Sample eating plan to get your iron

This is a chart I did with a sample eating plan to achieve your iron of 18mg.
This is for females age 19-50.


Men need just 8mg per day. Vitamin C is good to improve absorption from vegetarian sources of iron, otherwise known as non-heme iron.

Bear in mind that grains/legume/nuts contain phytates which bind to minerals such as iron, so soaking them is better for bio-availabilty of iron. Leafy greens are are great sources of iron as well, but some of these contain oxalates which bind to minerals like iron. Out of leafy's kale has the lowest oxalate content.

Leafy greens are best steamed/boiled to reduce oxalates.

Heme(meat)iron is generally unaffected by tannins and is typically absorbed at a rate of 10-30%, depending on the body’s level of need for it at the time. Non-heme iron, on the other hand, IS affected by the tannins in tea and is only absorbed at a rate of only 2-10%
Tea contains tannins which reduce the bio-availability of iron, so have your non-heme iron away from your cup of tea.

Calcium has also been shown to reduce absorption of iron