Iron fer yer strength

I was gifted a freezer-full of meat. Thanks to a friend's cross country move, my heme iron intake has skyrocketed. Why do I care? I mean, you know and I know and hopefully more and more of the general population knows that iron can be obtained from plant sources (aka non heme iron). But heme iron is especially important: it's easily absorbed. Ladies, we need iron! We need more iron than men do! We lose a bunch of it every month, and need to replace it. Females age 19-50: get 18mg a day! Males? Pssshhht. A measly 8mg.

Don't worry vegetarians and vegans out there. There's hope. Here's a table of non heme iron sources:

Food	Milligrams per serving	% DV*
Ready-to-eat cereal, 100% iron fortified, 1 cup	18.0	100
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared with water, 1 cup	10.0	60
Soybeans, mature, boiled, 1 cup	8.8	50
Lentils, boiled, 1 cup	6.6	35
Beans, kidney, mature, boiled, 1 cup	5.2	25
Beans, lima, large, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.5	25
Beans, navy, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.5	25
Ready-to-eat cereal, 25% iron fortified, 1 cup	4.5	25
Beans, black, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	20
Beans, pinto, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	20
Molasses, blackstrap, 1 tablespoon	3.5	20
Tofu, raw, firm, 1 cup	3.4	20
Spinach, boiled, drained, 1 cup	3.2	20
Spinach, canned, drained solids 1 cup	2.5	10
Black-eyed peas (cowpeas), boiled, 1 cup	1.8	10
Spinach, frozen, chopped, boiled cup	1.9	10
Grits, white, enriched, quick, prepared with water, 1 cup	1.5	8
Raisins, seedless, packed, 1/4 cup	1.5	8
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice	0.9	6
White bread, enriched, 1 slice	0.9	6

*DV based on 18mg a day. For the ladies.

Now, don't get too excited. Just because there are plenty o' options out there to build everyone's blood cells doesn't mean everything that goes into your mouth actually goes into your body. If you only consume non heme iron, you need to take an extra step to make sure its getting in there. Vitamin C actually helps that absorption tremendously. This doesn't mean you have to begin to suck lemons every day. If you are getting your 5-7 servings of fruit and vegs a day, chances are you are probably getting enough C to cover yourself. Keep in mind, though, that some soy proteins can actually inhibit non heme absorption. If you are having tofu for dinner, just make sure to add some C to your meal: squeeze orange over it, have it with cabbage or eggplant or eat fruit for dessert.