Flex That Muscle! 10 Best Food Sources for Iron

Surprise! Clams take the top prize for providing the most iron. Three ounces of the shellfish provide 23.8 mg of iron and 126 calories. Whether you like them raw on the half shell or cooked in your clam chowder, clams are the surprising king of the superfoods. They also are a top source of potassium and vitamin B12.

Recipes:
Pop-Open Clams with Horseradish-Tabasco Sauce
New England Clam Chowder

This includes cold and hot ready-to-eat cereals. The amount of iron you can get from cold cereals ranges from 1.8 to 21.1 mg, but it's typically lower for hot cereals (4.9 to 8.1 mg), so check those labels. Ready-to-eat fortified cereals are also often a good source of calcium.

Recipes:
5-Minute Multigrain Cereal
Creamy Wheat Berry Hot Cereal

Three ounces of wild oysters contain 10.2 mg of iron and 116 calories. A true superfood, oysters are also a top source of vitamin B12. Wild oysters can have high amounts of contaminants, and may be harvested using destructive methods, according to Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector, so stick with farmed Pacific or edible (a.k.a. European) oysters.

Recipes:
Oyster-Corn Chowder
East Coast Scalloped Oysters

Organ meats such as liver and giblets offer between 5.2 and 9.9 mg of iron and between 134 and 235 calories per three ounces.

Recipes:
Country-Style Chicken Liver Mousse
Sautéed Chicken Livers with Raisins and Pine Nuts

A half cup of cooked soybeans contains 4.4 mg of iron and 149 calories. Add them to a salad, toss them in a pasta, or eat them out of hand. Parents monitoring their children's health, as well as anyone concerned about intake of estrogen, should be aware that soy contains plant estrogens that may cause health problems in high doses.

Recipes:
Edamame-Ginger Dip
Edamame Lo Mein

An ounce of roasted pumpkin and squash seed kernels contains 4.2 mg of iron and 148 calories.

Recipes:
Pumpkin-Seed Pesto
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

White beans deliver 3.9 mg of iron and 153 calories per half cup. A true superfood, white beans are also a top source of potassium.

Recipes:
White-Bean and Tomato Bruschetta
White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Crisped Sage

One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses offers 3.5 mg of iron, 172 mg of calcium, and 47 calories.

Recipe: Down-Home Blackstrap Molasses-Pecan Pie

Hearty lentils are delicious and nutritious: a half cup offers 3.3 mg of iron and 115 calories.

Recipes:
Lentils Vinaigrette
Eggplant, Lentil, and Bulgur Salad

Cooked spinach follows closely behind lentils as a superfood. A half cup has 3.2 mg of iron and 21 calories. These nutritious greens cook quickly and make an easy side dish.

Recipes:
Creamed Parmesan Spinach
Loaded Spinach Salad