Vegan foods high in Iron (USDA SR Legacy)

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 351–400 of 3,584 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
351 Pepeao, dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 6.14 mg 34%
352 Piki bread, made from blue cornmeal (Hopi) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 6.11 mg 34%
353 Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, skin, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 6.07 mg 34%
354 Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, skin, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 6.07 mg 34%
355 Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, without salt added Nut and Seed Products 6.05 mg 34%
356 Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, with salt added Nut and Seed Products 6.05 mg 34%
357 Peppers, hot chile, sun-dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 6.04 mg 34%
358 Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, without salt added Nut and Seed Products 6.00 mg 33%
359 Shallots, freeze-dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 6.00 mg 33%
360 Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, with salt added Nut and Seed Products 6.00 mg 33%
361 Snacks, granola bars, QUAKER OATMEAL TO GO, all flavors Snacks 6.00 mg 33%
362 Cereals, oats, instant, fortified, plain, prepared with water (boiling water added or microwaved) Breakfast Cereals 5.96 mg 33%
363 Crackers, rye, wafers, plain Baked Products 5.94 mg 33%
364 Potatoes, microwaved, cooked, in skin, skin with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 5.94 mg 33%
365 Potatoes, microwaved, cooked in skin, skin, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 5.94 mg 33%
366 Cereals ready-to-eat, NATURE'S PATH, Organic FLAX PLUS flakes Breakfast Cereals 5.89 mg 33%
367 Fungi, Cloud ears, dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 5.88 mg 33%
368 Soy flour, full-fat, roasted Legumes and Legume Products 5.82 mg 32%
369 Waffle, plain, frozen, ready-to-heat, microwave Baked Products 5.81 mg 32%
370 Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CORN BURSTS Breakfast Cereals 5.80 mg 32%
371 Cornmeal, white, self-rising, bolted, plain, enriched Cereal Grains and Pasta 5.76 mg 32%
372 Cornmeal, yellow, self-rising, bolted, plain, enriched Cereal Grains and Pasta 5.76 mg 32%
373 Seeds, flaxseed Nut and Seed Products 5.73 mg 32%
374 Crackers, snack, Goya Crackers Baked Products 5.66 mg 31%
375 Spices, garlic powder Spices and Herbs 5.65 mg 31%
376 Snacks, NUTRI-GRAIN FRUIT AND NUT BAR Snacks 5.65 mg 31%
377 Toaster pastries, brown-sugar-cinnamon Baked Products 5.62 mg 31%
378 Waffles, plain, frozen, ready-to-heat Baked Products 5.61 mg 31%
379 Soybean, curd cheese Legumes and Legume Products 5.60 mg 31%
380 Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, chocolate, prepared with water, without salt Breakfast Cereals 5.59 mg 31%
381 Cookies, chocolate chip, commercially prepared, regular, higher fat, enriched Baked Products 5.58 mg 31%
382 Nuts, pine nuts, dried Nut and Seed Products 5.53 mg 31%
383 Peaches, dehydrated (low-moisture), sulfured, uncooked Fruits and Fruit Juices 5.51 mg 31%
384 Toaster pastries, fruit (includes apple, blueberry, cherry, strawberry) Baked Products 5.51 mg 31%
385 Beans, navy, mature seeds, raw Legumes and Legume Products 5.49 mg 30%
386 Beans, great northern, mature seeds, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Legumes and Legume Products 5.47 mg 30%
387 Oat bran, raw Cereal Grains and Pasta 5.41 mg 30%
388 Smelt, dried (Alaska Native) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 5.40 mg 30%
389 Seeds, cottonseed kernels, roasted (glandless) Nut and Seed Products 5.40 mg 30%
390 Longans, dried Fruits and Fruit Juices 5.40 mg 30%
391 Formulated Bar, SOUTH BEACH protein bar Snacks 5.40 mg 30%
392 Wheat, soft white Cereal Grains and Pasta 5.37 mg 30%
393 Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate Legumes and Legume Products 5.36 mg 30%
394 Cereals, farina, enriched, cooked with water, with salt Breakfast Cereals 5.33 mg 30%
395 Sauce, worcestershire Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 5.30 mg 29%
396 Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried Nut and Seed Products 5.25 mg 29%
397 Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds, raw Legumes and Legume Products 5.23 mg 29%
398 Vital wheat gluten Cereal Grains and Pasta 5.20 mg 29%
399 Snacks, soy chips or crisps, salted Snacks 5.20 mg 29%
400 Snacks, granola bar, KASHI GOLEAN, crunchy, mixed flavors Snacks 5.20 mg 29%

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