The short answer
No. One portion of sourdough bread (2 slices) gives about 0.6 mg of iron, 3% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need.
- mg0.6In one portion: 2 slices
- %3Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg1Per 100 g, as eaten
Worth knowingLong fermentation breaks down phytates, so you absorb more of what is there.
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to other foods on the grains and bread shelf.
What helps its iron in
Plant iron
Only a small share gets in on its own. A vitamin C helper on the same plate lifts it.
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.Long fermentation
A long sourdough rise breaks down phytate, so more of the bread's iron gets in.
Brune M, et al. (1992), J Nutr. Long fermentation broke down the phytate in wholegrain rye bread, and it let in as much iron as white rolls, with five times the fibre.
Get more from it
- Put a helper on the same plate: vitamin C from one of these.Lemon juiceRed bell pepperTomatoTomato pasteStrawberriesBlackcurrants
Recipes with sourdough bread
All recipes
Questions
How much iron is in sourdough bread?
About 1 mg per 100 g, so 2 slices (60 g) gives about 0.6 mg. The number is from the Swedish Food Agency's database: Bröd vitt fullkorn surdeg fibrer 4,4% bakad i butik typ grov baguette.
Sources
- Swedish Food Agency, food database: Bröd vitt fullkorn surdeg fibrer 4,4% bakad i butik typ grov baguette
- 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
- Brune M, et al.. Iron absorption from bread in humans: inhibiting effects of cereal fiber, phytate and inositol phosphates with different numbers of phosphate groups. J Nutr, 1992
- 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.