Vegetarian foods high in Iron (Canadian (CNF))

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 2301–2350 of 3,595 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
2301 Seeds, breadfruit seeds, boiled Nuts and Seeds 0.60 mg 3%
2302 Grains, rice, wild, cooked Cereals, Grains and Pasta 0.60 mg 3%
2303 Pasta, egg noodles, unenriched, cooked Cereals, Grains and Pasta 0.60 mg 3%
2304 Pasta, egg noodles, unenriched, cooked, salted Cereals, Grains and Pasta 0.60 mg 3%
2305 Fast foods, breakfast, potatoes, hashed brown Fast Foods 0.60 mg 3%
2306 Fast foods, side dish, corn on the cob with butter Fast Foods 0.60 mg 3%
2307 Asparagus, canned, solids and liquid, unsalted Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.60 mg 3%
2308 Salad dressing, sesame seed, regular Fats and Oils 0.60 mg 3%
2309 Zwieback Babyfoods 0.60 mg 3%
2310 Squash, winter, butternut, baked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.60 mg 3%
2311 Dessert, frozen, ice cream, soft serve, chocolate, light Sweets 0.60 mg 3%
2312 Soup, French onion, homemade (with bread and cheese) Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.59 mg 3%
2313 Plant-based beverage, soy, enriched, all flavours, reduced fat Beverages 0.59 mg 3%
2314 Yogourt, soy, fruit flavoured Dairy and Egg Products 0.59 mg 3%
2315 Cheese, Mexican blend Dairy and Egg Products 0.59 mg 3%
2316 Yogourt, soy, vanilla flavoured Dairy and Egg Products 0.59 mg 3%
2317 Strawberry, frozen, sweetened, sliced Fruits and fruit juices 0.59 mg 3%
2318 Coleslaw (cabbage salad), with dressing, homemade Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.59 mg 3%
2319 Pickles, cucumber, sweet, low sodium Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.59 mg 3%
2320 Nopales (prickly pear), raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.59 mg 3%
2321 Parsnip, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.59 mg 3%
2322 Candies, nougat, with almonds Sweets 0.59 mg 3%
2323 Cassava (manioc), flour Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.59 mg 3%
2324 Cream, substitute, flavoured, liquid Dairy and Egg Products 0.59 mg 3%
2325 Soup, mixed vegetable (with pasta), ready-to-serve Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.58 mg 3%
2326 Cherry, sweet, canned, juice pack, solids and liquid Fruits and fruit juices 0.58 mg 3%
2327 Plantain, cooked Fruits and fruit juices 0.58 mg 3%
2328 Squash, winter, all varieties, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2329 Parsnip, boiled, drained Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2330 Potato puff, frozen, prepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2331 Squash, winter, butternut, frozen, boiled Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2332 Pie, egg custard, commercial Baked Products 0.58 mg 3%
2333 Salad dressing, french, fat free Fats and Oils 0.58 mg 3%
2334 Parsnip, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2335 Squash, winter, butternut, frozen, boiled, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.58 mg 3%
2336 Blueberry, wild, frozen Fruits and fruit juices 0.58 mg 3%
2337 Salad, Greek, homemade Mixed Dishes 0.58 mg 3%
2338 Babyfood, dinner, jarred, pasta with vegetables Babyfoods 0.58 mg 3%
2339 Potato, scalloped, homemade, with margarine Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2340 Pumpkin, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2341 Yambean (jimaca), tuber, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2342 Yogourt, with crunchy granola/cereal topping Dairy and Egg Products 0.57 mg 3%
2343 Macaroni and cheese, frozen Mixed Dishes 0.57 mg 3%
2344 Soup, cream, celery, canned, condensed Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.57 mg 3%
2345 Okra (gumbo), frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2346 Potato, scalloped, homemade, with butter Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2347 Yambean (jimaca), tuber, boiled, drained Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2348 Radicchio, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2349 Potato, french-fried, frozen, all types, salt added in processing, home-prepared, heated in oven Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
2350 Pumpkin, boiled, drained Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%

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