If you’ve ever felt the symptoms of low iron such as fatigue, irritability, sleep issues or poor immunity, or your bloodwork reveals your levels are low, chances are you’ve tried supporting yourself with supplements or iron-rich foods. It seems simple; consume more iron → boost your levels → feel better. But it’s not always that simple… Even with a diet abundant in iron or the highest dose supplements, your levels may not significantly change. That’s exactly why we're diving into the full story on iron, the myths surrounding it, and how you can actually make a difference.
Why is Iron important?
Iron plays a crucial role within the body by producing haemoglobin – a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen – as well as supporting the production of red blood cells. Iron is important because it carries life-giving oxygen throughout the body. Without enough iron, the body and brain essentially just don’t function properly, and because iron plays a role in the immune system, the likelihood of infection and serious illness increases the longer iron levels are low. You can read more about the importance of iron in our blog here.
How Much Iron Do I Need?
Men and women need different amounts of iron, and the recommended levels shift throughout a woman’s life due to menstruation, and throughout pregnancy. Here’s an idea of the general NHS guidelines:
Functional nutritionists may differ, often recommending higher levels, unless risk of iron overload is present.
How common are low iron levels today, and why?
Diagnosed iron deficiency anaemia affects around 3% of men and 8-12% of women in the UK, but the picture is much broader: general iron deficiency affects 31.6% of men and up to 40% of young women, and 8.8% of the general population may have low iron levels without a formal diagnosis. Simply put, a lot of people are walking around iron-depleted without knowing it.
Common causes include menstruation (especially heavy periods), pregnancy, low dietary intake, chronic illness, and poor absorption or gut health. Modern dietary shifts haven't helped; British diets now include far less red meat and organ meats than previous generations, meaning less easily absorbed heme iron. Our grandparents ate beef liver and kidney regularly, but today, these nutrient-dense foods have all but disappeared from the table.
How gut health could be impacting your iron levels
Absorbing iron is just as important as consuming it. Low stomach acid, leaky gut, and an imbalanced microbiome can all impair absorption. Supporting stomach acid with bitter foods, strengthening the gut barrier, and promoting microbiome diversity can all help. Read Josh's blog on fixing your gut health here for a deeper dive on this topic. It's also worth noting that synthetic supplements may further disrupt gut health, as unabsorbed iron can irritate the gut lining, increase oxidative stress, and alter the microbiome, which is why many people ask us about natural alternatives like Beef Liver or Beef Spleen as part of a broader protocol.
As you can see, supporting your iron levels isn't as simple as it sounds, and navigating the health world can be confusing, so let’s address a few myths around iron…
4 Iron Myths & Realities
1.) Myth: “You can get just as much iron from plant & animal sources”
Reality: Plant foods contain non-heme iron, whilst animal foods contain heme iron. Non heme iron has a much lower rate of absorption (known as bioavailability) than animal foods, ranging from 2%-20%. Heme iron from animal foods is 15-35% bioavailable. This might not sound like a big difference, but to put it into perspective; you’d have to eat at least 600-800g of spinach to get the same amount of iron you’d find in 1 serving (15g) of our Organic Grass-Fed Beef Liver capsules, and that's a big difference.
Some of the richest sources of iron include:
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Grass-Fed beef
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Pasture raised chicken
2.) Myth: “It doesn’t matter when I eat iron or what I mix it with”
Reality: Iron is absorbed more efficiently on an empty stomach, or combined with specific nutrients that aid absorption. There are also key foods and ‘anti-nutrients’ that can block or significantly hinder iron absorption. Here are some of the key types to avoid consuming alongside iron, to maximise your absorption rate:
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Tannins, found in tea and coffee
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Lectins, found in legumes, grains, nuts and seeds
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Phytates, also found in legumes, grains, nuts and seeds
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Calcium, found in dairy products, leafy greens, and sesame seeds
Traditional preparation methods like soaking and sprouting can help reduce these anti-nutrients and improve digestion, and is what our ancestors would have done. Learn more about it from the Weston A Price foundation’s guide to grain preparation here.
When it comes to animal-based iron from meat and organ meats like Beef Liver and Beef Spleen, anti-nutrients are less likely to hinder absorption, and these foods even contain what it known as the ‘meat factor’, meaning the iron within them can even help increase the amount absorbed from other iron-containing foods on your plate. To increase absorption even more, combine iron-rich foods with those high in vitamin C such as citrus, peppers, berries and kiwi.
3.) Myth: “Daily high dose iron supplements are always the most effective way to boost iron levels”
Reality: Synthetic iron supplements like ferrous sulphate and ferrous fumarate are effective, but commonly cause nausea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Unabsorbed iron remaining in the gut may disrupt gut health, irritating the gut lining, increasing oxidative stress, and disrupting the microbiome, promoting harmful bacteria while reducing protective ones. For this reason, we prefer food-based options like Beef Liver or Beef Spleen, though we recommend working with a healthcare practitioner to find the right approach for you.
Whichever form you choose, consider that daily supplementation may not actually be optimal, and you might benefit from choosing an alternate-day protocol. Due to something known as the Hepcidin Effect, taking iron triggers a hormone that ‘locks’ your gut's iron channels for around 24 hours, suppressing absorption. This means taking iron daily may result in part of it not actually being absorbed, and instead left in the gut, which can lead to familiar symptoms of iron supplementation like nausea. Supplementing every other day - rather than daily - allows hepcidin to return to baseline, resulting in significantly better absorption per dose.
