Grapefruit contains .09 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 230 grams.
- .5 large equals 166 grams.
In the category of fruit, we excluded dried fruit from the Top 10 list and include only fresh fruit. You can assume that if the fresh version made the top 10 list, so too would the dried version. The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Grapefruit, raw, pink and red and white, all areas
Read more about iron in fruit or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Grapefruit and Your Iron Absorption
Grapefruit is not high in iron itself but it can play an important role in your iron absorption because of its high Vitamin C content. Many plant-based iron rich foods contain iron inhibitors but those iron inhibitors can be counterbalanced to some degree by high Vitamin C foods. Vitamin C helps you absorb more iron in your food. A whole grapefruit contains about 80 milligrams of Vitamin C. You can eat it for breakfast with a high iron hot cereal like quinoa, teff, or amaranth, preparing the cereal as we suggest on the tips page of this website. In this way, grapefruit can play an important role in your iron absorption by complementing your iron-rich food with Vitamin C.
Fruit on the whole is not a great iron source but it can play an important role in your absorption of iron. Fruit can be packed with vitamin C which will help you use the iron better in vegetarian food items; grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C.
For instance, you may wish to include tomatoes and green peppers with a whole grain entrée or with beans to help you absorb more of the iron in your entire meal. A raw cantaloupe dessert with your dinner would also increase your iron metabolism because of the vitamins in the fruit. A glass of fruit juice is also a positive move. Read more about how these vitamin C fruits reduce the effect of foods that inhibit iron in your diet despite the fact that they contain little iron themselves.
Examine the iron content of your favorite foods using the search function on this website and plan to tweak your diet to improve your iron intake. Check out our book Iron Rich Foods for a detailed analysis of the iron content of your diet.