People should consume vitamin C when eating food high in iron or taking iron supplements to increase absorption of the mineral, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.
On its specialized food and drug myth-busting Web site, the agency addressed questions on the best methods for consuming iron and if beef was a good source for it.
“Beef is a good iron-rich food, but there are also other iron-rich foods, such as pork liver, oyster and edible red amaranth,” it said, adding that food containing iron can be divided into non-heme iron that is primarily found in plants and heme iron that is found in meat.
To improve iron absorption, the FDA suggested taking iron supplements or iron-rich foods along with foods high in vitamin C, such as guava and bell peppers, and eating sufficient vegetables during a meal and fruits afterward.
Iron is a necessary nutrient for the human body and the recommended daily allowance is 10mg for adult men, 15mg for adult women and 35mg for women that are pregnant or breastfeeding, the FDA said.
In addition to sufficient iron consumption, it said that people should also pay attention to iron absorption, as heme iron is better absorbed than non-heme iron, but other factors could also improve or inhibit the process.
Foods high in heme iron include beef, pork, mutton, pig or duck blood products, pork liver, clams, small abalone, dried clove fish and eggs, while foods high in non-heme iron include seaweed, leafy greens, and nuts and seeds, such as black sesame, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
However, people should avoid drinking coffee or tea, which contain tannic acid that inhibits iron absorption, during or right after a meal, to ensure efficient iron absorption, it said.
People should wait at least an hour after a meal before drinking tea or coffee, it added.
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