What foods affect the way the body absorbs iron?
Vitamin C (high in citrus fruits and tomatoes) helps the body absorb nonheme iron. To help your body absorb nonheme iron, try combinations like spinach salad with mandarin oranges slices or a glass of grapefruit juice with your cereal. Also, eating heme-iron-rich foods with nonheme-iron-rich foods helps increase absorption. It is especially important to include foods that improve nonheme iron absorption if you have a condition that causes you to lose more iron losses (such as may occur with heavy menstruation) or when you need more iron (as during pregnancy) It’s also important if you have a condition that causes poor absorption, such as Crohn’s and celiac disease, or if you have a vegetarian diet that includes only vegetarian nonheme sources of iron. Drinking coffee and tea (even decaffeinated), eating a lot of dietary fiber, or taking a calcium supplement within 2 hours of eating iron-rich foods can decrease iron absorption.
