Iron-Rich Foods: The Best Sources, for Vegetarians Too (UK)

Last updated: October 2026

The richest sources of iron are liver, red meat, shellfish such as cockles and mussels, and fortified breakfast cereals. Good vegetarian and vegan sources include lentils, beans, tempeh, tofu, pumpkin seeds, wholemeal bread and dark green vegetables. The NHS says women aged 19 to 49 need 14.8mg of iron a day and men 8.7mg.

Below: iron per portion for 36 everyday UK foods, a vegetarian day that reaches 14.8mg, how to absorb more, and advice for pregnancy, children and supplements. Worried you’re already low? Start with iron deficiency symptoms; this page is about food.

How much iron do you need a day?

Iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen around your body. It also contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, which is why low iron so often shows up as feeling tired all the time.

Adult figures are from the NHS; teenage figures are from the British Dietetic Association (BDA). Women need almost twice as much as men because of the iron lost in periods, and the BDA notes that UK dietary surveys show many women are not getting enough. The NHS says women with heavy periods are at higher risk of iron deficiency anaemia. If your periods are changing in your 40s, see our guide to perimenopause symptoms.

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Haem and non-haem iron: why the source matters

Food contains two types of iron:

• Haem iron is found in meat, fish and poultry. Your body absorbs it well.
• Non-haem iron is found in plant foods, eggs and fortified foods. It is absorbed less well, and what you eat alongside it makes a big difference.

A review behind dietary reference values estimated that people with low iron stores absorb around 14 to 18% of the iron in a mixed diet, against 5 to 12% from a vegetarian diet. Your iron status matters even more than diet: the lower your stores, the more you absorb.

You don’t need meat to get enough. The NHS says most people can get all the iron they need from a varied, balanced diet. Vegetarians and vegans just gain more from a few absorption habits.

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Iron-rich meat, fish and eggs

Figures below are iron per typical portion, worked out from the UK government’s food composition tables (McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, CoFID 2021) and rounded. Red meat portions are 70g cooked, the NHS daily average limit.

Two things stand out. Shellfish and offal are in a league of their own, and darker meat beats lighter: dark chicken meat has about twice the iron of breast. Oily fish such as salmon are brilliant for other reasons but are not a big iron source. The NHS notes that meat is also one of the main sources of vitamin B12, which matters for tiredness too; see vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms.

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Iron-rich foods for vegetarians and vegans

Same source and method as above (CoFID 2021, rounded). Fortified cereals vary by brand, so check the label: the BDA notes that a food needs at least 2.1mg per 100g to declare iron on its nutrition label.

Spinach and dried apricots: overrated?

Spinach is a decent source, but an 80g portion has about a third of the iron in a bowl of fortified cereal. Dried apricots are often listed as an iron superfood, yet a small handful gives well under half a milligram. Both are still worth eating; just don’t rely on them. Beans, lentils, seeds and fortified cereals do far more of the work.

A vegetarian day that reaches 14.8mg

• Breakfast: 2 fortified wheat biscuits (4.4mg) with a glass of orange juice.
• Lunch: houmous sandwich on wholemeal bread (2.9mg) with peppers or tomatoes.
• Snack: a 30g handful of pumpkin seeds (3.0mg).
• Dinner: lentil dhal (3.2mg) with 80g spinach stirred through (1.3mg).

That adds up to about 14.8mg on paper, with vitamin C at breakfast and lunch to help absorption. Many of the same foods, especially pumpkin seeds, beans and wholegrains, are also among the foods highest in magnesium.

A meta-analysis of 24 studies found that adult vegetarians had lower iron stores (ferritin) than meat-eaters on average, with the biggest gap in men. Lower stores are not the same as deficiency, but if you’re vegetarian or vegan and often tired, ask your GP about a blood test for ferritin and vitamin B12.

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How to absorb more iron from food

1. Add vitamin C to iron-rich meals. The NHS advises eating vitamin C foods at the same time as plant iron: peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, citrus fruit, berries or a small glass of orange juice. In a classic absorption study, vitamin C significantly counteracted the blocking effect of phytate.
2. Move tea and coffee away from meals. The NHS says not to drink them during or after main meals. In one study, a cup of coffee with a meal cut iron absorption by 39% and tea by 64%. Coffee an hour before the meal made no difference, but an hour after it still did. See also coffee on an empty stomach.
3. Watch calcium at your iron-richest meal. Calcium from milk, cheese or added calcium reduced iron absorption by 50 to 60% in single-meal studies. You still need calcium; just don’t take a calcium supplement with that meal.
4. Mix plant and animal foods if you eat both. The BDA says eating non-haem iron with animal protein foods helps absorption, for example beans in a chilli with mince, or eggs with spinach.
5. Go easy on added bran. The BDA says phytates in bran cereals and unleavened breads make iron harder to absorb, and the NHS advises cutting back on large amounts of high-phytate foods if you’re low in iron.

