If you’ve ever been told your iron levels are low, its likely you’ve been advised to increase your intake of iron-rich foods, or maybe even supplements. The thing is, when it comes to iron, it’s not just about what you eat, but what you’re able to absorb that really matters. Many iron supplements such as ferrous sulphate can lead to unpleasant side effects like nausea and digestive distress, whilst others may be entirely ineffective. This is partly because our bodies are designed to consume nutrients in their whole-food state, not in isolation.
When we focus on obtaining iron through nutrition, this tends to be a much safer and gentler way to sustainably support iron levels… BUT it’s vital to know that many of the foods you may be led to believe are high in iron actually contain a type of iron that is hard to absorb and gain any benefit from. In this article, we’ll focus on the different types of iron, how to improve absorption, and what could be secretly sabotaging your efforts to feel more energised, stronger and vibrant.
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. If you tend to experience fatigue or tiredness, irritability, breathlessness, aches and pains, weakness, heart palpitations, a sore tongue or general tiredness, this could be down to low iron levels, which are common especially among women of reproductive age, and pregnant women. 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.
The top 10 benefits of iron include:
1. Maintains healthy energy levels
2. Supports a strong immune system
3. Aids brain health
4. Supports glowing skin
5. May boost sports performance
6. Improves sleep quality
7. Supports a healthy pregnancy
8. Replenishes lost iron for menstruating women, preventing fatigue
9. Maintains healthy hair
10. May help prevent depression and anxiety
As well as being important for general wellbeing, having strong iron levels allows us to feel energetic, emotionally balanced, strong and reduces the risk of thyroid issues or neurodegenerative diseases. Iron deficiency is thought to affect around 1 billion people world-wide, but even if you haven’t been diagnosed as deficient, it’s thought that around a third of the world’s population has lower than optimal levels, especially menstruating women.
Food Sources of Iron: Animals vs Plants
So, if you want to improve your iron levels naturally, you may have looked into the best foods to consume. The problem is that a quick ‘Google’ can bring up plenty of charts showing iron-rich foods, without mentioning the difference between heme and non-heme sources of iron.
Heme iron comes from animal foods, and is the type of iron most easily absorbed by the body. Depending upon an individual’s health, heme iron is absorbed at a rate of 15%-35%, compared to plant based non-heme iron, which is only absorbed at a rate of 2%-13%. If improving iron levels is something you want to focus on, it is therefore important to get plenty of iron from heme sources that absorb well. If I wanted to improve my iron levels, I know which type of iron I’d choose!
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Heme Iron
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Non Heme Iron
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Found in animal foods
Easily absorbed at a rate of 15-35% (some research also suggests a 40% absorption rate)
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Found in plant foods
Poorly absorbed at a rate of 2-13%, with other factors such as phytic acid and other anti-nutrients preventing absorption.
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And if you’re wondering whether those ‘iron fortified’ cereals and packaged snacks are worth buying, the answer is no… these foods, and many others with ‘iron fortified’ listed on the label, contain synthetic iron filings – literally iron ground down into a powder. Researchers have even shown you can extract this iron from the cereal with a magnet, which doesn’t sound like something we should be eating.
Absorbing Heme & Non-Heme Iron
As an example of how animal and plant foods stack up; 15g of liver provides 730mcg heme iron, whilst 30g spinach provides 810mcg non-heme iron. Whilst these values may look similar, remember that heme iron absorbs at a rate of 15-35%, but non-heme iron absorbs at a rate of 2-13%, so you’ll absorb 255mcg iron from the liver, BUT to absorb anywhere close to that from the spinach, you’d need to consume 180g of it, which isn’t realistic.
In the same way, almonds are often touted as a good source of iron. A standard 28g serving of almonds provides 1000mcg iron, whilst a small 65g serving of beef provides 1700mcg iron. Remember though, that only 2-20% of the iron from those almonds will be absorbed, giving you anywhere from 20mcg to 200mcg absorbed iron at best, whilst the small serving of beef can provide an easily absorbed 595mcg iron.
