Dietary iron has two forms- heme and non-heme. Heme iron is present in red meat, beef liver, oysters, mussels and other foods, whereas non-heme iron is present in plant sources like lentils, cooked spinach, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and more. You can increase the absorption of iron by pairing non-heme iron with Vitamin C-rich foods, cook it in cast-iron cookware and avoid beverages like tea, coffee and red wine when taking an iron-rich meal as they hinder absorption.
