How to Add Iron to Cereal

Iron is an important part of any diet, but too much can cause serious health problems.

Most breakfast cereals are fortified with enough iron to make a dent in the National Institute of Health's recommended daily intake. Lucky Charms, for example, has about 4.5mg of iron per serving, and the recommended intake for adult males between the ages of 19 and 50 is 8mg. However, if you are worried that you are not ingesting an adequate amount of iron, you can add more iron to your breakfast cereal.

Things You'll Need

• Tablet iron supplement
• Cereal
• Mortar and pestle

Instructions

1. Determine your recommended dietary allowance for iron. Generally, the intake for women is higher than that for me, and the intake for pregnant women is much higher than either of the previous two categories. For example, men between the ages of 19 and 50 are recommended to consume 8mg of iron per day, women in the same age group are recommended to ingest 18mg per day, and pregnant women in the same group should take 27mg per day.

2. Determine how much iron is in your cereal already. This information is available in the product's nutritional facts. If you've made the product yourself, add the iron content listed in the nutritional facts from all of the cereal's constituent parts.

3. Grind up your iron supplement and sprinkle it over your cereal, or combine it with the other ingredients if you are making the cereal yourself. Do not use more than the difference between your recommended dietary allowance and the amount already contained in your breakfast cereal.

4. Ensure that you are adhering to the recommended daily allowances of iron. Adult men and post-menopausal women rarely experience iron deficiency, and should only use supplements if they are prescribed by a physician. Too much iron in your diet could result in iron overload, which could lead to several diseases, as well as organ failure. Iron toxicity can also occur.

Tips & Warnings

• Spread your iron supplemental intake out over the course of the day. The Center for Disease Control recommends that most people take only 50 or 60mg of oral elemental iron two times a day for three months. Fifty or 60mg of oral elemental iron is equivalent to 300mg of ferrous sulfate, the contents of most supplements.

• Be careful not to ingest too much iron. Because iron is prevalent in most foods, including vegetables and cereals, most people do not require a supplemental intake of iron.

References

• National Institute of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron