Pregnancy Iron-Rich Foods To Eat During Pregnancy Iron deficiency is common during pregnancy. One way to prevent it is to add iron-rich foods to your eating plan. By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Published on April 25, 2024 Reviewed by Janet Helm, MS, RDN In This Article View All In This Article Why You Need More Iron During Pregnancy How To Get Iron From Food The Best Iron-Rich Foods for Pregnancy Iron Supplements Close If you have been diagnosed with low iron or iron deficiency anemia during your pregnancy, you are not alone. Due to the increased demands on your body and increased blood volume, iron deficiency anemia is very common during pregnancy. In fact, it is a well-known global health problem, impacting about half of pregnant people. Low iron may make you feel tired, dizzy, or weak. It can also cause headaches and shortness of breath. Many prenatal multivitamins contain iron, but eating iron-rich foods can also help prevent or combat anemia during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Some of the best iron-rich food sources include legumes, meat, and dark leafy greens. Read on to learn about the best iron-rich foods for pregnancy, why they're important, and how to incorporate them into your pregnancy meal plan. Harald Walker / Stocksy United Why You Need More Iron During Pregnancy It's important to eat a well-balanced diet and pay particular attention to the daily requirements for certain nutrients during pregnancy. Iron and folate/folic acid are among the most important. When you're pregnant, your body needs more iron to help build the extra red blood cells your body will create. These red blood cells carry oxygen to your organs and tissues, as well as to your baby. Iron is vital throughout pregnancy, but it's especially critical to eat in the last trimester when the fetus starts building an iron store that will last up to six months after birth. Since the body doesn't produce iron, you need to get it from food and supplements. How To Get Iron From Food Foods that are naturally high in iron can be very helpful in preventing anemia and relieving its symptoms. Iron is found in food in two forms: heme and non-heme iron. Your body can absorb and utilize heme iron more easily than non-heme iron. Heme iron is only found in animal products and is less likely to be affected by components that might otherwise reduce absorption. Non-heme iron is found in plant sources. How Much Iron You Need in Pregnancy According to the National Institutes of Health, your body needs 27 milligrams (mg) of iron per day when you're pregnant compared to 18 mg when you're not pregnant. Getting the recommended amount of iron through food alone can be difficult. In addition to upping your intake of iron-rich foods during pregnancy, some studies have found that cooking in cast iron can increase the iron in foods. In one study, iron pots were used for meal prep for school children, and the prevalence of anemia decreased from 12.2% to 8.5% after 16 weeks. Another study found a similar trend: After four months of iron pot use, anemia went from 73% to 54%. In addition, some things can reduce iron intake, like calcium supplements, so if you take a calcium supplement, take it separately from an iron-rich meal or snack. These Healthy Salads Are Packed With Prenatal Nutrients The Best Iron-Rich Foods for Pregnancy As you progress through your pregnancy, think about ways to increase your iron intake that sound appealing and fit into the meals and snacks you already enjoy. The easiest way to get more iron is to include at least one iron-rich food at each meal and snack. For example, if you're craving a salad, consider opting for a base of baby spinach or mixed leafy greens instead of iceberg lettuce and adding roasted chickpeas instead of croutons. Eating iron-rich foods will improve your health and reduce your risk of anemia. Plant-based iron-rich foods for pregnancy You can still have a healthy pregnancy without eating meat. Even though the body absorbs the heme iron from animal sources better than non-heme iron from plant sources, you don't have to eat meat to increase your iron intake. Incorporating the following plant-based, iron-rich foods into your diet is a good way to reach your daily iron intake goal: Fortified cereal and grains: 8–16 mg per servingSpinach: 6 mg in 1 cupChickpeas: 6 mg in 1/2 cupArtichokes: 5 mg in 1 cupSoybeans: 4 mg in 1/2 cupStewed canned tomatoes: 3 mg in 1 cupWhite beans: 3 mg in 1/2 cupLentils: 3 mg in 1/2 cupAsparagus: 3 mg in 1 cupBeets: 3 mg in 1 cupPrune juice: 3 mg in 1 cupSesame seeds: 2 mg in 1/2 ounceCashews: 2 mg in 1 ounce Expert Tip Combining plant-based sources of iron with foods that are high in vitamin C (such as citrus, strawberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers) will help increase the absorption of the non-heme iron. Animal-based iron-rich foods for pregnancy If you like meat and want to add more to your diet, red meat provides the most iron. However, you must ensure that it is cooked to a safe temperature. Eating undercooked animal products can increase your risk of foodborne illness, which can be serious for both you and your baby. Incorporating the following animal foods into your diet is a good way to increase your daily iron intake. Oysters: 7 mg in threeBeef: 2.5 mg in 3 ouncesSardines: 2.5 mg in 3 ouncesCrab: 2.5 mg in 3 ouncesTurkey: 2 mg in 3 ounces Need a pick-me-up snack in the afternoon? Consider reaching for some beef or turkey jerky and a cup of prune juice. Expert Tip Though meat is a great source of absorbable heme iron, variety is essential, too, since different foods bring different nutrients to the table. For instance, lentils deliver fiber and iron, while cooked spinach adds vitamins A and K. Iron Supplements for Pregnancy A health care provider might screen for anemia early in pregnancy and again in the second trimester. If you are anemic, they may advise taking an iron supplement in addition to your prenatal vitamin or switching the type of prenatal vitamin you are taking. Some iron supplements can cause stomach upset, constipation, or diarrhea. Not everyone responds the same way to iron supplementation, so iron-rich foods are still important to include in your pregnancy diet. One benefit of getting as much of your daily iron needs from food as possible is that food sources don’t typically come with the potential for intestinal distress that some iron supplements can. A health care provider or registered dietitian can help you decide what iron-rich foods and supplements are best for you. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. How I treat anemia in pregnancy: iron, cobalamin, and folate. Blood. 2017. Iron-deficiency anemia. American Society of Hematology. n.d. Iron is important during pregnancy. Oklahoma State University Extension. 2022. Iron: Fact sheet for consumers. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. 2023. Iron. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). Updated 2023. Effect of cooking food in iron-containing cookware on increase in blood hemoglobin level and iron content of the food: A systematic review. Nepal J Epidemiol. 2021. Food sources of iron. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2019. Taking iron supplements. National Library of Medicine. 2023.