The short answer
No. One portion of kale (2 handfuls, raw) gives about 0.9 mg of iron, 5% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. It is non-heme iron, and its own vitamin C helps it in, along with the plant iron from the rest of the plate. The calcium in it holds some of that back.
- mg0.9In one portion: 2 handfuls, raw
- %5Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg1.5Per 100 g, as eaten
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to the foods closest to it.
What helps its iron in
A vitamin C helper
Its vitamin C lets in more plant iron from the whole plate.
Cook JD, Monsen ER (1977), Am J Clin Nutr. 25 mg of vitamin C with a meal raised its iron absorption 1.65 times, and 1,000 mg almost 10 times. With meat in the meal, the rise was smaller.Colour
Its carotenoids helped iron in from grain meals in one lab's trials. A later trial of vitamin A found no gain.
García-Casal MN, et al. (1998), J Nutr. Beta-carotene more than tripled iron absorption from a rice meal and raised it 1.8 times from wheat and corn, offsetting phytate.
What holds it back
Calcium
Calcium holds iron back, from plants and from meat.
Hallberg L, et al. (1991), Am J Clin Nutr. 165 mg of calcium from milk or cheese cut iron absorption from a meal by 50–60%, and it lowered heme iron too.
Get more from it
- The program's ruleKeep it 3–4 hours from an iron meal.
Questions
How much iron is in kale?
About 1.5 mg per 100 g, so 2 handfuls, raw (60 g) gives about 0.9 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Kale, raw.
Is the iron in kale easy to absorb?
Less easily than iron from meat or fish, though its own vitamin C helps. Coffee, tea and dairy near the meal hold it back.
Does kale help iron absorption?
Yes. Its vitamin C helps the plant iron from the rest of the plate in. It works in the same meal, not hours apart.
Does kale block iron absorption?
Its calcium holds iron back, from plants and from meat. The program keeps calcium foods 3 to 4 hours from an iron meal.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Kale, raw
- Cook JD, Monsen ER. Vitamin C, the common cold, and iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr, 1977
- Ballot D, et al.. The effects of fruit juices and fruits on the absorption of iron from a rice meal. Br J Nutr, 1987
- Rossander L, Hallberg L, Björn-Rasmussen E. Absorption of iron from breakfast meals. Am J Clin Nutr, 1979
- García-Casal MN, et al.. Vitamin A and beta-carotene can improve nonheme iron absorption from rice, wheat and corn by humans. J Nutr, 1998
- Walczyk T, et al.. No enhancing effect of vitamin A on iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 2003
- Hallberg L, et al.. Calcium: effect of different amounts on nonheme- and heme-iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1991
- Gleerup A, et al.. Iron absorption from the whole diet: comparison of the effect of two different distributions of daily calcium intake. Am J Clin Nutr, 1995
- Gleerup A, Rossander-Hultén L, Hallberg L. Duration of the inhibitory effect of calcium on non-haem iron absorption in man. Eur J Clin Nutr, 1993
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: fact sheet for health professionals
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.54: nutrient content claims for "good source" and "high"
Iron is from food tables, for the food as eaten, and real foods vary with the cut, the brand and the recipe. Your body takes in a share of it, and a larger share when your stores are low.
Educational, not medical advice. ferritin.ai does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your doctor about your own results.