (11% DV)
Flax: 1.6mg (9% DV)
- Nuts
Iron content per 1-ounce (28g) serving
Cashew: 1.7mg (9% DV)
(Pine nuts: 1.6mg (9% DV)
Hazelnuts: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Peanuts: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Almonds: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Pistachios: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Macadamia: 1.1mg 0(6% DV)
- Lean tenderloin
Iron content per 3-ounce (85g) serving
Beef: 3.1mg (17% DV)
Lamb: 2.3mg (13% DV)
- Beans and pulses
Iron content per 1-cup (cooked)
White beans: 6.6mg (37% DV)
Soybeans: 8.8mg (49% DV)
Lentils: 6.7mg (37% DV)
Kidney beans: 5.2mg 0522 (29% DV)
Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas: 4.7mg (26% DV)
Lima beans: 4.5mg (25% DV)
Navy: 4.3% (24% DV)
Black Beans: 3.6mg (20% DV)
Pinto: 3.6mg (20% DV)
Black-eyed Peas: 3.6mg (20% DV)
- Whole grains
Iron content per 1-cup (cooked)
Quinoa: 2.8mg (15% DV)
Oatmeal: 2.2mg (12% DV)
Barley: 2.2mg (12% DV)
Rice: 2.0mg (11% DV)
Bulgur: 1.8mg (10% DV)
Buckwheat: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Millet: 1.1mg (6% DV)
- Dark leafy greens
Iron content per 1-cup (cooked)
Spinach: 6mg (36% DV)
Swiss Chard: 4.0mg (22% DV)
Turnip Greens: 2.9mg (16% DV)
Kale, Raw: 1.1mg (6% DV)
Beet Greens, raw: 0.9mg (5% DV)
- Chocolate
Dark chocolate (1 square/29g): 5mg (28% DV)
Cocoa powder (1 cup): 11.9mg (66% DV)
Chocolate bar (1.5oz/ 44g): 1.1mg (6% DV)
- Tofu
Iron content per 100 grams: 2.7mg (15% DV)
Iron content per 1 cup (126g): 3.4mg (19% DV)
Iron content per 1/4 Block (81g): 2.2mg (12% DV)
- Olives
iron content per 100 grams: 3.32mg (18% DV)
- Asparagus
iron content per 100 grams: 2.14mg (12% DV)
iron content per cup (134g): 2.87mg (16% DV)
iron content per spear (20g): 0.43mg (2% DV)
- Berries
iron content per 1-cup serving
mulberries: 2.59mg (14% DV)
Elderberries (13%)
Raspberries: 1.6mg (9% DV)
Blackberries: 1.3mg (7% DV)
Strawberries: 1.1mg (6% DV)
Raspberries/Blackberries/Loganberries/ Wild Blueberries: 0.9mg (5% DV)
