Food sources of iron (iron-rich foods)
About 96.8% of foods contained iron. On the basis of the proposed method, the average (%) of foods containing appropriate iron levels in food groups was 22.12%, of which 13.69% was the average of iron source (good source of iron) foods, and 8.43% was the average of high iron (excellent source of iron) foods. Breakfast cereals with 78.63%, beef products with 68.78%, baby foods with 50.41%, legumes and legume products with 46.17%, American Indian/Alaska Native foods with 41.79%, lamb, veal, and game products with 34.63%, and meals, entrees, and side dishes with 31.82% had the highest averages of foods containing appropriate iron levels. Foods containing appropriate iron levels were not found in two food groups (fats and oils; spices and herbs) and were very few in three food groups (sweets; dairy and egg products; pork products).
The highest amounts of iron were found in spleen, liver (except lingcod liver), whale meat, breakfast cereal (iron-fortified), tunicate, seal meat, lungs, cockles, walrus meat, sea lion meat, kidney, cuttlefish, beaver meat, bear meat, octopus, oyster, meat extender, heart, giblets, whelk, protein shake (iron-fortified), emu meat, Braunschweiger (a liver sausage), muskrat meat, liver cheese, squirrel meat, blue mussel, peanut butter (iron-fortified), raccoon meat, waffle (iron-fortified), soybeans, formulated bar (iron-fortified), ostrich meat, horned owl flesh, caribou meat, blackfish, chicken liver pate, dove meat, potato skin, beef tripe, liverwurst spread, pancakes (iron-fortified), soybean curd cheese, instant breakfast drink (iron-fortified), winged beans, nutrition shake (iron-fortified), whole sesame seeds, broad whitefish (head, eyes, cheeks, and soft bones), horse meat, deer meat, French toast (iron-fortified), quail meat, wild rabbit meat, beef outside skirt steak (lean), hearts of palm, mutton meat, potherb jute, opossum meat, corn flake crumbs (iron-fortified), papad, white beans, duck meat, moth beans, cookies (iron-fortified), chocolate drink (iron-fortified), pork tongue, and ascidians.
Suggested citation: Forouzesh, Abed; Forouzesh, Fatemeh; Samadi Foroushani, Sadegh; Forouzesh, Abolfazl. A new method for calculating iron content and determining appropriate iron levels in foods. SSRN 2022. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4133393
