Iron 1 article

Product comparisons should separate total iron on the label from iron form and food matrix, since a fortified cereal, a legume, and a ferrous-salt supplement deliver the mineral in different contexts. Iron is an essential trace mineral present in foods as heme and nonheme iron and in supplements as various iron salts. Meat provides heme iron, while legumes, leafy greens, and fortified cereals contribute nonheme forms whose absorption can be influenced by the surrounding meal, including vitamin C and phytate.