Iron

Plenty of plant foods have it — the trick is helping your body absorb it.

• Supplement: rarely needed
• Last checked: Oct 2026

A well-planned vegan diet can give you all the iron you need. What matters most is how you eat it.

Why you need it

Iron helps make the proteins that carry oxygen around your body and store it in your muscles. When you are low, you can feel tired and develop iron-deficiency anaemia.

Why it matters for vegans

Iron from animal foods (“haem iron”) is absorbed more easily than iron from plants (“non-haem iron”). That doesn’t make plant iron a problem: vegetarian diets don’t appear to raise the risk of iron deficiency when they include whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, fortified cereals and leafy greens. Your body also adapts — it absorbs more when you are short and less when your stores are full.

Vegetarians do tend to have lower iron stores than meat-eaters. That isn’t the same as anaemia — and high stores aren’t healthy either, so researchers suggest everyone keeps an eye on their iron, not only vegetarians.

Where to get it

Beans, lentils and other pulses, tofu, wholemeal bread, fortified breakfast cereals, leafy greens, nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

Help your body absorb it

• Add vitamin C to the same meal: peppers, broccoli, strawberries or oranges — even a glass of orange juice with breakfast.
• Keep tea and coffee away from meals. They reduce absorption; leave about an hour before and after.

How much?

The NHS recommends 8.7 mg a day for men and for women over 50, and 14.8 mg a day for women aged 19–49.

People who have heavy periods or are pregnant need more, and are more likely to run low. Heavy periods and pregnancy are among the most common causes of iron-deficiency anaemia.

Should you supplement?

Not routinely. There are plenty of iron-rich plant foods, so iron tablets are for a deficiency your doctor has found — for example with heavy periods.

Don’t take them “just in case”:

• Up to 17 mg a day from supplements is unlikely to cause harm; more should only be taken on a doctor’s advice.
• Keep iron supplements away from children — an overdose can be fatal.
• Some people have a genetic condition (haemochromatosis) that makes them store too much iron.

How to check your levels

If you feel tired for weeks, ask your doctor for a blood test. A full blood count shows whether you are anaemic; ferritin shows how much iron you have stored. Tell them you are vegan.

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