Iron-rich foods from the first weeks of solids
What it is
Meat, chicken, fish, legumes, egg and iron-fortified cereal belong in the first foods, not months later.
Start preparing
- Offer an iron food at least once a day: a spoon of mashed lentils, soft chicken, hummus or fortified cereal.
- Serve with something rich in vitamin C — tomato, pepper, citrus, strawberry — which multiplies iron absorption.
- Keep cow's milk as a drink out until 12 months; it displaces iron and irritates the gut.
- Iron drops continue alongside food — food alone does not cover the requirement at this age in Israel.
Why it matters
Iron stores from birth run out around 6 months, exactly when the brain is growing fastest. Low iron at this age is the most common preventable nutritional problem in Israeli infants.
Related
Sources
- Prevention of iron deficiency in infants and toddlers (2024) — Israel Ministry of Health
- Complementary feeding of infants and young children 6–23 months (2023) — World Health Organization
Compiled with AI assistance from the public sources listed above. Not yet reviewed by a clinician — check anything important against the source, with Tipat Halav or with your doctor.