A client with iron deficiency anemia selects foods for a meal. Which choice indicates a need for additional instruction about iron-rich foods?

A client with iron deficiency anemia selects foods for a meal. Which choice indicates a need for additional instruction about iron-rich foods?

• A. Oranges
• B. Liver
• C. Kidney beans
• D. Leafy green vegetables

Answer: (C)

Understanding iron types and how they are absorbed helps explain why this option signals a need for more instruction. Iron in foods comes in two forms: heme iron from animal sources and non-heme iron from plants. Heme iron is absorbed readily, so foods like liver provide a highly absorbable form of iron. Non-heme iron, found in oranges, leafy greens, and beans, is not absorbed as efficiently and its uptake can be influenced by what else is eaten at the same meal. Vitamin C from oranges can boost non-heme iron absorption, while compounds in some plant foods, such as phytates in beans and grains, can hinder it unless the meal includes absorption boosters like vitamin C. If the meal plan relies on kidney beans without guidance on maximizing absorption, the client would benefit from instruction on how to improve iron uptake from plant sources—such as pairing beans with vitamin C-rich foods or choosing animal sources of iron when possible. That’s why selecting kidney beans indicates a need for additional instruction about optimizing iron absorption. The other options already provide or support absorption (orange for vitamin C, liver as a rich heme iron source, leafy greens as non-heme iron with potential for absorption when paired appropriately).

Understanding iron types and how they are absorbed helps explain why this option signals a need for more instruction. Iron in foods comes in two forms: heme iron from animal sources and non-heme iron from plants. Heme iron is absorbed readily, so foods like liver provide a highly absorbable form of iron. Non-heme iron, found in oranges, leafy greens, and beans, is not absorbed as efficiently and its uptake can be influenced by what else is eaten at the same meal. Vitamin C from oranges can boost non-heme iron absorption, while compounds in some plant foods, such as phytates in beans and grains, can hinder it unless the meal includes absorption boosters like vitamin C.

If the meal plan relies on kidney beans without guidance on maximizing absorption, the client would benefit from instruction on how to improve iron uptake from plant sources—such as pairing beans with vitamin C-rich foods or choosing animal sources of iron when possible. That’s why selecting kidney beans indicates a need for additional instruction about optimizing iron absorption. The other options already provide or support absorption (orange for vitamin C, liver as a rich heme iron source, leafy greens as non-heme iron with potential for absorption when paired appropriately).