Non Heme Iron: Do vegans really need to worry about it’s poor absorption?

Vegans are told all the time that we can’t absorb non heme iron, or plant based iron as well as heme iron (the iron from meat). So should vegans be worried that non heme iron isn’t absorbed as well? In this post, I’m going to tell you why the lower absorption rate of non heme iron has actually been taken into consideration by both dietary guidelines, and our own bodies. And why red meat isn’t actually the best source of iron.

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Is Heme Iron Better for Us?

Yes it is true we absorb iron more easily from heme iron, or the iron in meat. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing. In fact, if we have too much iron from red meat, our bodies can have trouble regulating the absorption – leading to iron toxicity. Iron toxicity can cause damage to our liver, joints, heart and in extreme cases even cause death. On the other hand, our bodies are quite adept at managing how much iron we absorb from plant based sources, or non heme iron. So there is no risk of iron toxicity from plant based iron sources.

Should We Be Getting Our Iron from Red Meat?

What do the Australian Nutritional Guidelines say about where we should be getting our iron from? Do they say we should be getting our it from heme or non heme iron sources? The dietary guidelines recommend that adults should be having at most 7 serves of red meat per week. So one serve of red meat a day. A serve is 65g of cooked meat, which gives us about 1.6mg of iron. Given that we’re supposed to be aiming for at least 10mg a day (18mg for menstruating adults) that’s a lot of iron we’re not supposed to be getting from red meat! So where are we supposed to get the rest from? Non heme, plant based iron sources, of course! So even the National Dietary Guidelines are recommending that we get the majority of our iron from vegetables, grains and beans!

Isn’t Heme Iron Better Absorbed than Non Heme Iron?

What about the fact that iron from meat is better absorbed than plant based iron? Yes, it’s true that we absorb the iron from meat more easily, because it is more similar to the form of iron that we use in our bodies. In fact, we tend to absorb about 35% of the iron from meat, where as we absorb only about 10% of the iron from non heme iron sources. But that’s ok, because the experts who developed the Australian Nutritional Guidelines (and the guidelines from other countries) took this into account when they were calculating how much we need.

In reality, men only need about 1mg of iron per day, and women need about 1.5mg. So when the recommendations tell us that we need to be aiming for 10mg – 18mg a day, this is to ensure that we are getting all that we need, regardless of the source of iron! So the lower absorption rates of iron from non heme sources has well and truly been taken into consideration!

Plant Based Iron Sources Are Just as Good as Red Meat for Iron

While it is true that the iron from meat is more readily absorbed in the body than the iron from plant based sources, heme iron isn’t always the healthiest choice for us because it can cause dangerous toxicity issues in the body. Moreover, we don’t need to worry about the fact that non heme iron is not as well absorbed. This was taken into consideration when calculating the daily intake recommendations. So as long as you’re aiming for 10 – 18mg of iron each day, then you’ll be getting all you need.

If you’d like more information on how much iron, and other key nutrients, your family needs on a vegan diet, then download my guide below.