The short answer
Yes. One portion of mussels (1 bowl, shelled) gives about 10.1 mg of iron, 56% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. On a US food label, a serving with 20% of the daily value counts as high. Part of it is heme iron, the kind your body takes in most easily.
- mg10.1In one portion: 1 bowl, shelled
- %56Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg6.7Per 100 g, as eaten
Worth knowingAbout 6.7 mg per 100 g. One of the best iron foods per bite.
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to the foods closest to it.
What helps its iron in
Heme iron
Iron from meat and fish gets in well, and more when your stores are low. Calcium still holds some of it back.
Hallberg L, Hultén L, Gramatkovski E (1997), Am J Clin Nutr. Over five days of a whole diet, blood donors with ferritin around 37 µg/L absorbed 35% of the heme iron, men with fuller stores 23%.
Recipes with mussels
All recipes
Questions
How much iron is in mussels?
About 6.7 mg per 100 g, so 1 bowl, shelled (150 g) gives about 10.1 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Mollusks, mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat.
Is the iron in mussels easy to absorb?
Better than plant iron. The heme part gets in by its own route, more of it when your stores are low. The rest is non-heme iron, which a vitamin C helper on the plate lifts. Calcium holds back both.
What should I eat with mussels for iron?
A vitamin C helper, such as lemon, red pepper, tomato or parsley, for the plant iron on the same plate, and water to drink rather than tea, coffee or milk.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Mollusks, mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat
- Hallberg L, Hultén L, Gramatkovski E. Iron absorption from the whole diet in men: how effective is the regulation of iron absorption?. Am J Clin Nutr, 1997
- Hurrell R, Egli I. Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010
- 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.