Anemia: Which Foods to Consume for Sufficient Iron Intake?

A Quick Reminder About Anemia, Also Known as Iron Deficiency

Anemia occurs when your blood can’t carry enough oxygen due to a deficiency in either:

• Red blood cells;
• Hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, and without enough iron, your body can’t produce sufficient hemoglobin.

Therefore, iron deficiency = insufficient hemoglobin = not enough oxygen in the blood = anemia.

Anemia is usually diagnosed through a blood test that measures hemoglobin and ferritin levels, the indicator of iron stores in the body.

Certain symptoms can indicate iron deficiency anemia, but they can also be related to other conditions:

• Unusual fatigue and weakness;
• Dry skin and hair;
• Brittle nails;
• Pale skin;
• Shortness of breath;
• Dizziness;
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats.

Often, iron deficiency anemia is asymptomatic: you don’t feel any symptoms.

If left untreated, anemia can lead to long-term issues such as:

• Severe fatigue and reduced physical and athletic performance;
• Impaired cognitive function;
• Heart problems, as the heart must work harder to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the blood;
• Complications during pregnancy, such as premature birth or a low birth weight baby.

ℹ️ You can be iron deficient without having anemia. And you can have anemia without an iron deficiency. This is why it’s important to sometimes check ferritin levels.

Can Anemia Be Compensated Solely Through Diet?

It is sometimes possible to compensate for anemia caused by iron deficiency by modifying your diet, especially if the deficiency is mild or moderate.

✅ Including more iron-rich foods in your diet can help increase iron levels.

What Are the Richest Iron Foods?

There are two types of iron in foods: heme iron and non-heme iron.

🥩🦐 Heme Iron

It is better absorbed by the body and is found in red meats, poultry, and seafood.

🥬🌾 Non-Heme Iron

It is found in plants, such as leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale), legumes (lentils, chickpeas), dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Its absorption is less efficient than heme iron, but you can improve it by combining these foods with sources of vitamin C (such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and bell peppers).

It is also recommended to avoid drinking tea or coffee during meals, as the tannins they contain can inhibit iron absorption.

Type of Food	Iron Content (mg) per 100g
🐟 Fish (tuna)	1.2 mg
🍖 Black pudding	22 mg
🥩 Red meat (beef liver)	6.5 mg
🦆 Poultry (chicken liver)	8.8 mg
🐓 Poultry (chicken thigh)	1.3 mg
🐄 Meat (lean ground beef)	2.6 mg
🍤 Seafood (clams)	24 mg
🥚 Egg (egg yolk)	2.7 mg
🥜 Legumes (lentils)	8 mg
🥦 Vegetables (cooked spinach)	3.6 mg
🌿 Vegetables (peas)	1.6 mg
🍄 Mushrooms (white mushrooms)	0.5 mg
🌰 Sesame seeds	14.6 mg
🌰 Pumpkin seeds	8.8 mg
🌾 Grains (buckwheat groats)	2.5 mg

🚨 During pregnancy, even well-monitored iron supplementation may not be sufficient. Although hemoglobin concentrations and iron parameters increase in 45% of anemic mothers receiving supplements, iron transfer to the fetus and newborn is often inadequate [Belland 2024].

What Factors Other Than Diet Affect Anemia?

Anemia can be influenced by many factors beyond diet. Here are some causes and conditions that can play a role in its development.

🩸 Blood Loss

This can include bleeding from:

• Digestive sources: such as peptic ulcers, colon polyps, colorectal cancer, blood in vomit, black stools, or red blood in stools.
• Gynecological sources: such as uterine fibroids, heavy and/or prolonged menstrual periods, or bleeding between periods.
• Urological sources: such as bladder cancer.
• Medication-related: the use of anticoagulants or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.

Frequent blood donations can also lead to anemia.

🏥 Chronic Diseases and Iron Absorption Issues

Nutrient absorption disorders in the intestine can also cause anemia.

Conditions like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or gastrointestinal surgery (such as a gastrectomy or bariatric surgery) can reduce the ability to absorb iron and other vitamins and minerals necessary for red blood cell production.

🧬 Genetic Predispositions

Hereditary factors can also lead to anemia. Conditions like thalassemia or sickle cell disease result in abnormal hemoglobin structure or production.

How I Manage and Control My Anemia Daily

In my case, several factors can explain my regular anemia:

• I am a woman.
• I donate blood regularly.
• I likely have a genetic predisposition to anemia, as my mother often experiences anemia without any other predisposing factors.
• I use a copper IUD, which increases menstrual bleeding and blood loss.
• I don’t consume meat at home: my diet is vegetarian for 90% of my meals.

I don’t have regular blood tests to monitor my anemia, but during blood donations, my hemoglobin level is checked, and I am informed if it is below the expected norms for my sex and age.

I am therefore forced to space out my donations.

Initially, I tried to modify my diet to consume more iron. However, I found it very difficult to precisely quantify the amount of iron consumed, not to mention absorbed: most of the iron ingested is not retained by the body and therefore does not contribute to our hemoglobin.

I found it simpler to take dietary supplements containing only iron.

• I took them systematically and daily throughout both of my pregnancies and during breastfeeding, for over a year after childbirth.
• I take them in cycles of several months as soon as the blood donation notifies me that my hemoglobin is too low to donate blood. Then I stop for a few months and resume when I am notified of anemia again. Perhaps I should consider taking them continuously.

Here is the dietary supplement that I take: see on Amazon.

I take one capsule every morning.

Iron requirements are estimated at 2 mg per day for women from puberty to menopause, and 1 mg for men. However, it is estimated that only 5 to 10% of ingested iron is absorbed by the body.

I take one supplement per day, and I hope that my diet completes the rest :). I have never experienced any side effects.

If you experience gastrointestinal side effects related to your iron supplementation, recent trials suggest taking 100 mg of iron every other day instead of 100 mg daily. This reduces gastrointestinal issues while still leading to a decrease in iron deficiency at 6 months [Von Siebenthal 2023].

✅ The maximum effectiveness of oral iron supplementation is achieved when iron supplements are taken in the morning, away from meals or coffee, and preferably with a food or drink rich in ascorbic acid (citrus fruits, berries) [Bellad 2024].

🚨 Excessive consumption of iron is also harmful to the body.