The short answer
No. One portion of sauerkraut (half a cup) gives about 1.5 mg of iron, 8% 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.
- mg1.5In one portion: half a cup
- %8Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg1.5Per 100 g, as eaten
Worth knowingAbout 17 mg vitamin C per 100 g. It helps, but not on its own.
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to other foods on the vegetables shelf.
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.Fermented
Fermented vegetables let more iron in from a meal than the same vegetables fresh.
Scheers N, et al. (2016), Eur J Nutr. Lacto-fermented carrot, turnip and cabbage nearly doubled iron absorption from a bread meal compared with the same vegetables fresh: 23.6% against 13.6%.
Recipes with sauerkraut
All recipes
Questions
How much iron is in sauerkraut?
About 1.5 mg per 100 g, so half a cup (100 g) gives about 1.5 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Sauerkraut, canned, solids and liquids.
Is the iron in sauerkraut 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 sauerkraut 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.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Sauerkraut, canned, solids and liquids
- 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
- Scheers N, et al.. Increased iron bioavailability from lactic-fermented vegetables is likely an effect of promoting the formation of ferric iron (Fe(3+)). Eur J Nutr, 2016
- 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.