Iron: A Powerhouse Nutrient for Your Health

Organization: Health Canada

Date published: August 2025

Cat.: H164-398/2025E-PDF

ISBN: 978-0-660-78414-4

Pub.: 250202

Getting enough iron helps:

• Make red blood cells
• Transport oxygen throughout the body
• Support healthy brain development

Your body needs more iron during:

• Childhood
• Adolescence
• Pregnancy

Low iron can lead to anemia, a condition where your body makes fewer healthy red blood cells.

Did you know?

Low iron levels can:

• Affect the baby's development during pregnancy
• Lead to developmental delays in young children
• Cause fatigue, weakness and low productivity levels in adults

Who is at greater risk of low iron status?

• 1 in 10 children aged 3 to 4 have low iron
• 1 in 4 women aged 14 to 50 have low iron
• Newcomers are twice as likely to have low iron

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012–2019 (cycles 3 to 6), ShareFile; Cooper et al. Population Iron Status in Canada: Results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012–2019, Journal of Nutrition 2023 May; 153(5):1534–1543.

Where can you get iron?

• Lean red meat, including wild game
• Eggs (yolk)
• Beans, peas, and lentils
• Dark green vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish and shellfish
• Enriched pasta/bread or whole grains

During pregnancy you should take a daily multivitamin containing iron.

Text description

Truncated nutrition facts table in English and French for a food product. The serving size is 1 cup (250 mL). Contains 110 calories, 450 mg (13% daily value (DV)) of potassium, 30 mg (2% DV) of calcium, and 1.5 mg (8% DV) of iron. The iron information is highlighted in yellow. There is a %DV footnote at the bottom indicating: "5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot" / "5 % ou moins c'est peu, 15 % ou plus c'est beaucoup".

Quick tips to improve iron absorption:

• Include a source of vitamin C, like vegetables and fruits. Iron from plant-based foods is harder to absorb than iron from animal sources such as meat, poultry, fish or shellfish.
• Wait 1 to 2 hours after a meal to drink tea or coffee or take calcium supplements such as antacids. Tea, coffee, and large amounts of calcium reduce iron absorption.

Acknowledgement: This data was made possible by a collaboration between Health Canada and Statistics Canada.

For more information, visit: Learn about iron.

Talk to our doctor if you are concerned about your iron status.