Iron Fortified Cereal: Boost Your Health with Essential Nutrients

Cereals high in iron can be an easy and delicious way to meet your daily iron requirements – one cup serving of Lucky Charms provides 3.6 mg or 20% DV iron!

Although you can meet your iron needs naturally through red meat, spinach, chocolate, beans, and tomatoes – cereal is also an easy and nutrient-dense option! When combined with some fruit slices or milk – this makes an energizing breakfast!

What is iron fortification?

Iron deficiency is an extremely prevalent nutritional issue worldwide, posing serious threats to both physical health and well-being.

It impacts children’s growth and cognitive development as well as work productivity for adults.

Fortifying staple foods such as wheat and maize flour with iron supplements has proven successful at combatting anemia; however, only limited results have been seen so far.

To ensure the sustainability of fortification strategies, low-cost and nutrient-dense foods that can easily reach populations must be created.

Furthermore, it must ensure that any compounds chosen do not interfere with other nutrients during processing and storage processes.

Ideal iron compounds for food fortification should have no discernable sensory differences and a cost close to that of ferrous sulfate, currently the standard food-grade fortifier (9).

Many different iron compounds have been evaluated in food systems to test solubility, bioavailability, and cost (9).

Ferrous fumarate is currently the go-to iron source in cereal-based complementary foods and chocolate drink powders due to its appealing sensory qualities; however, its ineffective water solubility renders it ineffective at increasing iron absorption from food vehicles.

NaFeEDTA’s ability to overcome phytic acid inhibition of iron absorption as well as polyphenol compounds makes it more effective; currently used to fortify liquid milk and yogurts across Latin America (9).

Other chelates such as Fe3+ Glycine Chelate (FBG) are being investigated further.

How does iron fortification work?

Iron deficiency affects 1.8 billion people globally and is the primary cause of anaemia.

Fortification of common staple foods with iron is an effective and cost-efficient public health intervention to combat iron deficiency and anaemia while providing other micronutrients; condiments and seasonings make excellent vehicles for iron fortification as they are consumed frequently across multiple countries.

For successful national fortification programs, the level of iron to be added must be carefully determined.

To determine this optimal amount, one can study the iron content and consumption patterns among populations; and then apply that analysis to cereals and condiments where there may be high EARs of iron mineral intakes (ear).

The selection of iron fortification compounds is also vitally important.

Water soluble ferrous sulfate may produce undesirable sensory changes in some foods due to coloration or metallic taste, especially liquid products; or cause rancidity of flours containing phytic acid.

Instead, chelate iron compounds like NaFeEDTA or FBG offer better options that allow for higher levels of fortification.

Salt can be difficult to fortify due to its high levels of impurities and moisture.

Furthermore, its use in food often results in undesirable color changes and loss of iodine through iron-induced storage conditions that compromise its viability.

What are the best iron fortified cereals?

Cereals rich in iron are an easy and nutritious way to add iron to your daily diet and boost both energy levels and overall health.

Since absorbing enough iron isn’t always easy, adding iron-enriched cereals as part of breakfast can provide an easy and convenient solution.

When shopping for a new box of cereal, look at its nutrition panel’s %DV to determine how much iron each serving contains; keep in mind that the recommended daily allowance applies only to adults; therefore if you have additional health needs such as aging or disability you may need to adjust it as necessary.

While browsing cereal aisles, be sure to carefully read through the ingredient list and pay special attention to any words like ‘ferrous sulfate’ that indicate it contains iron fortification. Incorporating vitamin C-rich foods will further facilitate absorption.

Throw berries (such as strawberries or kiwi ) over your favorite iron-rich cereal for an easy and delicious way to boost the nutrition in your meal while providing your diet with an additional source of fruit, including an additional dose of Vitamin C.

How do I know if a cereal is iron-fortified?

Iron deficiency is an increasingly prevalent health condition that can lead to fatigue, weakness, and cognitive decline.

Eating nutritious foods such as leafy greens, meat, and breakfast cereal may help individuals meet their iron intake targets; however, it should be noted that too much iron consumption could prove hazardous.

As such, you must read food labels. Being aware of how many carbohydrates there are in cereal may also prevent sudden blood sugar spikes that affect energy levels and may impede performance.

An effective way to determine whether your favorite breakfast cereal contains iron is by looking at its label.

Most brands include an iron fortification statement on their packaging – often near nutritional facts – which indicates one cup contains at least 10% of your daily value for iron.

For adults looking for iron-fortified cereals, whole grain options like oats, wheat or rice tend to be the most nutritious options available – these grains contain plenty of iron and help prevent deficiency in adults.

Good options such as Nature’s Path and Cascadian Farms produce organic non-GMO cereals with high fiber contents – however their iron content is lower – one cup will only provide you with 1mg, which represents only 6% of your daily value!