Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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 2101–2150 of 8,274 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV	Source
2101	Restaurant, family style, sirloin steak	Restaurant Foods	2.57 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2102	Fast foods, sandwiches and burgers, cheeseburger, large, single patty, plain	Fast Foods	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2103	Grains, triticale	Cereals, Grains and Pasta	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2104	Pie crust, standard type, homemade, unbaked	Baked Products	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2105	Biscuit, plain/buttermilk, refrigerated dough, higher fat, baked	Baked Products	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2106	Nuts, mixed nuts, oil roasted without peanuts, salted	Nuts and Seeds	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2107	Nuts, mixed nuts, oil roasted without peanuts	Nuts and Seeds	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2108	Beet greens, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2109	Arrowhead, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2110	Cereal, hot, oats, instant: regular, prepared	Breakfast cereals	2.57 mg	14%	CNF
2111	Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared	Baked Products	2.56 mg	14%	USDA_FF
2112	Rice and Wheat cereal bar	Snacks	2.56 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2113	Puff pastry, frozen, ready-to-bake	Baked Products	2.56 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2114	Snacks, granola bars, soft, uncoated, plain	Snacks	2.56 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2115	Puff pastry, frozen, ready-to-bake	Baked Products	2.56 mg	14%	CNF
2116	Cookies, peanut butter sandwich, special dietary	Baked Products	2.55 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2117	Peanuts, virginia, raw	Legumes and Legume Products	2.55 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2118	Fast foods, miniature cinnamon rolls	Fast Foods	2.55 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2119	Fast foods, hush puppies	Fast Foods	2.55 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2120	Desserts, rennin, chocolate, dry mix	Sweets	2.55 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2121	Bread, whole grain (whole-wheat), commercial, toasted	Baked Products	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2122	Granola bar, crunchy, fruit and/or nut	Baked Products	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2123	Granola bar, crunchy, plain	Baked Products	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2124	Fast foods, Miniature cinnamon rolls	Fast Foods	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2125	Fast foods, side dish, hush puppies	Fast Foods	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2126	Dessert, rennin, chocolate, dry mix, unprepared	Sweets	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2127	Peanuts, Virginia, raw	Legumes and Legume Products	2.55 mg	14%	CNF
2128	Cake, shortcake, biscuit-type, prepared from recipe	Baked Products	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2129	Hummus, commercial	Legumes and Legume Products	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2130	Snack, Pretzel, hard chocolate coated	Snacks	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2131	Cereals ready-to-eat, HEALTH VALLEY, FIBER 7 Flakes	Breakfast Cereals	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2132	Bread, cinnamon	Baked Products	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2133	Rye flour, medium	Cereal Grains and Pasta	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2134	Snacks, corn-based, extruded, cones, plain	Snacks	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2135	Snacks, pretzels, hard, chocolate coated	Snacks	2.54 mg	14%	CNF
2136	Cereal, ready to eat, Wheat Squares, Organics, President's Choice	Breakfast cereals	2.54 mg	14%	CNF
2137	Cake, shortcake, biscuit-type, homemade	Baked Products	2.54 mg	14%	CNF
2138	Snacks, corn-based, extruded, cones, plain	Snacks	2.54 mg	14%	CNF
2139	Flour, rye	Cereal Grains and Pasta	2.54 mg	14%	USDA_FF
2140	Millet, whole grain	Cereal Grains and Pasta	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_FF
2141	Doughnuts, cake-type, plain (includes unsugared, old-fashioned)	Baked Products	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2142	English muffins, whole grain white	Baked Products	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2143	Cookies, marshmallow, chocolate-coated (includes marshmallow pies)	Baked Products	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2144	School Lunch, pizza, cheese topping, thin crust, whole grain, frozen, cooked	Fast Foods	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2145	Nuts, pecans	Nut and Seed Products	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2146	Yellow rice with seasoning, dry packet mix, unprepared	Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2147	Keikitos (muffins), Latino bakery item	Baked Products	2.53 mg	14%	USDA_SR
2148	Cereal, ready to eat, Morning Crisp Wild Berries, Jordans	Breakfast cereals	2.53 mg	14%	CNF
2149	Fast foods, sandwiches and burgers, steak sandwich	Fast Foods	2.53 mg	14%	CNF
2150	Snacks, corn-based, extruded, puffs or twists, cheese	Snacks	2.53 mg	14%	CNF

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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