Iron is quite abundant in meat, poultry, and fish. These foods contain heme iron. Plants and vegetables contain non-heme iron, but this is not as good a source of iron as foods that have heme iron. Heme iron absorbs more efficiently from the gastrointestinal tract than does non-heme iron. However, if one includes foods that are rich in vitamin C, non-heme iron will absorb better than it will without that vitamin present.
Iron and diet
The best sources of iron are foods that contain a great deal of fat such as red meat. People who follow low-fat diets for a long time may become deficient in iron if they do not obtain sufficient amounts of it from other foods. Nevertheless, most dietary iron is non-heme, and this is the type of iron that is also present in iron-rich or fortified foods.
Certain foods that a person consumes with a …