The richest iron foods are fortified breakfast cereals, beans, lentils, lean meat, and seafood. During pregnancy you need 27 milligrams (mg) of iron a day, and what you eat with those foods can change how much your body absorbs.

The short version

  • Biggest single source: a breakfast cereal fortified with 100% of the Daily Value has 18 mg per serving.
  • Two kinds of iron: heme iron from meat, poultry, and seafood is absorbed better than nonheme iron from plants and fortified foods.
  • Absorb more: eat plant sources of iron with a vitamin C food or a little meat, poultry, or seafood.
  • Food alone is hard in pregnancy: most women still need the iron in a prenatal vitamin. See Iron in Pregnancy.

The top iron foods

These amounts come from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Heme” means the food has the better-absorbed form of iron.

Food and serving Iron (mg) Heme?
Breakfast cereal fortified with 100% of the Daily Value, 1 serving 18 No
White beans, canned, 1 cup 8 No
Oysters, cooked, 3 ounces 8 Yes
Lentils, boiled, ½ cup 3 No
Spinach, boiled, ½ cup 3 No
Tofu, firm, ½ cup 3 No
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup 2 No
Chickpeas, boiled, ½ cup 2 No
Sardines, canned in oil, 3 ounces 2 Yes
Beef, lean, 3 ounces 2 Yes
Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium 2 No
Tomatoes, canned and stewed, ½ cup 2 No
Cashews, 1 ounce 2 No
Chicken or turkey, roasted, 3 ounces 1 Yes
Green peas, boiled, ½ cup 1 No
Enriched white rice, ½ cup 1 No
Bread, white or whole wheat, 1 slice 1 No
Raisins, ¼ cup 1 No
Egg, hard-boiled, 1 large 1 No

Milk, cheese, and cottage cheese have almost no iron.

Beef liver has about 5 mg in 3 ounces, but it’s left off this list for pregnancy because it is extremely high in vitamin A. See the food safety section below.

How to absorb more of the iron you eat

Your body absorbs only part of the iron in food: about 14% to 18% from a mixed diet that includes meat, seafood, and vitamin C, and about 5% to 12% from a vegetarian diet, according to the NIH. A few habits help.

Things that help

  • Vitamin C. Eat plant sources of iron with foods like citrus, strawberries, sweet peppers, tomatoes, or broccoli. Beans with salsa, or cereal with strawberries, both work.
  • A little meat, poultry, or seafood. Besides their own iron, they help you absorb the iron in plant foods eaten at the same meal.

Things that get in the way

  • Calcium. It may reduce absorption of both kinds of iron. If you take a separate calcium supplement, take it at a different time of day from your iron or prenatal vitamin.
  • Phytates and polyphenols. These natural compounds in grains, beans, and some vegetables lower absorption of plant iron. That’s one reason spinach, despite its reputation, isn’t a top source: much of its iron isn’t absorbed well.

In a normal mixed diet, these effects mostly balance out and have little effect on most people’s iron levels, according to the NIH. They matter more if you rely on plant foods or are already low.

What an iron-rich day looks like

This example uses the NIH amounts above, with a vitamin C food at most meals.

Meal What’s on the plate Iron (mg)
Breakfast Fortified cereal (100% Daily Value) with strawberries 18
Lunch Lentil soup (½ cup lentils) with ½ cup stewed tomatoes 5
Snack 1 ounce cashews 2
Dinner 3 ounces lean beef, ½ cup spinach, 1 baked potato 7
Total 32

That’s above the 27 mg you need, but look at where it comes from: more than half is the fortified cereal. Without it, this day lands around 14 mg. That’s why most pregnant women rely on a prenatal vitamin for part of their iron, and why the absorption tips above matter.

If you also take a prenatal with 27 mg of iron, a day like this adds up to more than the 45 mg upper limit, which counts iron from food and supplements together. You don’t need to eat this much iron on top of your prenatal.

Vegetarian and vegan moms

Plant iron is absorbed less well, so the NIH says vegetarians need about 1.8 times as much iron as people who eat meat. For pregnancy, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests 30 mg a day for vegetarians and vegans, from a prenatal vitamin, a separate iron supplement, or both, according to the NIH.

The best plant sources are fortified cereals, white and kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, and tofu. Pair them with a vitamin C food at the same meal, and talk with your provider about whether you need extra iron.

Food safety notes for pregnancy

  • Liver: Beef liver is high in iron but very high in vitamin A. Too much preformed vitamin A can cause birth defects, according to the NIH. Talk with your provider before eating liver while pregnant.
  • Oysters and other shellfish: Eat them fully cooked. ACOG advises avoiding raw or undercooked fish and shellfish during pregnancy.
  • Fish and mercury: Choose seafood lower in mercury, such as sardines, salmon, and trout, and limit higher-mercury fish. Our Planning for the Unexpected article lists which fish to avoid.

What to do now

  • Add one iron-rich food to each meal, such as fortified cereal, beans, lentils, or lean meat.
  • Pair plant iron with a vitamin C food.
  • Take any separate calcium supplement at a different time from your iron or prenatal vitamin.
  • Keep taking your prenatal vitamin with iron.

Related reading

Sources

Updated October 2026. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your health care provider.