In general plants are lousy sources of iron.
For example, it is a widespread myth that spinach are rich in iron. In fact spinach have little iron and have pythic acid which inhibits its absorption. Seeds have more iron, but also contain phytic acid. Phytic acid also blocks Zn absorption. People with low Fe or Zn who cannot afford or do not want to eat meats should eat brewer's yeast, which contains phytase, an enzyme that lyzes phytic acid. Herbivores can extract plenty of Fe, because the flora in the rhumen, etc, can metabolize phytate.

Tea also inhibits Fe absorption, so it is not a good idea to drink tea when ferritin<35, but it is very good when ferritin>58.

As I have mentioned previously, with the availability of ferritin, serum iron and hemoglobin testing, it is absurd to assume that we have adequate iron levels, since intake seldom balances with elimination and losses from menstruation, internal bleeding, etc,

One interesting fact is that although doctors always connect anemia with iron deficiency and often prescribe iron supplements without checking ferritin and serum iron, many people with anemia have adequate or excessive iron levels. For example, people with advanced hemochromatosis have so much iron that the bone marrow cells that make red cells die from iron toxicity. Another example is copper deficiency anemia, in which people have toxic iron levels in liver, but lack hephaestin, the Cu protein that mobilizes iron.

Today they add iron to white bread, cereal, etc, which may help Fe deficient people (if they have enough vitamin C and not too much phytic acid) but certainly harms the millions of people with excess iron.

As I have said repeatedly, most people fall outside my optimum range 35<ferritin<58, yet ferritin is checked unjustifiably seldom. This negligence results in untold misery and billions of dollars spent treating condirions that result from a problem that can be easily detected and corrected.

Please note that I'm not blaming solely Fe for gout, since most men with ferritin>58 never develop gout. Genetics, high Fe, Mo, Pb & Cd and low Cu, Mg, Si & vit D, impaired kidney function, blood pH<7.4 and many other variables play crucial roles in gout. Which is why I advocate donating blood, taking supplements and when urea>30 &/or uric acid>5.5 taking the sodium bicarbonate and the hot brine baths.

When my cousin developed gout at age 27 (about 25 years ago) his foot swoll so much that he couldn't walk and was taken to a hospital, where they promptly applied ice, which he says made the pain even more unbearable. When he contacted me about 6 years ago with another attack (despite allopurinol) I told him to take bicarbonate and the baths. He couldn't believe how quickly the pain went away after 2 baths the same day. A week later I asked him for all the tests I always use. Ferritin was 236, hemoglobin 17 and serum iron 180. Ferritin usually drops 20 points with every donation and if you stop donating it begins to rise slowly. So It took him a while to reach my range, but while he kept donating every 2 months and taking the Cu, etc, he didn't have gout attacks even before reaching my range. He had seen 8 physycians, 2 of them rheumatologists before contacting me and none of them ever ordered ferritin, hemoglobin and serum iron test or suggested that blood donation might help, much less supplementation and brine baths. BY the way, like most donors with excess Fe, he reported feeling a little better immediately after donation.