Hi everybody this is Monica Reinagle and you are listening to

the nutrition divas quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous

Marney writes I've heard that cooking in cast iron pans can increase the iron content of some foods.

Is this a safe source of iron and are there any foods that I shouldn't cook in cast iron?

You heard correctly, Marnie.

Acidic foods like tomatoes can react with the metal in a cast iron skillet

and absorb iron molecules from the pan.

The greater the acidity of the food and the longer you cook it, the more iron is transferred

to the food.

In addition, foods that contain more water also seem to absorb more iron.

Now how much of a difference does this make in the iron content of your meal?

Potentially, quite a bit.

Researchers cooked several foods in new cast iron skillets and found, for example, that the amount

of iron in spaghetti sauce increased from less than 1 milligram to almost 6 milligrams per serving.

And just for your reference, the recommended daily intake for adult women is 18 milligrams per day.

Applesau's absorbed even more going from less than half a

milligram to more than seven milligrams per serving. And when they scrambled eggs

they increased the iron content from 1.5 milligrams to almost 5 milligrams per serving.

But you probably won't be adding quite as much iron to your foods as the researchers in this

study because they were using new pans.

Older cast iron pans, which have become well seasoned through use,

tend to transfer less iron to food.

...