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| Iron
Content in Selected Foods |
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To
meet the Recommended Daily Allowance for iron the following
amounts of foods listed below can be consumed: one serving per
day of foods high (H) in iron, two servings a day of foods containing
a medium (M) amount of iron, and five or more servings per day
of foods low (L) in iron.
Iron deficiency anemia occurs frequently during pregnancy. Anemia
is a condition in which the red blood cells are deficient in
number, the total hemoglobin concentration per unit volume of
blood is reduced, or the relative volume of packed red blood
cells is less than normal. Anemia results in a decreased concentration
of oxygen transporting material.
Heme iron which comes from animal sources is a better absorbed
in the body than non-heme iron which comes from plant sources.
The absorption of non-heme iron is improved when a source of
Vitamin C is included in the same meal. Some sources of Vitamin
C that could be used are: oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes,
strawberries, green peppers, cantaloupe, broccoli, brussel sprouts,
tomato juice and any juices made from the item listed above.
| Food |
Amt. |
mg
Iron |
|
Food |
Amt. |
mg
Iron |
| Meat
Group
|
|
Fruit
|
| Peanut
Butter |
2T |
0.6
L |
|
Dried
Prunes |
5lg |
1.9
L |
Eggs,
Medium |
1 |
1.2
L |
|
Prune
Juice |
1/4c |
2.6
L |
| Canned
Salmon |
3oz |
0.7
L |
|
Raisins |
1/2c |
2.5
L |
| Canned
Tuna |
3oz |
1.6
L |
|
Dried
Figs |
1 |
0.6
L |
| Oysters |
3/4c |
10.0
M |
|
Strawberries |
3/4c |
1.1
L |
| Lima
Beans |
1/2c |
2.2
L |
|
Dried
Apricot |
4hlv |
0.8
L |
| Baked
Beans |
1/2c |
2.0
L |
|
Blackberries |
1/2c |
0.7
L |
| Roast
Beef |
3oz |
3.0
L |
|
Blueberries |
1/2c |
0.7
L |
| Hamburger |
3oz |
3.0
L |
|
Raspberries |
1/2c |
0.6
L |
| Pork
Chop |
3.5oz |
3.1
L |
|
Applesauce |
1/2c |
0.6
L |
| Chuck
Roast |
4oz |
4.2 |
|
Breads
and Cereals |
| Vegetables |
|
Whole
Wheat Bread |
1sl |
0.8
L |
Spinach
|
1/2c |
2.4
L |
|
White
Bread |
1sl |
0.6
L |
| Beet
Greens |
1/2c |
1.9
L |
|
Macaroni |
1/2c |
0.7
L |
| Mustard
Greens |
1/2c |
1.3
L |
|
"Total"
Cereal |
1c |
18.0
H |
| Swiss
Chard |
1/2c |
1.8
L |
|
"Most"
Cereal |
1/2c |
18.0
H |
| Tomato
Juice |
1/2c |
1.1
L |
|
40%
Bran Flakes |
2/3c |
8.1
M |
| Sweet
Potato |
1/2c |
0.9
L |
|
"Life"
Cereal |
2/3c |
8.1
M |
| Broccoli |
2/3c |
0.8
L |
|
"Kix"
Cereal |
1-1/2c |
8.1
M |
| Brussel
Sprouts |
1/2c |
0.9
L |
|
WIC
Cook Cereals |
1/2c |
8.1
M |
| Winter
Squash |
1/2c |
0.8
L |
|
Bran
Flakes |
1/2c |
6.2
L |
| Cauliflower |
3/4c |
0.7
L |
|
Prune
Muffins |
1 |
2.0
L |
| Cooked
Carrots |
2/3c |
0.6
L |
|
Rice,
Enriched |
1/2c |
0.9
L |
| Pumpkin |
1/2c |
0.7
L |
|
Cream
of Wheat |
1c |
10.3 |
| Green
Beans |
3/4c |
0.6
L |
|
Kind
Vitamin Cereal |
1
1/4c |
10 |
| Tomatoes |
1/2 |
0.6
L |
|
Brewers
Yeast |
1oz |
4.9 |
| Corn |
1sm |
0.5
L |
|
Wheat
Bran |
1c |
8.5 |
| Refried
Beans |
1c |
4.5 |
|
Sugars |
| Cooked
Garbanzo Beans |
1c |
4.7 |
|
Molasses |
1T |
3.2 |
| Cooked
Kidney Beans |
1c |
5.2 |
|
|
|
|
| Cooked
lentils |
1c |
6.6 |
|
|
|
|
| Cooked
Soybeans |
1c |
8.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
Food
Sources are always the first step in improving iron levels.
Supplementation: There are differences among iron preparations
in the amount of elemental iron available: ferrous fumarate
has 33% elemental iron available: ferrous gluconate has only
11% elemental iron available, dessicated ferrous sulfate 30%
and hydrated ferrous sulfate 20%, and therefore larger doses
are required if iron other than ferrous fumarate are taken.
If supplementation is advised, it is best taken with citrus
juice on an empty stomach to increase intestinal absorption
of the iron, and taken at bedtime to prevent nausea. If nausea
nevertheless occurs, time-released capsules are prescribed. |
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