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 2251–2300 of 4,377 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
2251 Chilchen (Red Berry Beverage) (Navajo) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 0.95 mg 5%
2252 Cheese, parmesan, low sodium Dairy and Egg Products 0.95 mg 5%
2253 Seeds, lotus seeds, raw Nut and Seed Products 0.95 mg 5%
2254 Salisbury steak with gravy, frozen Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes 0.95 mg 5%
2255 Prairie Turnips, boiled (Northern Plains Indians) American Indian/Alaska Native Foods 0.95 mg 5%
2256 Sweet potato, canned, syrup pack, drained solids Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.95 mg 5%
2257 Peas, green, canned, no salt added, drained solids Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.95 mg 5%
2258 Vegetables, mixed, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.95 mg 5%
2259 Babyfood, vegetables, peas, strained Baby Foods 0.95 mg 5%
2260 Cheese product, pasteurized process, American, vitamin D fortified Dairy and Egg Products 0.95 mg 5%
2261 Babyfood, juice, apple and prune Baby Foods 0.95 mg 5%
2262 Succotash, (corn and limas), frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.94 mg 5%
2263 Candies, YORK BITES Sweets 0.94 mg 5%
2264 Peas and carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.94 mg 5%
2265 Peas and onions, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.94 mg 5%
2266 Peas and carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.94 mg 5%
2267 Peas and onions, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.94 mg 5%
2268 Nuts, chestnuts, european, raw, peeled Nut and Seed Products 0.94 mg 5%
2269 Sauce, sofrito, prepared from recipe Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.94 mg 5%
2270 Sauce, alfredo mix, dry Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.94 mg 5%
2271 Bread, stuffing, cornbread, dry mix, prepared Baked Products 0.94 mg 5%
2272 Soup, bean with frankfurters, canned, prepared with equal volume water Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.94 mg 5%
2273 Apricots, dried, sulfured, stewed, without added sugar Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.94 mg 5%
2274 Soup, shark fin, restaurant-prepared Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.94 mg 5%
2275 Grapes, canned, thompson seedless, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.94 mg 5%
2276 Ravioli, cheese with tomato sauce, frozen, not prepared, includes regular and light entrees Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes 0.93 mg 5%
2277 Pie, pecan, commercially prepared Baked Products 0.93 mg 5%
2278 Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.93 mg 5%
2279 Frostings, chocolate, creamy, dry mix, prepared with butter Sweets 0.93 mg 5%
2280 Ice creams, chocolate Sweets 0.93 mg 5%
2281 Frostings, chocolate, creamy, dry mix, prepared with margarine Sweets 0.93 mg 5%
2282 Pasta, gluten-free, corn, dry Cereal Grains and Pasta 0.93 mg 5%
2283 Kale, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2284 Squash, winter, acorn, cooked, baked, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2285 Brussels sprouts, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2286 Tomato products, canned, sauce, with onions Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2287 Squash, winter, acorn, cooked, baked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2288 Ice creams, regular, low carbohydrate, chocolate Sweets 0.93 mg 5%
2289 Onion rings, breaded, par fried, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.93 mg 5%
2290 Candies, soft fruit and nut squares Sweets 0.93 mg 5%
2291 WENDY'S, french fries Fast Foods 0.93 mg 5%
2292 Snacks, M&M MARS, COMBOS Snacks Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Snacks 0.92 mg 5%
2293 Candies, YORK Peppermint Pattie Sweets 0.92 mg 5%
2294 DIGIORNO Pizza, supreme topping, thin crispy crust, frozen, baked Fast Foods 0.92 mg 5%
2295 Beverages, ABBOTT, EAS whey protein powder Beverages 0.92 mg 5%
2296 Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, LIPIL, low iron, liquid concentrate, with ARA and DHA Baby Foods 0.92 mg 5%
2297 DOMINO'S 14" Cheese Pizza, Crunchy Thin Crust Fast Foods 0.91 mg 5%
2298 Pasta with Sliced Franks in Tomato Sauce, canned entree Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes 0.91 mg 5%
2299 Macaroni and Cheese, canned, microwavable Meals, Entrees, and Side Dishes 0.91 mg 5%
2300 Apple juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted, without added ascorbic acid Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.91 mg 5%

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