There are two types of dietary iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is found only in meat, fish and poultry, while non-heme iron is found mostly in fruits, vegetables, dried legumes and lentils, nuts and grains.
While iron is better absorbed from heme (meat) sources, the body can better regulate the absorption of non-heme (plant) iron, causing less damage to the body.