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How Much Iron Is in Total Cereal?
Total is a brand of cereal made from wheat flakes and manufactured by General Mills Inc. Total contains iron, which is an essential mineral required for your body to produce hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells. You get iron from a variety of dietary sources, including beans, fruit, eggs, poultry, liver, tuna, whole grains and fortified cereals.
How It Stacks Up
Two types of iron exist, heme and non-heme 1. Heme is found in animal foods and is more easily absorbed, and non-heme is a plant-based form of iron. According to the manufacturer's nutrition information, Total contains 100 percent of the Daily Value of iron. The DV of iron is 18 milligrams, which is also the recommended dietary allowance for women. The RDA for men and postmenopausal women is 8 milligrams. Keep in mind that grains provide non-heme iron. Vitamin C improves absorption of this type of iron 1. Total contains 100 percent of the DV of vitamin C, also.
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References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Iron
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- Trumbo, P., Yates, A. A., Schlicker, S., & Poos, M. (2001). Dietary reference intakes: Vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 101(3), 294.
- Allen, L. H. (2000). Anemia and iron deficiency: effects on pregnancy outcome. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 71(5), 1280s-1284s.
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Writer Bio
Janet Renee is a clinical dietitian with a special interest in weight management, sports dietetics, medical nutrition therapy and diet trends. She earned her Master of Science in nutrition from the University of Chicago and has contributed to health and wellness magazines, including Prevention, Self, Shape and Cooking Light.