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 1251–1300 of 4,377 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV
1251	Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ISOMIL, ADVANCE with iron, liquid concentrate	Baby Foods	2.30 mg	13%
1252	Nuts, chestnuts, chinese, dried	Nut and Seed Products	2.29 mg	13%
1253	Corn, white, steamed (Navajo)	American Indian/Alaska Native Foods	2.29 mg	13%
1254	Chrysanthemum, garland, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.29 mg	13%
1255	Candies, milk chocolate coated coffee beans	Sweets	2.29 mg	13%
1256	Cookies, raisin, soft-type	Baked Products	2.29 mg	13%
1257	Peanuts, spanish, oil-roasted, with salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.28 mg	13%
1258	Peanuts, spanish, oil-roasted, without salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.28 mg	13%
1259	Snacks, popcorn, microwave, low fat	Snacks	2.28 mg	13%
1260	Beverages, malted drink mix, chocolate, powder	Beverages	2.28 mg	13%
1261	Nuts, coconut cream, raw (liquid expressed from grated meat)	Nut and Seed Products	2.28 mg	13%
1262	Popcorn, microwave, low fat and sodium	Snacks	2.28 mg	13%
1263	Elk, free range, roast, eye of round, raw (Shoshone Bannock)	American Indian/Alaska Native Foods	2.27 mg	13%
1264	Pizza, cheese topping, regular crust, frozen, cooked	Fast Foods	2.27 mg	13%
1265	Edamame, frozen, prepared	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.27 mg	13%
1266	Snacks, potato sticks	Snacks	2.27 mg	13%
1267	Muffins, blueberry, prepared from recipe, made with low fat (2%) milk	Baked Products	2.27 mg	13%
1268	Pillsbury, Crusty French Loaf, refrigerated dough	Baked Products	2.27 mg	13%
1269	Doughnuts, cake-type, chocolate, sugared or glazed	Baked Products	2.27 mg	13%
1270	Beverages, tea, instant, unsweetened, powder	Beverages	2.26 mg	13%
1271	Archway Home Style Cookies, Date Filled Oatmeal	Baked Products	2.26 mg	13%
1272	Beverages, tea, instant, decaffeinated, unsweetened	Beverages	2.26 mg	13%
1273	Pie crust, deep dish, frozen, unbaked, made with enriched flour	Baked Products	2.26 mg	13%
1274	Peas, mature seeds, sprouted, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.26 mg	13%
1275	Chard, swiss, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.26 mg	13%
1276	Peaches, dehydrated (low-moisture), sulfured, stewed	Fruits and Fruit Juices	2.26 mg	13%
1277	Chard, swiss, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.26 mg	13%
1278	Amaranth leaves, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.26 mg	13%
1279	Amaranth leaves, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.26 mg	13%
1280	Fast foods, cheeseburger; single, regular patty, with condiments	Fast Foods	2.25 mg	12%
1281	Bread, potato	Baked Products	2.25 mg	12%
1282	Taro leaves, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.25 mg	12%
1283	Cookies, vanilla sandwich with creme filling, reduced fat	Baked Products	2.25 mg	12%
1284	Cookies, brownies, commercially prepared	Baked Products	2.25 mg	12%
1285	McDONALD'S, Double Cheeseburger	Fast Foods	2.24 mg	12%
1286	Cookies, sugar, commercially prepared, regular (includes vanilla)	Baked Products	2.24 mg	12%
1287	Snacks, popcorn, cheese-flavor	Snacks	2.24 mg	12%
1288	Bagels, multigrain	Baked Products	2.23 mg	12%
1289	Cookies, peanut butter, prepared from recipe	Baked Products	2.23 mg	12%
1290	Beans, kidney, all types, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.22 mg	12%
1291	Cookies, butter, commercially prepared, enriched	Baked Products	2.22 mg	12%
1292	Cookies, oatmeal, dry mix	Baked Products	2.22 mg	12%
1293	Pie crust, standard-type, dry mix	Baked Products	2.22 mg	12%
1294	TACO BELL, Soft Taco with steak	Fast Foods	2.22 mg	12%
1295	Pumpkin leaves, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.22 mg	12%
1296	Arrowroot, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.22 mg	12%
1297	Lima beans, immature seeds, frozen, baby, unprepared	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.21 mg	12%
1298	Cookies, vanilla sandwich with creme filling	Baked Products	2.21 mg	12%
1299	French toast, frozen, ready-to-heat	Baked Products	2.21 mg	12%
1300	Cereals, oats, instant, fortified, with raisins and spice, prepared with water	Breakfast Cereals	2.21 mg	12%

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA SR Legacy)

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