Iron: Essential Info For Active Women

First things first, what is iron and why is iron important?

Iron is a micronutrient (tiny nutrient), specifically, a mineral found naturally in our foods, that we need to consume to function at our best.

Iron is used for:

•  the transport of oxygen around the body
• biochemical reactions, aerobic metabolism
• supplying ATP (energy) to the working muscles

We need oxygen supply to our muscles during training, and we definitely need ATP, and by extension, we need enough iron for this to train our best!

If we don't have enough iron, our endurance performance suffers and we're less able to complete longer bouts of exercise.

You don't need to be an 'athlete' for this to be relevant to you; if you're physically active you should be thinking about iron!

Iron is the one micronutrient that women require more than men and to be more specific, more than DOUBLE what men need!

Men require 8mg/day of iron whilst women require 18mg/day.

Pregnant women need 27mg, and those who are post menopausal or without a period only require 8mg/day.

For a bit of perspective on what these numbers mean,100g of cooked beef has 3.1mg and 100g of cooked chicken has 0.9mg.

So if you're a menstruating woman then to get 18mg per day, you'd need 600g of red meat!!

As a dietitian, I've never met anyone eating 600g of red meat per day (aside from liver king on socials but let's not go there today).

Iron-Rich Foods:

I've put together a comprehensive list here with the food listed first and then the mg of iron after, for you to understand what kind of portions are needed across the day to get enough iron:

Meat / Fish / Chicken

• Kangaroo (100 g cooked) 4.4
• Sardines (120 g or one tin) 3.24
• Lean beef (100 g cooked) 3.1
• Lean Lamb (100 g cooked) 2.7
• Lean Pork (100 g cooked) 1.4
• Egg (1 egg= 55 g) 1.1
• Tuna (100 g or one small tin) 1.0
• Chicken (100 g cooked) 0.9 Snapper (100 g cooked) 0.3

Meat alternatives

• Chickpeas (100 g) 6.2 
• Tofu (2 large squares = 100 g) 5.2 
• Baked beans (1 small can=140g) 2.24 
• Kidney beans (1⁄2 cup) 2.1 
• Three bean mix (1⁄2 cup) 2.0

Breads and cereals

• Iron-fortified breakfast cereal (per 30g): 3
• Oats (1 cup cooked) 1.3
• Non-fortified breakfast cereal (30 g) 1 
• Wholemeal bread (1 slice) 0.69 
• Wholegrain bread (1 slice) 0.63 
• Wholegrain cracker (4 crackers) 0.6 
• Pasta (1 cup cooked) 0.6 
• Brown rice (1⁄2 cup cooked) 0.5

Vegetables

• Cooked spinach (1⁄2 cup) 2.2 
• Cooked silverbeet (1⁄2 cup) 1.3 
• Beetroot (3 slices) 1.2 
• Asparagus spears (5 spears) 1.0 
• Green beans (1⁄2 cup) 1.0 
• Green peas (1⁄2 cup) 0.9 
• Bok choy (100 g) 0.8 Potato (1 small) 0.5 
• Fruit
• Dried apricots (8-10 apricot halves) 1.5 
• Sultanas (1 little box =37 g) 0.74 
• Prunes (5-6 prunes) 0.55 
• Fresh fruit (100 g) 0.2–0.7

My Practical recommendations:

1. Get your iron levels tested regularly
2. Consciously incorporate iron-rich foods
3. Cook leafy greens to improve the bioavailability of the iron
4. Include vitamin C at the same meal to help the absorption
5. Consume iron away from tea and coffee if you can (these inhibit absorption)

If you want a coach who can help you optimise your nutrient levels whilst hitting your body composition goals, I'm your gal!

My nutrition coaching incorporates flexible meal plans for clear guidance and recipe plans for meal inspo plus check-ins to ensure you stay on track.

Check out your nutrition coaching options here