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 1951–2000 of 3,595 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Candies, bars, Chunky | Sweets | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1952 | Macaroni and cheese, canned entree | Mixed Dishes | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1953 | Cereal, ready to eat, Puffins: cinnamon, Barbara's Bakery | Breakfast cereals | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1954 | Date, medjool | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1955 | Sauce, pizza, canned, ready-to-serve | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1956 | Cheese, parmesan, dry grated, reduced fat | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1957 | Beans, snap (Italian, green or yellow), canned, solids and liquid, unsalted | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 1958 | Beans, kidney, sprouted, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1959 | Succotash, frozen, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1960 | Sweet potato, canned, vacuum pack | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1961 | Carrot, baby, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1962 | Tomato products, canned, sauce with mushrooms | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1963 | Cookie, peanut butter, commercial, soft-type | Baked Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1964 | Beans, kidney, sprouted, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1965 | Succotash, frozen, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1966 | Babyfood, vegetables, peas and carrots, all stages | Babyfoods | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 1967 | Pumpkin flowers, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1968 | Grains, rice and vermicelli mix, beef flavour, prepared with margarine | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1969 | Whey, sweet, dry | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1970 | Fig, dried, cooked | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1971 | Poi | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1972 | Pumpkin flowers, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1973 | Beans, snap, yellow, frozen, boiled, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1974 | Squash, winter, butternut, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1975 | Grains, oat bran, cooked | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1976 | Broccoli, flower clusters, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1977 | Broccoli, stalks, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1978 | Broccoli, leaves, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 1979 | Cheese, parmesan, shredded | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1980 | Mustard greens, boiled, drained | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1981 | Peas and onions, canned, solids and liquid | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1982 | Waterchestnuts, Chinese, canned, solids and liquid | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1983 | Pickle relish, sweet | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1984 | Tomato products, canned, sauce with herbs and cheese | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1985 | Mustard greens, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1986 | Potato, french-fried, cross cut, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1987 | Tamale, cheese | Mixed Dishes | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 1988 | Dip, spinach, sour cream base | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1989 | Soup, tomato, canned, condensed | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1990 | Cereal, hot, oats, large flakes, prepared, Rogers | Breakfast cereals | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1991 | Kumquat, raw | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1992 | Plum, canned, purple, light syrup pack, solids and liquid | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1993 | Lettuce, looseleaf | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1994 | Radish seeds, sprouted, with seed, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1995 | Pepper, serrano, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1996 | Potato, Russet, flesh and skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1997 | Soup, tomato, canned, condensed, reduced sodium | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 0.86 mg | 5% |
| 1998 | Boysenberry, frozen, unsweetened | Fruits and fruit juices | 0.85 mg | 5% |
| 1999 | Beans, snap (Italian, green or yellow), frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.85 mg | 5% |
| 2000 | Potato, boiled, flesh and skin | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.85 mg | 5% |
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