Iron is a mineral your body needs to make healthy blood. It is a key part of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. When you have enough iron, your cells can get the oxygen they need for energy, growth, learning, and physical activity.
Low iron can lead to tiredness, weakness, pale skin, or trouble concentrating, so iron is important for everyday health.
Key Facts
- Iron helps hemoglobin bind oxygen so red blood cells can deliver it throughout the body.
- Hemoglobin is found inside red blood cells and contains iron in its heme groups.
- Oxygen transport can be summarized as lungs to red blood cells to body cells.
- Iron-rich foods include lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, tofu, spinach, fortified cereals, nuts, and seeds.
- Vitamin C helps the body absorb non-heme iron from plant foods, such as beans or spinach.
- The body loses some iron over time, so it must be replaced through food or supplements if a health professional recommends them.
Vocabulary
- Iron
- Iron is a mineral the body uses to make hemoglobin and support oxygen transport in the blood.
- Red blood cell
- A red blood cell is a flexible blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to body tissues.
- Hemoglobin
- Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein in red blood cells that binds and carries oxygen.
- Oxygen
- Oxygen is a gas that body cells need to release energy from food.
- Anemia
- Anemia is a condition in which the blood has too little hemoglobin or too few healthy red blood cells to carry enough oxygen.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thinking iron is the same thing as blood is wrong because iron is only one nutrient used to build hemoglobin inside red blood cells.
- Ignoring plant sources of iron is wrong because foods like beans, lentils, tofu, spinach, and fortified cereals can contribute important iron.
- Forgetting vitamin C with plant-based iron is wrong because vitamin C can help the body absorb non-heme iron more effectively.
- Taking iron supplements without advice is wrong because too much iron can be harmful, and supplements should be used when recommended by a healthcare professional.
Practice Questions
- 1 A cereal serving has 8 mg of iron. If a student eats 2 servings, how many milligrams of iron do they get?
- 2 A meal has 3 mg of iron from beans and 2 mg of iron from spinach. If adding a vitamin C-rich fruit helps absorption but does not change the amount of iron in the food, how many milligrams of iron are in the meal?
- 3 Explain why a lunch of lentils with orange slices may support healthy blood better than lentils alone.