Chestnuts contain 1.7 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 oz equals 28 grams.
In the category of nuts and seeds, we included whole nut and seed products in the Top 10 list. 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:
Chestnuts, European, boiled and steamed
Read more about iron in nuts and seeds or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Chestnuts And Iron
Chestnuts are a good source of iron. Four ounces of chestnuts provide about ten percent of the daily recommended iron for a young woman. One problem with chestnuts and nuts as a class is that they do contain substances that inhibit your iron absorption, notably phytic acid. In the Iron Rich Foods book and curriculum on this website we do provide a soaking process to help reduce that phytic acid further before you cook your chestnuts. Roasting the chestnuts would then reduce the phytic acid further. If you rely on chestnuts for iron, you can also pair them with high vitamin C foods such as citrus fruits and tropical fruits. Vitamin C is an iron enhancer and will help work against the phytic acid in the chestnuts.
For more information on the iron content of your favorite food, explore the resources on this website, either by food group or using the search function. This site is built on the USDA database of thousands of foods.