IRON SOURCES

You need extra iron for your growing baby and placenta, especially in the second and third
trimesters. It is important to get about 27 milligrams of iron a day, as anemia during
pregnancy has been associated with pre-term delivery, low birth weight and infant
mortality. You dont have to get the recommended amount of iron everyday. Instead aim
for that amount as an average over the course of a few days or weeks.
There are two forms of iron:

Non-heme iron is found in plants, ironfortified foods and supplements.

Heme iron is found in animal products
only. Heme iron is a lot easier for your
body to absorb.
To make sure your getting enough, eat a
variety of iron-rich foods everyday.

Common sources of heme

iron are found in red meat,
poultry and fish. 3 ounces is
about the size of a deck of
cards.

3 ounces of:

lean beef chuck 3.2 mg

lean beef tenderloin 3.0 mg

roast turkey, dark meat 2.0

mg

roasted turkey breast 1.4 mg

roasted chicken: 1.1 mg

halibut .9 mg

pork loin .8 mg

Common sources of non-heme iron:

1 cup iron-fortified cereal: 24 mg

1 cup fortified instant oatmeal: 10 mg

1 cup edamame (boiled soybeans): 8.8

mg

1 cup cooked lentils: 6.6 mg

1 cup cooked kidney beans: 5.2 mg

1 cup chickpeas: 4.8 mg

1 cup lima beans: 4.5 mg

1 ounce roasted pumpkin seeds: 4.2 mg

1 cup cooked black or pinto beans: 3.6

mg

1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses: 3.5

mg

1/2 cup raw firm tofu: 3.4 mg

1/2 cup boiled spinach: 3.2 mg

1 cup prune juice: 3.0 mg

1 slice whole wheat or enriched white

bread: 0.9 mg
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Make the most of the iron you eat!

Adding just a little meat or fish to a meal helps your body
absorb more of the iron thats present in other foods on your
plate. Below are a few tips on how to get
as much iron as possible from the food
you eat:
Cook in a cast-iron pan. Most acidic
foods like tomato sauce are great at
soaking up iron this way
Avoid coffee and tea with meals. They
contain compounds call phenols that
interfere with iron absorption
Calcium, outside of dairy products
reduces iron absorption, so if you take
calcium supplements or antacids that contain calcium, take
them between meals
Eat vitamin-C rich foods (orange juice, strawberries or
broccoli), especially with vegetarian sources of iron like
beans. It can increase iron absorption up to 6 times.

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