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 301 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Lettuce, leaf, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.32 mg | 2% |
| 202 | Plantains, ripe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.32 mg | 2% |
| 203 | Plantains, overripe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 204 | Mushroom, crimini | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 205 | Olives, green, Manzanilla, stuffed with pimiento | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 206 | Squash, winter, acorn, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 207 | Nectarines, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.30 mg | 2% |
| 208 | Tomato juice, with added ingredients, from concentrate, shelf stable | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.30 mg | 2% |
| 209 | Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable | Beverages | 0.29 mg | 2% |
| 210 | Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable | Beverages | 0.29 mg | 2% |
| 211 | Strawberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.28 mg | 2% |
| 212 | Strawberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.28 mg | 2% |
| 213 | Onions, yellow, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.28 mg | 2% |
| 214 | Lettuce, romaine, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.27 mg | 1% |
| 215 | Oat milk, unsweetened, plain, refrigerated | Beverages | 0.26 mg | 1% |
| 216 | Cabbage, napa, leaf, destemmed, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.26 mg | 1% |
| 217 | Strawberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.26 mg | 1% |
| 218 | Strawberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.26 mg | 1% |
| 219 | Tomatillos, dehusked, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.24 mg | 1% |
| 220 | Kiwifruit, green, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.24 mg | 1% |
| 221 | Cheese, American, restaurant | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.24 mg | 1% |
| 222 | Onions, red, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.24 mg | 1% |
| 223 | Pickles, cucumber, dill or kosher dill | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.23 mg | 1% |
| 224 | Mushrooms, white button | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.23 mg | 1% |
| 225 | Mushrooms, white button | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.23 mg | 1% |
| 226 | Flour, rice, white, unenriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.22 mg | 1% |
| 227 | Squash, winter, butternut, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.21 mg | 1% |
| 228 | Mushroom, maitake | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.21 mg | 1% |
| 229 | Blackberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.21 mg | 1% |
| 230 | Juice, tart cherry, from concentrate, shelf-stable | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.20 mg | 1% |
| 231 | Cheese, mozzarella, low moisture, part-skim | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.20 mg | 1% |
| 232 | Grapes, green, seedless, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.20 mg | 1% |
| 233 | Grapes, green, seedless, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.20 mg | 1% |
| 234 | Squash, summer, green, zucchini, includes skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.19 mg | 1% |
| 235 | Peppers, bell, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.19 mg | 1% |
| 236 | Egg, white, raw, frozen, pasteurized | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.18 mg | 1% |
| 237 | Cheese, dry white, queso seco | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.18 mg | 1% |
| 238 | Cheese, dry white, queso seco | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.18 mg | 1% |
| 239 | Pears, raw, bartlett (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.17 mg | 1% |
| 240 | Pears, raw, bartlett | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.17 mg | 1% |
| 241 | Apricot, with skin, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.16 mg | 1% |
| 242 | Peppers, banana or Hungarian wax, seeded, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.16 mg | 1% |
| 243 | Grapes, red, seedless, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.16 mg | 1% |
| 244 | Grapes, red, seedless, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.16 mg | 1% |
| 245 | Cheese, cheddar | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.16 mg | 1% |
| 246 | Carrots, mature, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.15 mg | 1% |
| 247 | Onions, white, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.15 mg | 1% |
| 248 | Mushrooms, shiitake | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.14 mg | 1% |
| 249 | Mushrooms, shiitake | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.14 mg | 1% |
| 250 | Cheese, parmesan, grated, refrigerated | Dairy and Egg Products | 0.14 mg | 1% |
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