Iron-
rich Foods
IIf
you are going to donate blood beforehand, and to minimize the necessity
for transfusion, it is necessary to increase iron intake
both before and after the surgery. We try to avoid iron tablets as
they are quite constipating. A diet that includes foods that
are high in iron is sufficient. The following is a partial list of
foods that contain larger amounts of iron.
top
ten iron rich foods
·
clams, cooked, 3 oz (23.8 mg)
·
tofu, 1/2 cup firm (13.2 mg)
·
raisin bran, ready-to-eat, 3/4 cup (4.5 mg)
·
sirloin steak, cooked, 3 oz (2.9 mg)
·
shrimp, cooked, 3 oz (2.6 mg)
·
black beans, boiled, 1/2 cup (1.8 mg)
·
chickpeas, canned, 1/2 cup (1.6 mg)
·
turkey breast, 3 oz (0.9 mg)
·
bread, whole wheat, 1 slice (0.9 mg)
· chicken
breast, skinless, 1/2 breast (0.9 mg)
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Iron-rich Foods for Blood Donors
In
order to help maintain adequate blood iron levels throughout
autologous and directed donations, donors should eat foods high in
iron. The following list gives the iron content of selected foods.
|
Food
|
Serving
Size
|
Iron Content (mg)
|
|
Cereal, ready to eat, fortified
|
1 cup
|
1 to 16
|
|
Clams, canned
|
1/4 cup
|
11.2
|
|
Beef liver, fried
|
3 oz
|
5.3
|
|
Braunschweiger
|
2 oz
|
5.3
|
|
Molasses, blackstrap
|
1 tablespoon
|
5.0
|
|
Baked Beans
|
1 cup
|
5.0
|
|
Oysters, cooked
|
1 oz
|
3.8
|
|
Baked potato, with skin
|
1
|
2.8
|
|
Soup, lentil and ham
|
1 cup
|
2.6
|
|
Burrito, bean
|
1
|
2.5
|
|
Soup, beef noodle
|
1 cup
|
2.4
|
|
Rice, white, enriched
|
1 cup
|
2.3
|
|
Poptart, fortified
|
1
|
2.2
|
|
Ground beef, lean
|
3 oz
|
1.8
|
|
Apricots, dried halves
|
10
|
1.7
|
|
Spinach, frozen
|
1/2 cup (fresh=1 cup)
|
1.5
|
|
Bread, whole wheat
|
1 slice
|
1.2
|
|
Broccoli, fresh cooked
|
1/2 cup
|
0.7
|
|
Egg
|
1
|
0.7
|
Also:
Vitamin
C enhances iron absorption from plant sources -- drink orange juice
with iron-rich foods.
Tea
with meals can act as an iron blocker.
Other
iron blockers include carbonates, oxalates, and phosphates. Foods that
contain these iron blockers include, cranberries, rhubarb, spinach,
and soda
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