Pomegranates contain .30 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 pomegranate equals 282 grams.
- .5 cup equals 87 grams.
In the category of fruit, we excluded dried fruit from the Top 10 list and include only fresh fruit. You can assume that if the fresh version made the top 10 list, so too would the dried version.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Pomegranates, raw
Read more about iron in fruit or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Pomegranates and Iron
Pomegranates are not a great source of iron, but they can contribute in an important way to the antioxidants in your diet. Antioxidants fight free radicals that can cause cancer cell formation.
You can find fruits higher in iron in the graph above or read more about iron rich fruits on this website. Fruit provide an important contribution to iron metabolism by providing vitamin C to the diet. Vitamin C is an iron enhancer which means that if you consume vitamin C foods along with your iron-rich grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, you will absorb more iron in those foods than you would have otherwise. (These plant-based foods contain an iron inhibitor called phytic acid which can be counteracted to some degree by vitamin C.)
Fruit on the whole is not a strong source of iron but it does play a definite role in iron absorption. Fruit can be a great source of vitamin C and vitamin C can help you use the iron in your plant-based food items; pomegranates are a solid source of vitamin C.
For example, you may wish to include tomatoes and green peppers with a whole grain entrée or with beans to improve your absorption of the iron in your entire meal. A raw papaya dessert with your dinner would help as well because of the fruit’s content of vitamin C. A glass of fruit juice is also an excellent plan. Read more about how these vitamin C foods reduce the impact of iron inhibitors in your meal even though they have very little iron themselves.
Explore the vast database on this website of the iron content of food. Use our search function to examine the iron in your favorite foods.