An egg a day keeps the doctor away. Is that true? Well, it might be. Eggs are full of minerals and vitamins as well proteins. But, are eggs rich in iron?
Table of Contents
- Are eggs high in iron?
- How much iron is in eggs?
- Nutritional Facts: 2 Large Raw Eggs (3.5 oz/100 g)
- Can you get enough iron from eggs?
- Are boiled eggs high in iron?
- Are fried eggs high in iron?
- Are poached eggs high in iron?
- Are scrambled eggs high in iron?
- Is the omelet high in iron?
- Is egg yolk high in iron?
- Are egg whites high in iron?
- Are goose eggs high in iron?
- Are quail eggs high in iron?
- Can you take in too much iron from eggs?
- Recommended intakes for iron
- Conclusion
Are eggs high in iron?
Eggs are an excellent source of iron because two large eggs (3.5 oz/100 g) will give you 10% of the daily value for women and more than 22% for men. That's nearly the same amount of iron that a medium-sized potato has.
How much iron is in eggs?
Two large eggs (3.5 oz) have 1.8 mg of iron. That's enough to cover 10% of recommended daily intake of iron for women and 22% for men. The way you cook them will have a direct impact on their iron content.
Continue reading to find out which type of eggs have more iron content and if you can take in too much iron from eggs.
Nutritional Facts: 2 Large Raw Eggs (3.5 oz/100 g)
- 143 Calories
- Total Fat 10 g
- Sodium 142 mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0.7 g
- Dietary fiber 0 g
- Sugar 0.4 g
- Potassium 138mg 3% DV
- Protein 13 g
- Vitamin C 0% DV
- Vitamin D 20% DV
- Calcium 5% DV
- Iron 10-22% DV
- Vitamin B6 10% DV
- Vitamin B12 14% DV
- Magnesium 3% DV
The recommended daily intake of iron for adult women is 18 mg. For adult men, that's only 8 mg. See more in the chart below.
Can you get enough iron from eggs?
If you were to consume two to three eggs for breakfast, you could get up to 15% of your daily need for this mineral, depending on the way you cooked the eggs.
This is quite a good amount, especially if you follow a varied diet that’s rich in other high-iron foods like seafood, poultry, and red meat.
So, in short, eating eggs can help you get enough iron each day. But it’s still important to consume other foods rich in this mineral, as eating only eggs might not be enough.
Are boiled eggs high in iron?
Boiling eggs will somewhat lower their iron content. The less time you boil them, the more iron they will preserve. In general, two boiled eggs have 1.2 mg of iron or 6 percent of DV for women and 15 percent for men.
Are fried eggs high in iron?
Fried eggs, also called "sunny side up" eggs, have just slightly more iron than raw eggs - 1.9 mg per 100 grams (2 large eggs). It's a good way of retaining minerals and vitamins because you're only frying them for a short period of time. Just don't overdo it with the oil.
Are poached eggs high in iron?
Poached eggs have the same amount of iron as raw eggs - 1.8 mg in two large eggs, or 10-22% of RDA. Poaching, using a low amount of water, is an excellent way of preparing healthy and delicious eggs.
You also don't need to add any additional calories through oil or flavoring. Because poaching means using lower temperatures, it's one of the best methods for preparing eggs and other delicate foods.
Are scrambled eggs high in iron?
Another popular method of preparing eggs is by scrambling them. By preparing them this way, they will lose a lot of iron - almost a third. Two scrambled eggs have 1.3 mg of iron. That's 0.5 mg less than what's found in raw eggs.
Is the omelet high in iron?
Omelets are somewhat lower in iron than raw eggs. A two-egg omelet contains 1.5 mg of iron. However, to offset the lower iron content, you can add spinach, bell peppers, or other ingredients that have higher iron content.
Is egg yolk high in iron?
Egg yolks are full of iron. However, they are also high in cholesterol, saturated fat, and calories. A 3.5 oz (100 g) serving of egg yolks has 2.7 mg of iron. That's 15% of DV for women and 33% for men.
If you have leftover egg yolks available from your cooking, there are many ways you can prepare them and benefit from the liquid gold inside them.
Are egg whites high in iron?
Unlike egg yolks, egg whites seem to be only good for your protein intake. They're otherwise pretty barren and don't contain much else.
The same is true for iron as they have only 0.1 mg of iron per 100 grams. That's a negligible amount of iron and that's why egg whites aren't a good source of iron, by far.
Are goose eggs high in iron?
Goose eggs have much more iron in them than chicken eggs. In fact, they have double the amount of iron - 3.6 mg per 3.5 oz.
Although they may not be everyone's or even anyone's favorite, just one goose egg (144 g) will give you 121% of daily vitamin B12 needs, but also over 400% of daily cholesterol needs.
Are quail eggs high in iron?
Same as goose eggs, quail eggs are much higher in iron than chicken eggs, pound per pound. One quail egg doesn't have much of anything as they're extremely small, but 3.5 oz of quail eggs contain 3.7 mg of iron.
That's 20% of RDA for women and 46% for men. However, a 3.5 oz serving has around 11 quail eggs inside.
Can you take in too much iron from eggs?
Almost all the iron content in eggs can be found in egg yolks. As long as you don't overeat on egg yolks, you should be fine.
By eating only egg whites, you won't be taking in almost any iron, but that's true for other vitamins and minerals.
As with most things, the key is in moderation. Two large eggs (3.5 oz) have 1.8 mg of iron. That's 10% of recommended daily intake of iron for women and 22% for men.
Then there's the fact that eggs can block iron absorption. This is called the “egg factor” and has been observed in several studies. One boiled egg can reduce the absorption of iron in a meal by as much as 28%.
Recommended intakes for iron
Your recommended daily intake of iron depends on your age and sex. It was developed by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.
| RDAs for Iron | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Male | Female | Pregnant | Lactating |
| 0-6 months | 0.27 mg | 0.27 mg | ||
| 7-12 months | 11 mg | 11 mg | ||
| 1-3 years | 7 mg | 7 mg | ||
| 4-8 years | 10 mg | 10 mg | ||
| 9-13 years | 8 mg | 8 mg | ||
| 14-18 years | 11 mg | 15 mg | 27 mg | 10 mg |
| 19-50 years | 8 mg | 18 mg | 27 mg | 9 mg |
| 51+ years | 8 mg | 8 mg |
Conclusion
Eggs are a fantastic source of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals, including iron. However, they can at the same time inhibit iron absorption because of the protein that they contain that prevents our bodies from absorbing iron from foods.
Source: USDA, Iron Disorders Institute