Dietary Iron Restriction


Part of the series,
Diet for Minerals


by Jon Sasmor RCPC (Mineral Guide, MinBalance LLC)
Updated April 2, 2022


The offical RCP Organic Ancestral Whole Foods diet doesn't seem to limit your intake of iron-rich foods such as red meat and organ meats. In contrast, the suggested Diet for Minerals does offer the benefit of limiting iron intake.

For those with too much iron, less iron intake may reduce the need for blood donation or phlebotomy. One milligram per day less of absorbed dietary iron would be as effective as removing an extra 365 mg per year of iron; this is about 1.5 fewer blood donations or phlebotomies needed, per year, to obtain the same net iron balance.

Most iron comes from recycling in the reticuloendothelial system. However, the iron going in does add up! A little bit less iron absorbed (say, 1 milligram per day instead of 2 milligrams per day) can help in the long run to ease the oxidative stress from excess iron, especially for those who:

Measures in the Diet for Minerals to limit excess iron absorption include: