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 201–250 of 3,595 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Tofu, koyadofu, dried-frozen | Legumes and Legume Products | 9.73 mg | 54% |
| 202 | Spices, pepper, black | Spices and Herbs | 9.71 mg | 54% |
| 203 | Egg, chicken, yolk, dried | Dairy and Egg Products | 9.50 mg | 53% |
| 204 | Chocolate syrup, thin type, less sugar, with added vitamins and minerals | Beverages | 9.50 mg | 53% |
| 205 | Babyfood, cereal, wheat, with milk powder, prepared with water | Babyfoods | 9.43 mg | 52% |
| 206 | Grains, quinoa, flour | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 9.40 mg | 52% |
| 207 | Beans, kidney, light red, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 9.35 mg | 52% |
| 208 | Cereal, ready to eat, Raisin Bran, Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 9.34 mg | 52% |
| 209 | Cereal, ready to eat, All Bran Strawberry Bites, Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 9.34 mg | 52% |
| 210 | Gravy, au jus, dehydrated | Soups, Sauces and Gravies | 9.30 mg | 52% |
| 211 | Soy flour, defatted | Legumes and Legume Products | 9.24 mg | 51% |
| 212 | Cereal, ready to eat, Crispy Rice, Compliments | Breakfast cereals | 9.23 mg | 51% |
| 213 | Spices, mustard seed, yellow | Spices and Herbs | 9.21 mg | 51% |
| 214 | Tomato, sun-dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 9.09 mg | 50% |
| 215 | Grains, wheat germ, toasted, plain | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 9.09 mg | 50% |
| 216 | Cereal, ready to eat, Rice Krispies, Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 8.99 mg | 50% |
| 217 | Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, roasted and toasted kernels | Nuts and Seeds | 8.95 mg | 50% |
| 218 | Cereal, ready to eat, Special K: Satisfaction, Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 8.95 mg | 50% |
| 219 | Seaweed, irishmoss, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.90 mg | 49% |
| 220 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried | Nuts and Seeds | 8.82 mg | 49% |
| 221 | Beans, black turtle, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.70 mg | 48% |
| 222 | Grains, barley, malt extract, dried | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 8.70 mg | 48% |
| 223 | Tea, hibiscus | Beverages | 8.64 mg | 48% |
| 224 | Beans, yardlong, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.61 mg | 48% |
| 225 | Soybean, fermented products, natto | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.60 mg | 48% |
| 226 | Grains, corn flour, masa, yellow, U.S. enriched | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 8.50 mg | 47% |
| 227 | Nuts, almond meal, partially defatted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.50 mg | 47% |
| 228 | Nuts, almond meal, partially defatted, salted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.50 mg | 47% |
| 229 | Babyfood, cereal, rice, with milk powder and fruit, prepared with water | Babyfoods | 8.49 mg | 47% |
| 230 | Babyfood, cereal, soya, with fruit, prepared with formula or breast milk | Babyfoods | 8.42 mg | 47% |
| 231 | Babyfood, cereal, wheat, with milk powder and fruit, prepared with water | Babyfoods | 8.41 mg | 47% |
| 232 | Babyfood, cereal, Rice, with milk powder, prepared with water | Babyfoods | 8.36 mg | 46% |
| 233 | Cereal, ready to eat, frosted Mini-Wheats (original, maple, brown sugar, strawberry), Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 8.33 mg | 46% |
| 234 | Spices, cinnamon, ground | Spices and Herbs | 8.32 mg | 46% |
| 235 | Meal replacement (cereal), ready to eat, Vector, Kellogg's | Breakfast cereals | 8.30 mg | 46% |
| 236 | Egg, chicken, dried, whole, stabilized | Dairy and Egg Products | 8.28 mg | 46% |
| 237 | Black-eyed peas (cowpeas, crowder, southern), common, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.27 mg | 46% |
| 238 | Beans, kidney, all types, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% |
| 239 | Soy flour, low fat | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% |
| 240 | Lemon grass (citronella), raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.17 mg | 45% |
| 241 | Leavening agent, baking powder, low sodium | Baked Products | 8.17 mg | 45% |
| 242 | Candies, chocolate, dark, not further specified | Sweets | 8.13 mg | 45% |
| 243 | Babyfood, cereal, Oat, with milk powder, prepared with water | Babyfoods | 8.11 mg | 45% |
| 244 | Seaweed, Canadian cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, rehydrated | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 245 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 246 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, salted | Nuts and Seeds | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 247 | Candies, chocolate, dark, 45-59% cacao solids | Sweets | 8.02 mg | 45% |
| 248 | Pancake, whole-wheat, dry mix, incomplete, unprepared | Baked Products | 7.84 mg | 44% |
| 249 | Celery flakes, dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 7.83 mg | 44% |
| 250 | Cookie, chocolate sandwich, extra cream filling | Baked Products | 7.80 mg | 43% |
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