Where do vegans get iron? Finding vegan sources of iron is actually pretty easy, but things can get a little tricky when it comes to how well its absorbed. It all comes down to where you get it from and how you consume it.

Iron is best known as an essential component of hemoglobin in your red blood cells, which helps transport oxygen throughout your circulatory system.⁽¹⁾

Less famously, iron supports healthy muscle metabolism and healthy connective tissue and is necessary for physical growth, neurological development, cellular functioning, and synthesis of some hormones.⁽¹⁾

Iron deficiency is common around the world and is especially common in young kids, women of reproductive age, and people living in developing countries.⁽¹⁾

Not getting enough iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which is characterized by weakness; fatigue; and impaired cognitive function, immune function, and body temperature regulation.⁽¹⁾

Types of Iron

There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme.⁽¹⁾

Both help your body perform the same tasks, but they differ in a few key ways:

Heme Iron

• Found in animals (meat, dairy, eggs)
• Easily absorbed
• Not well-regulated by the body

Non-Heme Iron

• Found in plants
• Not easily absorbed (on its own)
• Well-regulated by the body

Heme vs. Non-Heme

Heme iron is more easily absorbed by your body than non-heme iron⁽²⁾ — which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The structure of heme iron is tighter than non-heme iron, making it more sturdy against outside factors like tannins and phytates, which decrease absorption of non-heme iron. But this isn’t the only reason your body absorbs heme iron more efficiently.

Your body’s iron-absorption gatekeeper is a protein called hepcidin, which is responsible for keeping your iron stores in balance.⁽³⁾ Hepcidin is good at suppressing absorption of excess non-heme iron, but may be less successful at suppressing absorption of excess heme iron.⁽⁴⁾

Negative Health Effects of Long-Term Excess Iron

While your body needs some iron to be healthy, too much iron can have serious negative health effects.

Many meat-eaters consume meat and other animal products at every meal, which is way too much iron.

To put this in perspective, just two servings of red meat per week is generally enough to supply an adult man or post-menopausal woman with enough iron; women of child-bearing age need about double that. Everything above that is too much (which is why the better-regulated, non-heme iron found in plants is preferable).

When your body has excess iron and needs somewhere to put it, the excess iron gets stored in your organs, potentially leading to a multitude of health issues like gallstones, weakened immune system, and heart disease.

Iron is a pro-oxidant — the opposite of an antioxidant.⁽⁵⁾ High levels of “free” iron in your body causes oxidative stress (free radicals) which can cause DNA damage and the development of certain cancers including colon cancer.^{(6, 7)}

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for iron and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Because non-heme iron is absorbed at a lower rate than heme iron, daily recommendations for non-heme iron for vegans are 1.8 times higher than for non-vegans to account for this difference.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Non-Heme Iron for Vegans:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The daily Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for iron is 45 mg for teens and adults.

Taking too much iron at a time (above the UL) can lead to upset stomach, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and fainting.

Extremely high one-time ingestions are almost always from supplements and can result in overdoses of iron causing multi system organ failure, coma, convulsions, and even death.

Symptoms of acute toxicity occur at iron intakes of 20–60 mg/kg of body weight and death occurs at about 200–250 mg/kg.

How to Absorb More Iron on a Vegan Diet

Split it up: You can absorb more non-heme iron by eating a little at a time throughout the day rather than trying to consume it all in one sitting. This is because your body absorbs more iron when it needs it and less when it doesn’t.

Cast iron cookware: The iron your body needs is the same as the iron in a cast iron skillet. Every time you use cast iron cookware, some of the iron from the cookware is imparted into the food you’re cooking.

Food pairing: Pairing iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C and eating foods that naturally contain both iron and vitamin C can increase non-heme iron absorption by up to 300%.

Avoid certain foods: Avoid pairing iron-rich foods with coffee, tea, and calcium-rich foods, as these can actually decrease iron absorption.

Best Vegan Sources of Iron

Vegans can find relatively high amounts of iron in these foods:

• Vegetables: broccoli, potatoes, tomato sauce, Swiss chard, collard greens
• Nuts and seeds: pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, cashews, unhulled sesame seeds
• Legumes: lentils, soybeans, lima beans, black beans, chickpeas
• Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
• Other: tofu, tempeh, blackstrap molasses, prune juice, dark chocolate (45-69% cacao)

Vegetables are the only foods that naturally contain significant amounts of both iron and vitamin C.

Vegan foods high in both iron and vitamin C are:

• Broccoli
• Potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Bok choy
• Bell peppers
• Asparagus
• Tomato sauce

Food pairing is already happening without you even noticing. It’s actually pretty common for iron-rich foods to be served alongside foods high in vitamin C. Examples of this are pairing beans and rice with salsa, hummus with lemon juice, or falafel with tomatoes.

Vegans & Iron Supplements

Iron supplements aren’t necessary for everyone, but people at risk of developing a deficiency might want to consider them.

At particular risk are women who are pregnant, women who have heavy menstrual bleeding, frequent blood donors, people with cancer, people with gastrointestinal disorders, people with celiac disease, and people with heart failure.

Too much iron causes oxidative stress,⁽⁵⁾ which can lead to a multitude of health problems, so it’s best to only take an iron supplement if you absolutely need to and only take as much as you absolutely need.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Sources of Vitamin C (Coming soon!)
• Vegan Sources of Protein
• Vegan Sources of Zinc
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World