Cooking in cast iron pans adds iron to food. Eggs scrambled in an iron skillet or spaghetti sauce simmered in an iron pot can double or triple the iron content of a meal. If your clinician recommends iron supplements, take them at least one hour before, rather than with meals. The body increases or decreases iron absorption according to its needs. Your iron needs change during different times of your life.
Women have a higher daily requirement for iron than men because they store less iron and menstruate.
They need even more while pregnant. The average diet in our society contains only 5-7 milligrams of iron per 1000 calories. This means women, who usually consume 2000 calories per day, need to make sure those calories are densely packed with iron, to meet the RDA of 19 milligrams. Although it is nearly impossible to get too much iron from diet alone, a high intake of iron supplements may result in a toxic condition of iron over-load . This condition may lead to tissue damage, especially of the liver and heart, and other medical problems.