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 2001–2050 of 4,377 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Lupins, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt | Legumes and Legume Products | 1.20 mg | 7% |
| 2002 | MORI-NU, Tofu, silken, extra firm | Legumes and Legume Products | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2003 | Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled | Dairy and Egg Products | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2004 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, PREGESTIMIL, with iron, with ARA and DHA, prepared from powder | Baby Foods | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2005 | Beverages, Cocoa mix, powder | Beverages | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2006 | Beans, baked, canned, plain or vegetarian | Legumes and Legume Products | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2007 | Frostings, chocolate, creamy, dry mix | Sweets | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2008 | Spinach souffle | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1.19 mg | 7% |
| 2009 | Prune juice, canned | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2010 | Taro leaves, cooked, steamed, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2011 | ON THE BORDER, Mexican rice | Restaurant Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2012 | Infant Formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Premium, Infant, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2013 | Peas, green (includes baby and lesuer types), canned, drained solids, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2014 | Taro, leaves, cooked, steamed, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2015 | Infant Formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Newborn, with DHA and ARA, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2016 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ISOMIL, ADVANCE with iron, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2017 | Infant Formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL GENTLEASE, with iron, prepared from powder | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2018 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, NUTRAMIGEN AA, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2019 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Premature, with iron, 20 calories, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2020 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, Expert Care, Diarrhea, ready- to- feed with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2021 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, For Spit Up, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2022 | Salad dressing, thousand island, commercial, regular | Fats and Oils | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2023 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Enfamil for Supplementing, ready to feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2024 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Infant, with iron, liquid concentrate, with ARA and DHA, reconstituted | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2025 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL LIPIL, with iron, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2026 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Infant, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2027 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, NUTRAMIGEN, with iron, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2028 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ALIMENTUM, with iron, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2029 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ALIMENTUM, ADVANCE, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2030 | Infant formula, PBM PRODUCTS, store brand, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2031 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, AR, ready-to-feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2032 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Gentlease, ready to feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2033 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Pregestimil 20 Calories, ready to feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2034 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, PROSOBEE, with iron, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2035 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ISOMIL, with iron, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2036 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, NUTRAMIGEN, with iron, liquid concentrate not reconstituted, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2037 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, PROSOBEE, with iron, ready to feed, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2038 | Infant formula, PBM PRODUCTS, store brand, soy, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2039 | Infant formula, ABBOTT NUTRITION, SIMILAC, ADVANCE, with iron, ready-to-feed | Baby Foods | 1.18 mg | 7% |
| 2040 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, PROSOBEE, liquid concentrate, reconstituted, with ARA and DHA | Baby Foods | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2041 | Beans, kidney, all types, mature seeds, canned | Legumes and Legume Products | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2042 | Prunes, dehydrated (low-moisture), stewed | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2043 | Snacks, rice cakes, brown rice, corn | Snacks | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2044 | Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2045 | Macaroni and cheese, box mix with cheese sauce, prepared | Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes | 1.17 mg | 6% |
| 2046 | Snacks, tortilla chips, nacho cheese | Snacks | 1.16 mg | 6% |
| 2047 | Raspberry juice concentrate | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 1.16 mg | 6% |
| 2048 | Rice, brown, parboiled, dry, UNCLE BEN'S | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 1.16 mg | 6% |
| 2049 | Pasta, homemade, made with egg, cooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 1.16 mg | 6% |
| 2050 | Lotus root, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1.16 mg | 6% |
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