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 51–100 of 4,377 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV
51	Cereals ready-to-eat, rice, puffed, fortified	Breakfast Cereals	31.70 mg	176%
52	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, Maple & Brown Sugar Hot Wheat Cereal, dry	Breakfast Cereals	31.29 mg	174%
53	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Honey BUZZERS	Breakfast Cereals	31.03 mg	172%
54	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER CRUNCHY BRAN	Breakfast Cereals	30.98 mg	172%
55	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, original, plain, dry	Breakfast Cereals	30.86 mg	171%
56	Cereals, QUAKER, corn grits, instant, cheddar cheese flavor, dry	Breakfast Cereals	30.38 mg	169%
57	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits Product with American Cheese Flavor, dry	Breakfast Cereals	30.38 mg	169%
58	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CINNAMON TOASTERS	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
59	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, MARSHMALLOW MATEYS	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
60	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COCO-ROOS	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
61	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits, Butter flavor, dry	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
62	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, BERRY COLOSSAL CRUNCH	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
63	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COLOSSAL CRUNCH	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
64	Babyfood, Multigrain whole grain cereal, dry fortified	Baby Foods	30.00 mg	167%
65	Babyfood, cereal, mixed, dry fortified	Baby Foods	30.00 mg	167%
66	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, ALPHA-BITS	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
67	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Honey Nut SCOOTERS	Breakfast Cereals	30.00 mg	167%
68	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Toasted Multigrain Crisps	Breakfast Cereals	29.90 mg	166%
69	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, 1 minute cook time, dry	Breakfast Cereals	29.75 mg	165%
70	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER Honey Graham LIFE Cereal	Breakfast Cereals	29.73 mg	165%
71	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Oatmeal Squares, cinnamon	Breakfast Cereals	29.50 mg	164%
72	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Frosted Mini SPOONERS	Breakfast Cereals	29.45 mg	164%
73	Cereals, ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Blueberry Mini SPOONERS	Breakfast Cereals	29.45 mg	164%
74	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER OAT LIFE, plain	Breakfast Cereals	29.33 mg	163%
75	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Oatmeal Squares	Breakfast Cereals	29.30 mg	163%
76	Spices, rosemary, dried	Spices and Herbs	29.25 mg	162%
77	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, KING VITAMAN	Breakfast Cereals	29.00 mg	161%
78	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER Oatmeal Squares, Golden Maple	Breakfast Cereals	29.00 mg	161%
79	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS with vanilla bunches	Breakfast Cereals	28.90 mg	161%
80	Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, CHEERIOS	Breakfast Cereals	28.90 mg	161%
81	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Maple Brown Sugar LIFE Cereal	Breakfast Cereals	28.69 mg	159%
82	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, regular, 10 minute cooking, dry	Breakfast Cereals	28.60 mg	159%
83	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, instant, dry	Breakfast Cereals	28.60 mg	159%
84	Seaweed, spirulina, dried	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	28.50 mg	158%
85	Cereals, CREAM OF RICE, dry	Breakfast Cereals	28.44 mg	158%
86	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, TOOTIE FRUITIES	Breakfast Cereals	28.12 mg	156%
87	Spices, sage, ground	Spices and Herbs	28.12 mg	156%
88	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST GREAT GRAINS Banana Nut Crunch	Breakfast Cereals	28.00 mg	156%
89	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, GRAPE-NUTS Cereal	Breakfast Cereals	28.00 mg	156%
90	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, Honey Nut Shredded Wheat	Breakfast Cereals	28.00 mg	156%
91	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST Bran Flakes	Breakfast Cereals	28.00 mg	156%
92	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS with cinnamon bunches	Breakfast Cereals	28.00 mg	156%
93	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Crispy Hexagons	Breakfast Cereals	27.93 mg	155%
94	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, GRAPE-NUTS Flakes	Breakfast Cereals	27.90 mg	155%
95	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Apple ZINGS	Breakfast Cereals	27.27 mg	152%
96	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Crispy Rice	Breakfast Cereals	27.27 mg	152%
97	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, OAT BLENDERS with honey	Breakfast Cereals	27.00 mg	150%
98	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, with real strawberries	Breakfast Cereals	26.10 mg	145%
99	Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST Shake Mix, high protein, whey powder, 3-2-1 Plan,	Beverages	24.84 mg	138%
100	Babyfood, finger snacks, GERBER, GRADUATES, PUFFS, apple and cinnamon	Baby Foods	24.74 mg	137%

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA SR Legacy)

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