Vegetarian 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 751–800 of 4,377 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
751 Nuts, pilinuts, dried Nut and Seed Products 3.53 mg 20%
752 Seeds, lotus seeds, dried Nut and Seed Products 3.53 mg 20%
753 Pinon Nuts, roasted (Navajo) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 3.53 mg 20%
754 Frozen novelties, ice type, pineapple-coconut Sweets 3.53 mg 20%
755 Prunes, dehydrated (low-moisture), uncooked Fruits and Fruit Juices 3.52 mg 20%
756 Wheat, durum Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.52 mg 20%
757 Rolls, dinner, egg Baked Products 3.52 mg 20%
758 Cookies, chocolate chip, commercially prepared, special dietary Baked Products 3.50 mg 19%
759 Cereals ready-to-eat, POST SELECTS Maple Pecan Crunch Breakfast Cereals 3.50 mg 19%
760 Potatoes, mashed, dehydrated, granules with milk, dry form Vegetables and Vegetable Products 3.50 mg 19%
761 Nuts, almond butter, plain, without salt added Nut and Seed Products 3.49 mg 19%
762 Nuts, almond butter, plain, with salt added Nut and Seed Products 3.49 mg 19%
763 Babyfood, cereal, barley, prepared with whole milk Baby Foods 3.49 mg 19%
764 Crackers, toast thins, low sodium Baked Products 3.48 mg 19%
765 Tomato products, canned, sauce, spanish style Vegetables and Vegetable Products 3.48 mg 19%
766 Candies, MARS SNACKFOOD US, COCOAVIA Chocolate Bar Sweets 3.47 mg 19%
767 Mushrooms, Chanterelle, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 3.47 mg 19%
768 Crackers, cheese, whole grain Baked Products 3.46 mg 19%
769 Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, Shredded Wheat, lightly frosted, spoon-size Breakfast Cereals 3.46 mg 19%
770 Bread, Italian Baked Products 3.45 mg 19%
771 Cornmeal, whole-grain, white Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.45 mg 19%
772 Cornmeal, whole-grain, yellow Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.45 mg 19%
773 Candies, MARS SNACKFOOD US, COCOAVIA Crispy Chocolate Bar Sweets 3.45 mg 19%
774 Nuts, mixed nuts, dry roasted, with peanuts, salt added, PLANTERS pistachio blend Nut and Seed Products 3.43 mg 19%
775 Bread, oat bran, toasted Baked Products 3.43 mg 19%
776 Chili with beans, canned Legumes and Legume Products 3.43 mg 19%
777 Falafel, home-prepared Legumes and Legume Products 3.42 mg 19%
778 Tart, breakfast, low fat Baked Products 3.42 mg 19%
779 Pasta, whole grain, 51% whole wheat, remaining enriched semolina, dry (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.41 mg 19%
780 Bread, whole-wheat, prepared from recipe, toasted Baked Products 3.40 mg 19%
781 Beans, french, mature seeds, raw Legumes and Legume Products 3.40 mg 19%
782 Egg, yolk, raw, frozen, salted, pasteurized Dairy and Egg Products 3.40 mg 19%
783 Tennis Bread, plain (Apache) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 3.40 mg 19%
784 Jerusalem-artichokes, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 3.40 mg 19%
785 Snacks, trail mix, regular, with chocolate chips, unsalted nuts and seeds Snacks 3.39 mg 19%
786 Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), toasted Nut and Seed Products 3.39 mg 19%
787 Cereals, whole wheat hot natural cereal, dry Breakfast Cereals 3.39 mg 19%
788 Snacks, trail mix, regular, with chocolate chips, salted nuts and seeds Snacks 3.39 mg 19%
789 Snacks, granola bar, KASHI TLC Bar, chewy, mixed flavors Snacks 3.39 mg 19%
790 Nuts, chestnuts, japanese, dried Nut and Seed Products 3.38 mg 19%
791 Sorghum grain Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.36 mg 19%
792 Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), creamed Nut and Seed Products 3.36 mg 19%
793 Wonton wrappers (includes egg roll wrappers) Baked Products 3.36 mg 19%
794 Archway Home Style Cookies, Dutch Cocoa Baked Products 3.36 mg 19%
795 Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, plain, as purchased Cereal Grains and Pasta 3.35 mg 19%
796 Bread, egg, toasted Baked Products 3.34 mg 19%
797 Crackers, whole-wheat Baked Products 3.34 mg 19%
798 Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt Legumes and Legume Products 3.33 mg 18%
799 Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt Legumes and Legume Products 3.33 mg 18%
800 Bread, white, commercially prepared, toasted, low sodium no salt Baked Products 3.33 mg 18%

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