NPR

What Are The Different Kinds Of Dietary Iron, And How Should I Get Enough?

Iron pops up in everything from oatmeal to rib-eye. But it's not the same from every source – and how much you absorb depends in part on what you eat with it.
Iron pops up in everything from spinach to steaks. But it's not the same from every source – and how much you absorb depends in part on what you eat with it.

Iron has always struck me as the nutritional equivalent of Stanley Tucci: It's frequently popping up in unexpected places, and experts say that's a good thing. One of those mysterious minerals that can be found in lentils or a steak, iron is critical to health, but to understand exactly why it's so important and whether some sources of iron are better than others, I asked nutritional specialists.

"Iron is a mineral, and what's unique about iron and makes it so beneficial to humans is that it can actually change its [chemical] state pretty easily," says , an assistant

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