Is Shrimp High In Iron?

Shrimps have iron but they aren't particularly high in iron. For instance, 3.5 oz (100 g) of cooked shrimp has only 2.7% of recommended daily iron intake for women and 6% for men.

There's seafood with far more iron inside. For example, a one-cup serving of canned tuna contains around 2.0 mg of iron, and one fillet of tuna cooked using dry heat has around 1.6 mg of iron.

How much iron is in shrimp?

Shrimp and prawns have the same amount of iron whether they're raw or cooked. 3.5 oz or 100 grams of shrimp contains 0.5 mg of iron. That's nearly 3 percent of RDA for women and a bit more than 6 percent for men.

See the chart below for more information on recommended daily iron intake and what iron content breaded, canned, and other types of shrimps have.

Nutritional Facts: Shrimp cooked (3.5 oz/100 g)

99 Calories
Total Fat 0.3 g
Sodium 111 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.2 g
Potassium 259 mg 7% DV
Protein 24 g
Vitamin C 0% DV
Calcium 7% DV
Iron 2.8-6% DV
Vitamin B6 0% DV
Magnesium 9% 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 eating shrimp?

Shrimp, like other seafood, is a good source of iron. But it doesn’t contain nearly enough to help you reach your daily requirement for this nutrient.

A standard three-ounce serving contains about 15% of your daily need for iron. So, you’d need to consume a lot more to get anywhere close to your entire requirement for this mineral.

To ensure that all the iron found in shrimp gets absorbed, make sure to consume shrimp with a source of vitamin C. This micronutrient helps with the absorption of iron, so it’s important.

Shrimp works excellent with lemon juice and garlic, which help you load up on some vitamin C.

So, consuming this type of crustacean with lemon and other vitamin C-rich foods helps ensure that your body absorbs all the iron from your food.

Can you take in too much iron from shrimp?

Because shrimp isn't that high in iron, it's almost impossible to take in too much iron from them. 3.5 oz of shrimp contains around 18-20 large shrimps. If you eat that many shrimp, you'll still only eat 0.5 mg of iron.

What seafood is high in iron?

If you love eating seafood, you'll be happy to know that mollusks have the most iron. Mussels, clams, and oysters all have high amounts of iron.

Although the amount can vary depending on the type of mollusk, overall, you're getting a boost of iron by eating this highly-nutritious seafood.

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

RDAs for nonvegetarians. The RDAs for vegetarians are 1.8 times higher than for those who eat meat.

Is canned shrimp high in iron?

A three-ounce serving of canned shrimp contains around 1.8 grams of iron, which is 10% of your daily need for this mineral.

It’s not a lot, but it can still make a difference if you consume many other iron-rich foods.

What’s more, canned shrimp are very high in sodium, raising your blood pressure and increasing your risk of strokes. So, make sure to consume them in moderation.

On the bright side, canned shrimp is still very low in calories but rich in nutrients, such as selenium, copper, calcium, and vitamin B12.

So, if you don’t have access to fresh shrimp, canned shrimp is a great alternative.

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Is breaded and fried shrimp high in iron?

A three-ounce serving of breaded and fried shrimp provides you with 1.1 grams of iron – 6% of your daily need. Because of that, eating breaded shrimp can help you get some iron but not too much.

Breaded and fried shrimp is still a great source of protein – it contains about 18.2 grams in a single three-ounce serving.

But unfortunately, it’s much higher in fat, providing you with 16% of your daily need for this nutrient in the same serving.

It’s also high in sodium, so it makes for a decent food as long as you consume it in moderation.

Is shrimp soup high in iron?

A one-cup serving of shrimp soup contains 0.5 mg of iron. This isn’t a large dose, so eating shrimp soup to get more iron in your diet isn’t beneficial.

In addition, shrimp soup is high in sodium, containing 40% of your daily need for this mineral in a single serving.

While it’s an important mineral, too much dietary sodium can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of strokes.

So, while shrimp soup makes for a good meal from time to time, try not to consume it too often.

Is imitation shrimp high in iron?

Three ounces of imitation shrimp made with surimi contains about 0.5 g of iron, which isn’t a significant amount.

Because of that, eating this type of shrimp to load up on iron is not a great idea.

What’s more, imitation shrimp is much lower in vitamins and minerals than real shrimp. So, it’s a relatively nutritionally poor choice of food.

Is fast food shrimp high in iron?

Generally, shrimp sold in fast food chains and restaurants is very low in iron. This is because it’s usually thoroughly washed, so many nutrients are removed during this process.

Instead, fast food shrimp contains a lot of fat, which is bad for your overall health, especially if you eat them too often. They’re also much higher in sodium than fresh, homemade shrimp.

In fact, a three-ounce serving of fast food shrimp can contain as much as 30% of your daily need for sodium. So, make sure to consume them in moderation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is raw shrimp high in iron?

Raw and cooked shrimp have the same amount of iron - 0.5 mg. If you wonder whether that's a lot; well, it isn't. It will give your body only 2.7% of RDA for women and 6% for men.

Is cooked shrimp high in iron?

Cooked shrimp have the same amount of iron as raw ones. They also have much less iron than breaded and fried, as well as canned varieties.

Is Friday's Shrimp high in iron?

TGI Friday's breaded shrimps have around 1 mg of iron per serving. That's 5% of the daily iron allowance for women and 10% for men.

Is Applebee's Shrimp high in iron?

Applebee's Double Crunch Shrimp contains 1.3 mg of iron per serving (159 grams). That's not quite high and there are much better iron-rich alternatives.

Is Cracker Barrel shrimp high in iron?

Cracker Barrel Fancy Fixin's isn't high in iron because a serving (162 g) of their shrimp will only have 1.2 mg of iron which isn't that high.

Is Denny's Shrimp high in iron?

Ten pieces of Denny's Shrimp (160 g) have 2 mg of iron which is rather high and will supply 11% of iron for women and 25% for men.

Things you (probably) didn't know about shrimp

Shrimps are fraudsters

Well, not shrimps themselves, but rather shrimp vendors that oftentimes sell commercially farmed shrimp as wild or Gulf shrimp.

Why is that bad? Because farmed seafood is inherently worse than wild-caught. Farms more often than not use high quantities of antibiotics to stop the spread of diseases that can easily go from one animal to the other in jam-packed farms.

So, the practice is pretty much the same for land and sea animals that live on farms.

However, even wild shrimp can contain antibiotics which is a troubling thought if you consume plenty of shrimp.

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Shrimp can be deadly

Apart from peanuts, milk, nuts, and eggs, shrimp are one of the top allergens. Consuming shrimp while having a shrimp allergy can lead to severe allergic reactions, including death if not treated immediately.

Other, more mild reactions, can include simply sneezing, hives, itchy skin, nausea, and abdominal age.

Shrimp and other allergies can develop at any point in your life and it's important to visit a specialist if you suspect that you might have a food allergy.

Shrimp are high in nutrients

Shrimps are basically made of water and protein. They provide a large amount of selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, iodine, copper, and choline.

They also have, and this might be surprising for animal food, antioxidants - the above-mentioned selenium and astaxanthin.

Conclusion

Shrimp is a popular food that's rich in many nutrients. However, although shrimp has some iron, it isn't an especially iron-rich food. To get the most iron, opt for canned shrimp as they have more iron than raw, cooked, or baked varieties.

Source: USDA