Keep this in proportion: across a varied diet, the effect of any one food is smaller than in single-meal studies. The BDA notes that some gut conditions make iron harder to absorb, so speak to your GP if that applies to you. Sleepy after meals? That’s usually not iron: see tired after eating.

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How much red meat is too much?

Red meat provides iron, zinc and B vitamins, but the NHS advises that if you eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day, you cut down to 70g. It’s a daily average, so a bigger portion one day can be balanced by less the next. For scale, a Sunday roast portion is about 90g and a quarter-pound burger 78g. Black pudding counts as processed meat.

Liver is a great iron source but is also very rich in vitamin A. The NHS says that if you eat liver or liver products every week, you may be having more vitamin A than recommended, and pregnant women should avoid them altogether.

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Iron-rich foods in pregnancy

You may need more iron in pregnancy, although the BDA notes your body also absorbs more iron from food at this time. The NHS says:

• Your iron levels are checked at your booking appointment and at around 28 weeks.
• Avoid liver and liver products (including pâté), and cod liver oil or supplements containing vitamin A, as too much vitamin A can harm your baby.
• If your iron is low, your GP or midwife will recommend iron supplements.

Good pregnancy-safe choices from the tables above include well-cooked lean meat and eggs, beans, lentils, fortified cereals, wholemeal bread and green vegetables. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, tell your midwife so they can check you’re getting enough iron and B12. For other minerals in pregnancy, see magnesium in pregnancy.

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Iron-rich foods for children

The NHS says young children need iron to grow and develop. Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and foods made from pulses such as tofu, hummus and soya mince are excellent sources of protein and iron. Children who don’t eat meat or fish are more likely to lack iron, so give them plenty of fortified breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils.

Don’t give a child iron supplements unless a doctor advises it, and keep any iron tablets in the house well out of reach. The NHS warns that an iron overdose in a young child can be fatal. If you’re worried about your child’s diet or energy, speak to your GP or health visitor.

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Do I need an iron supplement?

The NHS says you should be able to get all the iron you need from your daily diet. Only take iron if a blood test shows you need it, because more is not better:

• The NHS says taking 17mg or less a day of iron supplements is unlikely to cause any harm. Only take more if your GP advises it.
• Doses over 20mg can cause constipation, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.
• Haemochromatosis, an inherited condition where iron builds up over years, is particularly common in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The NHS says people being treated for it are usually advised to avoid iron-fortified cereals and iron or vitamin C supplements.

If you have iron deficiency anaemia, the NHS says GPs usually recommend iron tablets for about 6 months, alongside treating the cause, such as heavy periods. Tiredness has many other causes too: see tired in winter, best supplements for energy and food and mood. Low iron is also linked with hair shedding and restless legs, both worth mentioning to your GP.

Where Evopure fits

Evopure doesn’t sell iron, and none of our products is a source of it. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a vegan, caffeine-free evening drink; magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It isn’t a substitute for iron, and if you’re tired all the time, a blood test is the right first step.

Iron contributes to normal cognitive function; for other nutrients and foods linked to the brain, see brain foods.

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FAQs

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Sources

• NHS. Iron.
• NHS. Iron deficiency anaemia.
• NHS. The vegan diet.
• NHS. Meat in your diet.
• NHS. Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy and Foods to avoid in pregnancy.
• NHS. What to feed young children.
• NHS. Haemochromatosis.
• British Dietetic Association. Iron: food fact sheet.
• Public Health England. McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021. Portion values calculated by Evopure from per-100g figures and rounded.
• Hurrell R, Egli I (2010). Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values. Am J Clin Nutr.
• Haider LM et al (2018). The effect of vegetarian diets on iron status in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.
• Hallberg L et al (1989). Iron absorption in man: ascorbic acid and dose-dependent inhibition by phytate. Am J Clin Nutr.
• Morck TA et al (1983). Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee. Am J Clin Nutr.
• Hallberg L et al (1991). Calcium: effect of different amounts on nonheme- and heme-iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure does not sell iron supplements. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex.