Most cheeses are poor dietary sources of iron. They have less than 1% of the Daily Value. Only goat cheese, with 1.9 mg per 100g, can contribute to the daily iron intake!
Does cheese have iron?
Cheese isn’t a good dietary source of iron. Most cheeses contain negligible amounts.
Only goat cheese and Parmesan have some iron and can contribute to the daily iron intake. A serving provides about 1-2% of the recommended daily intake of iron.
Provolone and brie also have some iron. A serving provides 0.5% of the Daily Value. Other types of cheese have significantly less iron, though.
| iron (mg per 100g) | iron (mg per serving) | % DV | |
| goat cheese | 1.9 | 0.32 | 1.8% |
| Parmesan | 0.82 | 0.14 | 0.8% |
| Provolone | 0.52 | 0.09 | 0.5% |
| brie | 0.5 | 0.09 | 0.5% |
| Edam | 0.44 | 0.07 | 0.4% |
| blue cheese | 0.31 | 0.05 | 0.3% |
| Gouda | 0.24 | 0.04 | 0.2% |
| mozzarella | 0.2 | 0.03 | 0.2% |
| cheddar | 0.16 | 0.03 | 0.2% |
| cottage | 0.13 | 0.02 | 0.1% |
| Swiss cheese | 0.13 | 0.02 | 0.1% |
| ricotta | 0.1 | 0.02 | 0.1% |
| feta | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.1% |
| cream cheese | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| mascarpone | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Do other dairy foods have more iron than cheese?
Actually, all dairy products have negligible amounts of iron. Yogurt, milk and butter don’t contribute to the daily iron intake. Only fortified milks may contain some iron. There are fortified milks that provide 4% of the Daily Value per serving.
Do vegan cheeses have iron?
Nowadays, you can find a wide variety of plant-based cheeses. There are plant-based cheeses made of potato, almonds, cashews, and many more vegan ingredients. They usually contain some iron.
For instance, cashew cheese has about 3.9 mg of iron per 100g. A serving provides 0.65 mg of iron, or almost 4% of the DV.
Do we absorb iron from cheese & other dairy?
Moreover, cheese doesn’t help us meet our daily needs of iron because it may impact iron absorption. Calcium in cheese may have detrimental effects on iron absorption.
High amounts of calcium might interfere with the absorption of iron, both from animal and plant-based sources. For this reason, It is suggested that we should eat foods high in iron and foods high in calcium at different times of the day.[2]
How to eat cheese to increase iron levels?
Therefore, we should avoid consuming cheese, milk, or yogurt, which are high in calcium, with foods high in iron or when taking iron supplements.
Also, too much coffee, tea, or red wine may inhibit iron absorption, as polyphenols in these beverages bind to iron in the intestine.
However, the effects of cheese and other inhibitors of iron absorption are attenuated by a typical mixed western diet. Thus, cheese has little effect on most people’s iron status. It’s estimated that the bioavailability of iron from mixed diets is up to 18%.
Other foods high in iron
Common foods high in iron are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains, nuts (e.g. walnuts), seeds, tahini, potatoes, chocolate, and certain vegetables and fruits.
But, the richest common foods in iron are beans. In fact, favorite beans, such as green peas, soybeans, lentils, and chickpeas can skyrocket your daily iron intake. A serving provides between 25 and 50% of the DV!
