•  
  •  

Getting Enough Iron

Topic Overview

How much dietary iron is recommended each day?

Recommended daily amounts of iron from food1
Men

Adult

8 mg
Women

Adult (age 50 and older)

8 mg

Adult (ages 19 to 50)

18 mg

Pregnant

27 mg

Lactating

9 mg to 10 mg
Adolescents (ages 9 to 18)

Girls

8 mg to 15 mg

Boys

8 mg to 11 mg
Children (birth to age 8)

Ages 4 to 8

10 mg

Ages 1 to 3

7 mg

Infants (7 months to 1 year)

11 mg

Infants (birth to 6 months)

0.27 mg

What foods are high in iron?

You can get iron from many types of food made from animals and plants. Beef and turkey are good sources of iron from meats. Beans are good sources of iron from plants.

Iron-fortified foods includes cereals.

Meat and poultry2
  Serving size Iron (mg)

Beef (ground)

3 oz

2 mg

Chicken

3 oz

1 mg

Turkey

3 oz

1 mg–2 mg

Fruits and vegetables2
  Serving size Iron (mg)

Beans (cooked or canned)

1 cup

1 mg–5 mg

Potato (baked)

1 medium

2 mg

Raisins

1 cup

3 mg

Spinach (cooked)

1 cup

6 mg
     

Cereals and grains2
  Serving size Iron (mg)

Cereals (iron-fortified, ready to eat)

1 cup

4 mg–18 mg

Oatmeal (instant)

1 cup

4 mg

Rice (white, enriched)

1 cup

3 mg

References

Citations

  1. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (2011). Dietary reference intakes (DRIs): Recommended dietary allowances and adequate intakes, elements. Available online: http://iom.edu/Activities/Nutrition/SummaryDRIs/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/New%20Material/2_%20RDA%20and%20AI%20Values_Vitamin%20and%20Elements.pdf.
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (2010). Nutrient data laboratory. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23. Available online: http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl.

Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology
Last Revised April 8, 2011

Last Revised: April 8, 2011

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

To learn more visit Healthwise.org

© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.