It is rare for men and postmenopausal women to be iron-deficient. In fact, there are some people who absorb too much iron, which appears to be linked to coronary artery disease and possibly some cancers. These groups of people should exercise caution with iron intake by avoiding supplements containing iron and by passing up breakfast cereals with more than 25 percent of the daily value for iron.

Which foods are high in iron?

Iron is primarily found in lean meats such as flank steak and poultry. There are vegetarian sources of iron, but these are not as well absorbed by the body as the meat sources. Many grain products, especially some breakfast cereals, are fortified with additional iron. Cooking food in a cast-iron skillet increases the iron content of that food. Try preparing spaghetti sauce or making soup in a cast-iron pan. The longer the food cooks, the more iron it absorbs from the pan.

To increase absorption of both animal and plant sources of iron, combine them with foods high in vitamin C. Eat a tomato salad (vitamin C) with a hamburger (iron). Drink orange juice (vitamin C) with iron-fortified breakfast cereal. Serve a baked potato (vitamin C) with roast chicken (iron). Try strawberries for dessert (vitamin C) after some lentil soup (iron).

The liver: