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 5201–5250 of 6,739 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5201 | Balsam-pear (bitter gourd), pods, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5202 | Balsam-pear (bitter gourd), pods, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5203 | Puddings, all flavors except chocolate, low calorie, instant, dry mix | Sweets | 0.38 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5204 | Nance, frozen, unsweetened | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.38 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5205 | Guava nectar, canned, with added ascorbic acid | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.38 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5206 | Sauce, peanut (made from coconut, water, sugar, peanuts) | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5207 | Waxgourd (Chinese perserving melon), boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5208 | Corn, sweet, canned, cream style, unsalted | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5209 | Cabbage, savoy, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5210 | Balsam-pear (bitter gourd, bitter melon), pods, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5211 | Dessert, pudding, all flavours except chocolate, dry mix, instant, low calorie, unprepared | Sweets | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5212 | Grains, couscous, cooked | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5213 | Alcohol, table wine, rosé (11.5% alcohol by volume) | Beverages | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5214 | Potato, scalloped, dry mix, prepared with water, whole milk and butter | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5215 | Corn, sweet, canned, cream style | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5216 | Waxgourd (Chinese perserving melon), boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5217 | Cabbage, savoy, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5218 | Balsam-pear (bitter gourd, bitter melon), pods, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5219 | Pineapple, canned, extra heavy syrup pack, solids and liquid | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5220 | Pineapple, canned heavy syrup pack, solids and liquid | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5221 | Apricot nectar, canned | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5222 | Soup, minestrone, canned, condensed, water added | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 0.38 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5223 | Potatoes, gold, without skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_FF |
| 5224 | Babyfood, vegetables, carrots, strained | Baby Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5225 | Fast foods, sundae, hot fudge | Fast Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5226 | Alcoholic beverage, wine, table, all | Beverages | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5227 | Figs, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5228 | Babyfood, vegetables, sweet potatoes strained | Baby Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5229 | Sugar, turbinado | Sweets | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5230 | Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5231 | Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5232 | Tangerines, (mandarin oranges), canned, light syrup pack | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5233 | Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5234 | Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5235 | Peaches, frozen, sliced, sweetened | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5236 | Stew, pinto bean and hominy, badufsuki (Hopi) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5237 | Syrups, corn, dark | Sweets | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5238 | Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5239 | Nance, canned, syrup, drained | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5240 | Blueberries, wild, raw (Alaska Native) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | USDA_SR |
| 5241 | Babyfood, mixed fruit with oatmeal cereal, all stages | Babyfoods | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5242 | Sweets, turbinado | Sweets | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5243 | Squash, summer, zucchini, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5244 | Blueberry, wild, raw | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5245 | Fast foods, dessert, sundae, hot fudge | Fast Foods | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5246 | Sweets, syrups, corn, dark | Sweets | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5247 | Alcohol, table wine, all (11.5% alcohol by volume) | Beverages | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5248 | Squash, summer, zucchini, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5249 | Squash, summer, zucchini, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
| 5250 | Squash, summer, crookneck, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% | CNF |
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