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 1951–2000 of 3,584 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Babyfood, juice, apple and prune | Baby Foods | 0.95 mg | 5% |
| 1952 | Succotash, (corn and limas), frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1953 | Candies, YORK BITES | Sweets | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1954 | Peas and carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1955 | Peas and onions, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1956 | Peas and carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1957 | Peas and onions, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1958 | Nuts, chestnuts, european, raw, peeled | Nut and Seed Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1959 | Sauce, sofrito, prepared from recipe | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1960 | Sauce, alfredo mix, dry | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1961 | Bread, stuffing, cornbread, dry mix, prepared | Baked Products | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1962 | Soup, bean with frankfurters, canned, prepared with equal volume water | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1963 | Apricots, dried, sulfured, stewed, without added sugar | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1964 | Soup, shark fin, restaurant-prepared | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1965 | Grapes, canned, thompson seedless, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.94 mg | 5% |
| 1966 | Pie, pecan, commercially prepared | Baked Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1967 | Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1968 | Pasta, gluten-free, corn, dry | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1969 | Kale, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1970 | Squash, winter, acorn, cooked, baked, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1971 | Brussels sprouts, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1972 | Tomato products, canned, sauce, with onions | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1973 | Squash, winter, acorn, cooked, baked, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1974 | Onion rings, breaded, par fried, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1975 | Candies, soft fruit and nut squares | Sweets | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1976 | WENDY'S, french fries | Fast Foods | 0.93 mg | 5% |
| 1977 | Candies, YORK Peppermint Pattie | Sweets | 0.92 mg | 5% |
| 1978 | DIGIORNO Pizza, supreme topping, thin crispy crust, frozen, baked | Fast Foods | 0.92 mg | 5% |
| 1979 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, LIPIL, low iron, liquid concentrate, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 0.92 mg | 5% |
| 1980 | Apple juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted, without added ascorbic acid | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1981 | Pie, Dutch Apple, Commercially Prepared | Baked Products | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1982 | Apple juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted, with added ascorbic acid | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1983 | Asparagus, cooked, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1984 | Rye flour, light | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1985 | Cattail, Narrow Leaf Shoots (Northern Plains Indians) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1986 | Asparagus, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1987 | Corn flour, yellow, degermed, unenriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1988 | Restaurant, family style, french fries | Restaurant Foods | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1989 | Mung beans, mature seeds, sprouted, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1990 | Nuts, chestnuts, european, roasted | Nut and Seed Products | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1991 | Pasta with Sliced Franks in Tomato Sauce, canned entree | Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes | 0.91 mg | 5% |
| 1992 | Candies, NESTLE, CHUNKY Bar | Sweets | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1993 | Blueberries, dried, sweetened | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1994 | Dates, medjool | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1995 | Lotus root, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1996 | Beans, snap, green, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1997 | Beans, snap, yellow, canned, regular pack, solids and liquids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1998 | Beans, snap, yellow, canned, no salt added, solids and liquids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1999 | Lotus root, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2000 | Wheat flours, bread, unenriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.90 mg | 5% |
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