Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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 6001–6050 of 8,274 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV	Source
6001	Pickles, cucumber, sour	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6002	Waxgourd (Chinese preserving melon), raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6003	Squash, summer, scallop, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6004	Soybeans, mature seeds, sprouted, bean sprouts, stir-fried, no fat added	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6005	Radish, oriental (daikon), raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6006	Kohlrabi, boiled, drained	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6007	Kohlrabi, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6008	Cabbage, savoy, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6009	Pineapple, canned, water pack, solids and liquid	Fruits and fruit juices	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6010	Pineapple, frozen chunks, sweetened	Fruits and fruit juices	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6011	Grapefruit, canned, light syrup pack, solids and liquid	Fruits and fruit juices	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6012	Soup, minestrone, dehydrated, water added	Soups, Sauces and Gravies	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6013	Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve	Soups, Sauces and Gravies	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6014	Soup, mushroom barley, canned, condensed	Soups, Sauces and Gravies	0.40 mg	2%	CNF
6015	Sweet potatoes, orange flesh, without skin, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.40 mg	2%	USDA_FF
6016	Potatoes, red, without skin, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_FF
6017	Beverages, cocoa mix, with aspartame, powder, prepared with water	Beverages	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6018	Blueberries, frozen, sweetened	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6019	Apricots, canned, light syrup pack, with skin, solids and liquids	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6020	Babyfood, vegetables, carrots, junior	Baby Foods	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6021	Beverages, Whiskey sour mix, powder	Beverages	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6022	Babyfood, vegetables, sweet potatoes, junior	Baby Foods	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6023	Cranberries, dried, sweetened (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6024	Apricots, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6025	Babyfood, juice, apple and grape	Baby Foods	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6026	Milk substitutes, fluid, with lauric acid oil	Dairy and Egg Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6027	Sour cream, imitation, cultured	Dairy and Egg Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6028	Tomato juice, canned, without salt added	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6029	Tomato juice, canned, with salt added	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6030	Rice, white, steamed, Chinese restaurant	Cereal Grains and Pasta	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6031	Corn, yellow, whole kernel, frozen, microwaved	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6032	Pineapple, canned, light syrup pack, solids and liquids	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6033	Fruit juice smoothie, ODWALLA, ORIGINAL SUPERFOOD	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6034	Cheese, pasteurized process, cheddar or American, low sodium	Dairy and Egg Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_SR
6035	Salad, garden, with Italian dressing, homemade	Mixed Dishes	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6036	Grains, rice, white, steamed, Chinese restaurant	Cereals, Grains and Pasta	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6037	Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off the cob, microwaved	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6038	Juice, tomato, canned, no salt added	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6039	Jam type spread, Double Fruit, apricot	Sweets	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6040	Cheese, processed product, cheddar, slices, low sodium	Dairy and Egg Products	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6041	Hot chocolate, with aspartame, mix, powder, prepared with water	Beverages	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6042	Alcohol, cocktail, whisky sour mix, powder	Beverages	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6043	Juice, tomato, canned	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6044	Pineapple, canned, light syrup pack, solids and liquid	Fruits and fruit juices	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6045	Blueberry, frozen, sweetened	Fruits and fruit juices	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6046	Apricot, canned halves with skin, light syrup pack, solids and liquid	Fruits and fruit juices	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6047	Apricot, raw	Fruits and fruit juices	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6048	Cheese fondue	Dairy and Egg Products	0.39 mg	2%	CNF
6049	Corn, sweet, yellow and white kernels, fresh, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.39 mg	2%	USDA_FF
6050	Potatoes, russet, without skin, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.38 mg	2%	USDA_FF

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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