Meal Plan for Adequate Iron

As an active woman in my menstruation years, getting in enough iron is important. But it's equally challenging!

Women 19-50 years old need 18mg of iron per day, and pregnant women need 27mg. Compared to 8-10mg for men, perimenipausal women, and women who are breastfeeding, 18-26mg is quite a bit and can be difficult to obtain through diet alone.

Supplementing with iron should be done with the support of a doctor and ideally a blood test (if your iron levels are adequate or optimal, it's likely supplementation is unneccesary; but if iron or other ferretin markers are low, it might be warranted).

Although supplementing with iron can be helpful, and even necessary, I like to avoid it becaue iron supplements can lead to digestion issues (I know from experience...). To combat iron/ferretin deficiencies and the need for supplementation, my aim is to obtain 18mg+ iron/day through diet, consuming iron sources with Vitamin C rich foods for optimal digestion.

My calorie target is 1900-2000kcal, and my protein target is 115g+ daily. I will be hitting these targets in this meal plan, along with getting in 30g of fiber, and 18mg iron with a Vitamin C source each time iron is consumed. Here we go!!

THE PLAN

Meal 1: Breakfast

-1/2 cup oats (150kcal, 2mg iron)

-150g Kirkland Three Berry Blend (60kcal, 15mg Vitamin C)

-225g Kirkland non-fat Greek yogurt (130kcal, 24g protein)

-60ml Coffee Mate Zero coffee creamer (40kcal)

-Omega 3 supplement (15kcal)

Nutrition Summary: 400kcal, 30g protein, 9g fiber, 2mg iron, 15mg Vitamin C (aiming for 4:1 ratio of Vitamin C to iron for absorption)

Meal 2: Post-Workout

-50g Reese's Puffs OR Cheerios Oat Crunch (210kcal, 10mg iron)

-1 Fairlife Nutrition Plan protein shake (2mg iron, 30g protein)

-1 kiwi (45kcal, 70mg Vitamin C)

Nutrition Summary: 400kcal, 34g protein, 7g fiber, 12mg iron, 75mg Vitamin C

Meal 3: Lunch

-3oz cooked chicken breast (150kcal, 26g protein, 1mg iron)

-95g Lundberg short grain brown rice (150kcal, 1mg iron)

-1/2 package Green Giant, Antioxidant Blend, Lightly Sauced frozen vegetables (50kcal, 1mg iron, 50mg Vitamin C)

-30g Bolthouse Farms Creamy Caesar OR 40g Newman's Own, Sesame Ginger Dressing (50kcal)

Nutrition Summary: 400kcal, 33g protein, 6g fiber, 2mg iron, 50mg Vitamin C

Meal 4: Snack

-25g pumpkin seeds OR 25g Hu Dark Chocolate (150kcal, 2mg iron)

-1 clementine (35kcal, 35mg Vitamin C)

-60ml Coffee Mate Zero coffee creamer (40kcal)

Nutrition Summary: 225kcal, 8g protein, 3g fiber, 2mg iron, 36mg Vitamin C

Meal 5: Dinner

The iron target has been hit at this point, which leaves flexibility for dinner. More iron would be ideal at dinner because the calcium and caffeine present at some of the other meals compete with iron for absorption, which means not all the iron consumed will be used by the body. So, more iron at dinner would be helpful. That said, the target is hit, so while beef (an iron giant if you will) is great for dinner some nights, it's not required. Below is the nutrition totals for the dayh thus far and goals for dinner.

Nutrition Summary: 1400kcal, 106g protein, 24g fiber, 18mg iron, 177mg Vitamin C

Dinner targets

• 10g+ protein

• 450-600kcal

• 6g+ fiber

• A vegetable

SOURCES

Daily iron needs: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023, August 17). Office of dietary supplements - iron. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/

Iron Absorption: ACS Omega 2022, 7, 24, 20441–20456 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c01833 (the Vitamin C to iron ratio recommended here is 2:1. The 4:1 ratio noted in the article comes from Google AI. This article provides a great diagram for iron absorption and the nutrients that help and inhibit it. The image is included here.)