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Are sweet potatoes high in iron?

1.1mg iron in 1 medium, baked

0.7 mg per 100 g

  • Low in iron
  • Non-heme iron

The short answer

No. One portion of sweet potatoes (1 medium, baked) gives about 1.1 mg of iron, 6% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. It is non-heme iron, so only a small share gets in unless a vitamin C helper shares the plate. Its colour may help plant iron in a little.

  • mg1.1In one portion: 1 medium, baked
  • %6Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
  • mg0.7Per 100 g, as eaten

How it compares

Iron per portion, next to other foods on the vegetables shelf.

  1. Sun-dried tomatoes1.8 mg
  2. Sauerkraut1.5 mg
  3. Sweet potato1.1 mg
  4. Tomato paste0.9 mg
  5. Pumpkin0.9 mg
  6. Beetroot0.8 mg
  7. Broccoli0.6 mg
  8. Potatoes0.6 mg
  9. Red bell pepper0.5 mg
  10. Aubergine0.5 mg
  11. Tomato0.4 mg
  12. Carrot0.2 mg
  13. Mushrooms0.2 mg

What helps its iron in

Recipes with sweet potatoes

All recipes

Questions

How much iron is in sweet potatoes?

About 0.7 mg per 100 g, so 1 medium, baked (150 g) gives about 1.1 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, flesh, without salt.

Is the iron in sweet potatoes 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 sweet potatoes 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.

Sources

  1. USDA FoodData Central: Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, flesh, without salt
  2. 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
  3. Walczyk T, et al.. No enhancing effect of vitamin A on iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 2003
  4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: fact sheet for health professionals
  5. 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.