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 7001–7050 of 8,274 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV Source
7001 Tea, instant, sweetened, lemon flavour, powder, decaffeinated Beverages 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7002 Sauce, cheese, ready-to-serve Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7003 Fast foods, dessert, sundae, strawberry Fast Foods 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7004 Dessert, frozen, ice cream, strawberry Sweets 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7005 Dessert, frozen, ice cream, French vanilla, soft serve Sweets 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7006 Tea, instant, sweetened, lemon flavour, powder Beverages 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7007 Malted milk, chocolate flavour, powder, milk whole milk Beverages 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7008 Alcohol, cocktail, pina colada (rum), homemade Beverages 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7009 Onion, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7010 Pear, canned halves, water pack, solids and liquid Fruits and fruit juices 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7011 Melon, cantaloupe, raw Fruits and fruit juices 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7012 Rhubarb, frozen, cooked, added sugar Fruits and fruit juices 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7013 Grapefruit, canned, juice pack, solids and liquid Fruits and fruit juices 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7014 Fruit cocktail (peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, cherry, grape), canned, juice pack, solids and liquid Fruits and fruit juices 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7015 Soup, mushroom barley, canned, condensed, water added Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7016 Sauce, white, thin, 2% milk, homemade Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7017 Salad dressing, mayonnaise, commercial, regular Fats and Oils 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7018 Cheese, cheshire Dairy and Egg Products 0.21 mg 1% CNF
7019 Mushroom, maitake Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.21 mg 1% USDA_FF
7020 Blackberries, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.21 mg 1% USDA_FF
7021 Juice, tart cherry, from concentrate, shelf-stable Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.20 mg 1% USDA_FF
7022 Cheese, mozzarella, low moisture, part-skim Dairy and Egg Products 0.20 mg 1% USDA_FF
7023 Beverages, fruit punch juice drink, frozen concentrate, prepared with water Beverages 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7024 Beverages, MOTTS, Apple juice light, fortified with vitamin C Beverages 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7025 Beverages, Apple juice drink, light, fortified with vitamin C Beverages 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7026 Cranberry-orange relish, canned Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7027 Babyfood, potatoes, toddler Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7028 Vinegar, cider Spices and Herbs 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7029 Cheese product, pasteurized process, American, reduced fat, fortified with vitamin D Dairy and Egg Products 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7030 Grapefruit juice, white, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7031 Soup, cream of potato, canned, prepared with equal volume water Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7032 Cheese, fresh, queso fresco Dairy and Egg Products 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7033 Beverages, rice milk, unsweetened Beverages 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7034 Alcoholic beverages, wine, rose Beverages 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7035 Acerola, (west indian cherry), raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7036 Salad dressing, french, cottonseed, oil, home recipe Fats and Oils 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7037 Salad dressing, french, home recipe Fats and Oils 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7038 Sandwich spread, with chopped pickle, regular, unspecified oils Fats and Oils 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7039 Babyfood, juice, orange and apple Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7040 Babyfood, apple-banana juice Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7041 Babyfood, peaches, dices, toddler Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7042 Babyfood, fruit, guava and papaya with tapioca, strained Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7043 Babyfood, pears, dices, toddler Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7044 Babyfood, fruit dessert, mango with tapioca Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7045 Babyfood, fruit, bananas with tapioca, strained Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7046 Eggnog Dairy and Egg Products 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7047 Salad dressing, KRAFT Mayo Light Mayonnaise Fats and Oils 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7048 Babyfood, juice, apple, with calcium Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7049 Babyfood, dessert, dutch apple, strained Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR
7050 Babyfood, fruit, apple and blueberry, strained Baby Foods 0.20 mg 1% USDA_SR

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