4.) Myth: “Supplements are enough”
Reality: Even if you’re taking the very best supplements with the highest bioavailability, your diet and lifestyle still matter. Inflammation, poor gut health, excessive consumption of anti-nutrients and a diet lacking in nutrient-dense foods can all prevent you from meaningfully increasing your levels. If we needed to focus on increasing our iron levels, here’s how we’d put it all together:
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Address gut issues and focus on healing leaky gut. Read Josh’s blog for insights here
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Consume iron-rich foods regularly, because they naturally contain important co-factor nutrients like copper, which your body needs in order to prosperity absorb and make use of iron. Our Organic Grass Fed Beef Liver and Organic Grass Fed Beef Spleen contain copper and iron in their natural, perfectly balanced form.
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If you’re choosing a synthetic form of iron supplement, work with a healthcare provider who can help determine the best type for you, and monitor for side effects.
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Avoid processed and artificially fortified foods. Many fortified breakfast cereals are supplemented with elemental iron (finely ground iron particles), which is the exact same type of metal used to make screws and nails, not the type found naturally in foods. This type of fortification makes the amount of iron on the packaging label appear impressive, without raising iron status as much as people assume.
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Look for foods that can help enhance and balance absorption, like vitamin C from citrus, peppers and tomatoes, and lactoferrin, which naturally aids absorption and balance of iron levels, preventing iron overload too. You’ll find one of the best sources of lactoferrin in our Grass Fed Colostrum.
Iron Levels Still Not Rising? This Could Be Why
Despite eating an iron-rich diet and supplementing, some people notice their iron levels still don’t shift. If this sounds familiar to you, here’s what to consider:
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Are you getting enough iron in the first place? Even if you eat a range of foods, spending a week or so tracking your iron intake can be a useful way to determine whether you’re consuming enough.
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Are you consuming iron blockers close to your iron foods or supplements? Remember to avoid tannins, lectins, phytates and calcium when possible close to iron - track your diet for a week and reflect on where you could make changes to improve absorption.
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Do you have low stomach acid? Iron from foods needs an acidic environment in order to be reduced and prepared properly for digestion and absorption. High stress or infections like H.pylori can contribute to low stomach acid, as can taking medications like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as lansoprazole and omeprazole.
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Is your small intestine damaged? Most iron absorption occurs in the duodenum and upper jejunum - the upper parts of your small intestine. If you have coeliac disease, small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Giardia and other parasites, your small intestine may be damaged and unable to absorb sufficient amounts of iron. That’s why we feel supporting gut healing is key to healthy iron levels. You’ll find our gut and digestion bundle here.
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Do you have chronic inflammation? Knowledgeable practitioner Lucinda Miller the ‘nature Doc’ says: “Ongoing inflammation triggers a rise in the hormone hepcidin, which causes the body to lock iron into storage rather than releasing it into circulation. This is known as anaemia of chronic disease and is a protective response, since bacteria thrive on iron, but one that leaves you depleted even when your ferritin looks normal. This can be driven by gut dysbiosis, viral load, food sensitivities and autoimmune activity. If your ferritin is normal or high but your haemoglobin or MCV is low, or if your inflammation markers, CRP or ESR, are elevated, discuss this pattern with your practitioner.”
The Essentials & Key Takeaways
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Iron absorption matters as much as iron intake. Consuming iron-rich foods or supplements means little if your gut isn't absorbing it properly. Low stomach acid, leaky gut, and an imbalanced microbiome can all quietly undermine your iron levels, no matter how much you consume.
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Not all iron is created equal. Heme iron from animal sources is absorbed at a rate of 15–35%, compared to just 2–20% for non-heme iron from plants. Food-based sources like beef liver and beef spleen offer far superior bioavailability than most people realise.
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Timing and food combinations make a real difference. Anti-nutrients found in coffee, tea, grains, and legumes can significantly block iron absorption. For best results, consume iron away from these foods and pair it with vitamin C-rich foods to enhance uptake.
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Daily supplementation isn't always the best approach. The hepcidin effect means your gut's iron channels can be "locked" for around 24 hours after taking iron, making daily dosing less efficient than alternating days — and more likely to cause digestive side effects.
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Supplements alone won't fix the problem. Without addressing underlying inflammation, gut health, and diet quality, even high-quality supplements will only get you so far. A whole-food approach, combined with lifestyle changes, is the most effective long-term strategy for restoring healthy iron levels.
Unsure where to start? Here’s what customers are telling us about their experience with Beef Liver and Beef Spleen:
“I’ve been using these for a few months now to correct an iron deficiency (alongside floradix too). With these you don’t get the horrible side effects that come with prescription iron. My dizziness, anxiety, heart palpitations and fatigue have all gone!” - Chelsey B.
“I waited to review this product until I had had my iron levels retested. I have had low ferritin levels for 6 years, never managing to get them above 12. After taking this product for a couple of months my levels have increased from 11 to 24. It’s still outside the ideal range but at least it’s moving in the right direction finally.” - Hannah J. (Beef Spleen)
“This is my third purchase of this now and its an absolute necessity in my routine. I've been taking during my luteal and menstrual phase and it's been a game changer for my energy levels. It's also shown a huge improvement in my skin and hair although not the reason I actually get these” - Tracey P. (Beef Liver)
“Gives me energy. Having been diagnosed with coeliac disease a year ago I find that I can absorb the nutrients in these supplements. I feel the difference in my body. No more anaemia. They are worth every penny.” - Rachael S.
Note: if you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia, it is important to consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or supplementation.
- Emma & the APE Team