The short answer
Less than its reputation. Two handfuls of raw spinach (60 g) give about 1.6 mg of iron, 9% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. It is non-heme iron, so a vitamin C helper such as lemon lifts how much gets in. Oxalate, often said to lock it away, made no difference in a trial.
- mg1.6In one portion: 2 handfuls, raw
- %9Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg2.7Per 100 g, as eaten
Worth knowingAbout 2.7 mg per 100 g raw. Like all plant iron, it needs a key: add lemon.
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to the foods closest to it.
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.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
Oxalate: not a blocker
Spinach is often said to lock its iron away with oxalate. In a trial, oxalate made no difference.
Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann S, et al. (2008), Eur J Clin Nutr. Adding oxalate to a kale meal did not change its iron absorption: 10.7% without, 11.5% with.
Get more from it
- Put a helper on the same plate: vitamin C from one of these.Lemon juiceRed bell pepperTomatoTomato pasteStrawberriesBlackcurrants
Recipes with spinach
All recipes
Questions
How much iron is in spinach?
About 2.7 mg per 100 g, so 2 handfuls, raw (60 g) gives about 1.6 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Spinach, raw.
Is the iron in spinach easy to absorb?
Less easily than iron from meat or fish. On its own only a small share gets in. A vitamin C helper on the same plate lifts it, and coffee, tea and dairy near the meal hold it back.
What should I eat with spinach for iron?
A vitamin C helper on the same plate: lemon juice, red pepper, tomato, parsley or berries. A little meat or fish helps too, if you eat it.
Does the oxalate in spinach block its iron?
Not in the trial that tested it: adding oxalic acid to a kale meal left its iron absorption the same, 10.7% without and 11.5% with. Spinach's iron is ordinary non-heme iron: it needs a vitamin C helper, like any plant iron.
Does cooked spinach have more iron?
Per portion, yes, because it shrinks: a cooked portion holds far more leaves than two raw handfuls. The iron is the same kind either way and still needs a vitamin C helper.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Spinach, 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
- Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann S, et al.. Oxalic acid does not influence nonhaem iron absorption in humans: a comparison of kale and spinach meals. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2008
- 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.