Iron-Rich Foods
Very good sources of heme iron, with 3.5 milligrams or more per serving, include:
3 ounces of beef or chicken liver
3 ounces of clams, mollusks, or mussels
3 ounces of oysters
Good sources of heme iron, with 2.1 milligrams or more per serving, include:
3 ounces of cooked beef
3 ounces of canned sardines, canned in oil
3 ounces of cooked turkey
Other sources of heme iron, with 0.7 milligrams or more per serving, include:
3 ounces of chicken
3 ounces of halibut, haddock, perch, salmon, or tuna
3 ounces of ham
3 ounces of veal
Iron in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach is nonheme iron. This is the form of iron added to iron-enriched and iron-fortified foods. Our bodies are less efficient at absorbing nonheme iron, but most dietary iron is nonheme iron.
Brown sugar:
1.6 mg iron/cup (1 cup = 8 liq oz)