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Good Dietary Sources of Iron

The most common reason a person is deferred is low iron count. Twenty-five percent of all potential blood donors in our region are temporarily deferred because they have a low iron count. Food and Drug Administration guidelines require that any person be deferred if their count is less than 38 percent (i.e.: if the packed red blood cells, which carry the iron, make up less than 38 percent of the total blood volume).

You should normally eat a balanced diet that includes iron-rich foods. But at a minimum, please adjust your diet for at least one week prior to donating to minimize the risk of being deferred.

Increasing Iron In Your Diet

Include meat, poultry or fish along with a food high in vitamin C at each meal.

FOODS HIGH IN VITAMIN C

Broccoli Orange Juice

Brussel Sprouts Oranges

Cantaloupe Strawberries

Cauliflower Sweet Potatoes

Cranberry Juice Tangerines

(fortified with vitamin C) Tomato Products

Grapefruit Turnip Greens

Grapefruit Juice Vegetable Juice

Choose foods from the list to the right that are high in iron. When selecting breakfast cereals, choose one fortified with at least 25% of the USRDA for iron.

Good Sources of Iron
	Serving Size	Mg per serving
BREADS & CEREALS
Cream of Wheat	6 oz.	8.1
Raisin Bran	¾ cup	13.4
40% Bran	½ cup	6.7
Whole Wheat Bread	1 slice	0.8
White Bread, enriched	1 slice	0.8
Rice, enriched	½ cup	0.5
Pasta, enriched	½ cup	0.6
MEAT, FISH & POULTRY
Beef or Veal	3 oz.	2.8
Calves Liver	3 oz.	12.1
Chicken Livers	3 oz.	7.6
Pork (fresh and cured)	3 oz.	1.0
Chicken and Turkey	3 oz.	1.1
Oysters (raw)	3 oz.	4.3
Tuna (water packed)	½ cup	1.8
VEGETABLES/FRUITS/BEANS
Dried apricots	4 halves	0.7
Kale	½ cup	2.5
Pinto Beans	½ cup	2.7
Prunes	4	0.8
Prune Juice	½ cup	1.5
Raisins	2 tbsp	0.6
Spinach	½ cup	0.9
Turnip Greens	½ cup	0.6
OTHER
Molasses	1 tbsp	1.2