About Iron

Iron: An Important Mineral in Your Diet

1.Iron is a metal that is essential for life. It is a part of proteins 

and enzymes found throughout your body, including 

hemoglobin and myoglobin, both of which help carry oxygen in 

the blood. 

2.Iron is an important component of your muscles, and

it helps regulate the growth of cells. Iron comes from foods you

eat and any excess iron is stored for future use.

3.Iron in foods comes in two forms: heme and nonheme.

  a.Heme iron is found in animal foods that originally contained 

     hemoglobin and myoglobin, such as red meat, fish  

     and poultry. 

  b.Nonheme iron is found in plants, such as lentils and other 

     beans. Nonheme iron is the form of iron added to iron-

     enriched and iron-fortified foods