Diet File: Eat Smart 1

If you thought getting enough iron in your diet used to be tough, it just got even more difficult: the new target for iron intake for premenopausal women is 18 milligrams a day – up almost 40 per cent from 13 milligrams a day.

Vegetarians and vegans should be especially vigilant about getting enough iron: they need double the amount of meat eaters (36 milligrams) to meet the new recommendation, which is part of the new dietary reference intakes for Canada and the United States. The kind of iron (nonheme) they get from plant foods is absorbed much more slowly than heme iron, which is found in animal foods. But vegetarians and vegans can enhance the absorption of nonheme iron by adding a source of vitamin C to their meals (for example, by drinking a glass of orange juice with a bowl of iron-enriched cereal, such as bran flakes).

If they're not careful, vegetarians and vegans could be at risk for iron-deficiency anemia, one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in North America. It is a particular concern for women in their childbearing years, people on calorie-restricted diets, teenagers and children. However, only people diagnosed with anemia should take iron supplements because of the risk of iron overload, which can lead to heart problems.

The best food sources of iron are clams, oysters, red meat, organ meat, enriched grains and cereals, dried fruits and green, leafy vegetables.

Here are the updated recommended daily intakes of iron. The upper limit is 45 milligrams.

Men and postmenopausal women:
8 mg

Premenopausal women:
18 mg

Pregnant women:
27 mg