Romaine lettuce contains .97 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 46 grams.
- 1 leaf equals 5 grams.
In the category of vegetables, we included whole vegetable products in the Top 10 list. We excluded dried/dehydrated products from the Top 10. You will find some dehydrated vegetables high in iron per 100 grambut they tend to be far more volume than anyone would consume. Furthermore, foods may be fortified with iron but are not included in this Top 10 list. The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw
Read more about iron in vegetables or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Vegetables generally are not a good iron source. Those vegetables that have a high content of iron also have the tendency to be packed with iron inhibitors, making it difficult to take in much of the iron from the vegetable itself.
However, even a vegetable with minimal iron may play a significant role in your iron metabolism. Vegetables are often high in vitamin C, which will help you digest the iron in non-meat foods; cos or romaine lettuce is a fair source of vitamin C.
As an example, you can include peppers and tomatoes with a whole grain entree or with a bean-based dish to improve your metabolism of the iron in your entire meal. A raw papaya salad with a meal would help as well because of the fruit’s content of vitamin C. A glass of fruit juice is also a great plan.