Red meat and poultry dominate this ranking because their iron binds easily to the proteins that carry oxygen through your blood. Animal tissues contain haem iron, the form your body absorbs with the fewest obstacles. Plant foods hold non-haem iron, which your gut takes up less readily and only when other compounds in the meal do not block it.
Iron concentrates in organ meats, then muscle meats, then leafy greens and legumes. A single ranking cannot show you absorption rates. Two foods with the same iron count per 100 g deliver different amounts to your bloodstream depending on what else you eat alongside them.
Without animal foods, you lose access to haem iron. Plant sources and fortified foods supply non-haem iron instead, which your body absorbs at a lower rate and loses to interference from phytates, tannins and polyphenols in the same meal. Eating vitamin C alongside iron-rich plants improves uptake substantially. Many fortified cereals and plant milks contain added iron in amounts comparable to meat, but absorption remains the limiting factor on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
FDA daily value: 18 mg
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Showing 451–500 of 6,739 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 | Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Oatmeal, maple and brown sugar, dry | Breakfast Cereals | 8.22 mg | 46% | USDA_SR |
| 452 | Beans, kidney, all types, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% | USDA_SR |
| 453 | Soy flour, low-fat | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% | USDA_SR |
| 454 | Beans, kidney, all types, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% | CNF |
| 455 | Soy flour, low fat | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% | CNF |
| 456 | Leavening agents, baking powder, low-sodium | Baked Products | 8.17 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 457 | Lemon grass (citronella), raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.17 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 458 | Lemon grass (citronella), raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.17 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 459 | Leavening agent, baking powder, low sodium | Baked Products | 8.17 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 460 | Candies, chocolate, dark, NFS (45-59% cacao solids 90%; 60-69% cacao solids 5%; 70-85% cacao solids 5%) | Sweets | 8.13 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 461 | Candies, chocolate, dark, not further specified | Sweets | 8.13 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 462 | Cereals, QUAKER, Oat Bran, QUAKER/MOTHER'S Oat Bran, dry | Breakfast Cereals | 8.07 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 463 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, without salt | Nut and Seed Products | 8.07 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 464 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, with salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 8.07 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 465 | Seaweed, Canadian Cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, rehydrated | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.07 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 466 | Seaweed, Canadian cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, rehydrated | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.07 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 467 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, salted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.07 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 468 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.07 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 469 | Chocolate, dark, 45- 59% cacao solids | Sweets | 8.02 mg | 45% | USDA_SR |
| 470 | Candies, chocolate, dark, 45-59% cacao solids | Sweets | 8.02 mg | 45% | CNF |
| 471 | Flour, coconut | Nut and Seed Products | 8.02 mg | 45% | USDA_FF |
| 472 | Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | Nut and Seed Products | 7.95 mg | 44% | USDA_SR |
| 473 | Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, GOLDEN PUFFS | Breakfast Cereals | 7.92 mg | 44% | USDA_SR |
| 474 | Pancakes, whole-wheat, dry mix, incomplete | Baked Products | 7.84 mg | 44% | USDA_SR |
| 475 | Pancake, whole-wheat, dry mix, incomplete, unprepared | Baked Products | 7.84 mg | 44% | CNF |
| 476 | Celery flakes, dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 7.83 mg | 44% | CNF |
| 477 | Cookies, chocolate sandwich, with extra creme filling | Baked Products | 7.80 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 478 | Spices, pepper, red or cayenne | Spices and Herbs | 7.80 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 479 | Papad | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.80 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 480 | Indian, papad (papadum) | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.80 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 481 | Spices, pepper, red or cayenne | Spices and Herbs | 7.80 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 482 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, without salt added (decorticated) | Nut and Seed Products | 7.78 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 483 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, with salt added (decorticated) | Nut and Seed Products | 7.78 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 484 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, shelled, with salt | Nuts and Seeds | 7.78 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 485 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, shelled | Nuts and Seeds | 7.78 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 486 | Beans, small white, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.73 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 487 | Beans, small white, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.73 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 488 | Crackers, saltines, fat-free, low-sodium | Baked Products | 7.72 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 489 | Seeds, chia seeds, dried | Nut and Seed Products | 7.72 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 490 | Seeds, chia seeds, dried | Nuts and Seeds | 7.72 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 491 | Beverages, Dairy drink mix, chocolate, reduced calorie, with low-calorie sweeteners, powder | Beverages | 7.70 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 492 | Infant formula, NESTLE, GOOD START SUPREME, with iron, powder | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 493 | Toddler formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Nutramigen Toddler with LGG Powder, with ARA and DHA, not reconstituted | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 494 | Infant formula, GERBER, GOOD START, PROTECT PLUS, powder | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% | USDA_SR |
| 495 | Meal replacement (cereal), ready to eat, Force Active, President's Choice | Breakfast cereals | 7.69 mg | 43% | CNF |
| 496 | Teff, uncooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.63 mg | 42% | USDA_SR |
| 497 | Grains, teff, uncooked | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 7.63 mg | 42% | CNF |
| 498 | Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Fruity DYNO-BITES | Breakfast Cereals | 7.62 mg | 42% | USDA_SR |
| 499 | Amaranth grain, uncooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.61 mg | 42% | USDA_SR |
| 500 | Grains, amaranth, raw | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 7.61 mg | 42% | CNF |
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