Beans are also promoted as iron-rich, however along with poorly absorbed iron values, foods such as beans, grains, seeds and nuts also contain compounds known as phytates, which bind to iron and prevent it from being absorbed even further. Which leads us to the next important aspect of absorbing iron…
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Animal based Heme Iron
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Plant Based Non Heme Iron
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Absorption Rate
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15g liver: 730mcg heme iron
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30g spinach: 810mcg non heme iron
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255mcg iron absorbed from liver. You’d have to eat at least 180g spinach to match the absorbed iron.
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100g beef: 2600mcg heme iron
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28g almonds: 1000mcg non heme iron
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910mcg iron absorbed from beef. You’d have to eat at least 196g of almonds to match the absorption rate – that’s around 1 ½ cups (and 1,129 calories)
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100g lamb: 1900mcg heme iron
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100g black beans: 1000mcg non heme iron
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665mcg iron absorbed from beef. You’d need to eat at least 500g black beans to match the absorbed iron.
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92g (1 tin) sardines: 2700mcg heme iron
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3 tbsp (63.2g) blackstrap molasses: 3000mcg non heme iron
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945mcg iron absorbed from sardines. You’d need to eat at least 7-8tbsp molasses to match the absorbed iron (coming in at around 126g sugar)
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How to improve your iron absorption (and what to avoid)
If you want to up your iron levels, there are some important tips and tricks to consider. Many different minerals and vitamins interact with iron, and can either help us absorb more of it, or prevent its absorption.
Phytic acid
Phytic acid or ‘phytates’ are present in beans, nuts, seeds and grains. As phytic acid passes through the gut, it binds to iron and reduces its absorption. This means it’s wise to avoid consuming foods high in phytates alongside iron-rich foods. You can reduce levels of phytic acid in these foods by soaking, sprouting, cooking and pickling so they’re not as detrimental to iron levels.
Calcium
Calcium has been found to inhibit iron absorption, with caesins especially in dairy binding to iron and preventing its absorption in the gut. It is therefore best to avoid calcium – especially dairy – alongside foods high in iron if your goal is to increase iron levels.
Vitamin C
If you’re keen to improve your iron levels, consuming vitamin C alongside iron-rich foods is a hack worth trying. Vitamin C enhances iron absorption by protecting it from other elements that reduce its absorption, as well as converting less absorbable forms of iron into those which are better absorbed. Good food combinations to support iron absorption include beef with broccoli and peppers, liver with tomato, a chicken salad with a lemon dressing, or even by consuming fruit like kiwi shortly after eating a meal with lamb or shellfish.
If you can combine vitamin C with top sources of iron, this will go a long way towards supporting optimal iron levels to give you more energy, vitality, strength and balance. Try making these top 10 sources of iron a part of your diet:
1. Liver
2. Oysters
3. Beef
4. Lamb
5. Clams
6. Sardines
7. Mackerel
8. Chicken
9. Turkey
10. Pork
Introducing Spleen: Nature’s Iron
For a long time, our grass-fed beef liver capsules have been our best product to promote healthy iron levels, and we’ve had lots of great reviews from you telling us how effective it has been. Now, we’re excited to introduce our newest supplement that goes even further to optimise your iron levels, vitality and energy. Beef spleen is ‘nature’s iron’, providing a rich, natural and easily absorbed form of heme iron with the highest concentration of iron from any organ. A single serving even offers almost 100% of the RDI of iron.
We’ve combined 70% beef spleen with 30% beef liver in these new capsules, harnessing two incredible sources of iron with the addition of their other powerful nutrients such as folate, B12 (essential for optimal energy levels), vitamin A, zinc, copper, choline, phosphorus, niacin, and even vitamin C, which we know helps support iron absorption even further.
We can’t wait for you to feel the difference with nature’s iron, and we’d love to know how you feel when you try it!
