Any nutritionists around? How much iron do teens need?

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My dd is 12, nearly 13, and I have suddenly started worrying about whether she is getting enough iron. We don’t eat much red meat - only once a week on average. On other days she might have some chicken, salmon once a week, eggs. Is that likely to give her enough iron?

It’s hard to judge without looking at her whole diet. The iron obtained from animal sources is just a small proportion of our iron intake. Non-heme iron comes from plant sources and is found in grains, green leafy veg, dried fruit such as raisins and apricots, and fortified foods. However, non-heme iron is absorbed much less efficiently than heme iron. Vitamin C helps the body to absorb non-heme iron, so make sure she has Vitamin C rich foods with meals; for example, fresh vegetables or fruit, or drinks such as fresh orange juice.
Coffee and tea have a high content of polyphenols, and they have been shown to negatively affect the absorption of non-heme iron.
So basically, if she’s getting enough fruit and veg, she should be alright.