Iron prevents anaemia and helps to keep your blood cells healthy. Iron also carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s muscle tissues for movement. Men require 7 milligrams each day, and women require 12–16 milligrams. Women require more to replace iron lost in the blood when menstruating.
Iron from animal foods is absorbed more easily by the body than iron from plant foods. Iron absorption from plants can be boosted by eating them together with foods containing vitamin C (found in fruits and vegetables). Foods that are good sources of iron include red meat, chicken, fish, kidney, legumes, leafy green vegetables, dried fruit, flour and grains.