Cutting Back On Red Meat? Here's One Thing You Should Know

However, there are a few things to keep in mind during this transition, including your iron intake. Red meat is notably rich in iron (especially the highly bioavailable heme form of iron), but so are plenty of other foods. To follow, find a few ways to up your consumption, plus one must-know tip to make sure you're actually reaping the benefits of the iron you consume.

To make your grocery trip a bit easier, here's a quick list of iron-containing foods, sans red meat.

For more specific iron content information for various foods, check out the Food Search tab on the U.S. Department of Agriculture2 website.

A quick refresher: There are two types of iron, heme and non-heme iron, which come from different sources. Heme iron comes from animal sources (think meat, fish, and poultry), while non-heme iron comes from both plants and animals. The latter category, which plant sources of iron fall into, isn't as easily absorbed as animal-sourced iron.

Additionally, vitamin C optimizes the uptake of iron from transferrin (the protein that transports iron through the blood) ensuring that iron is not only absorbed properly but also efficiently distributed throughout the body.* So in order to use your iron to its full potential, you'll want to be mindful of your vitamin C intake as well.

When you begin to move away from red meat, it's important to be mindful of your iron intake. And especially if you're getting non-heme iron from plant-based foods, it's essential to get adequate vitamin C as well. A vitamin C supplement is a great place to start—here's a curated list of the best options, all backed by a nutrition Ph.D.