Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA Foundation)

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 251–300 of 301 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV
251	Rice, white, long grain, unenriched, raw	Cereal Grains and Pasta	0.14 mg	1%
252	Mushroom, portabella	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.14 mg	1%
253	Rutabaga, peeled, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.14 mg	1%
254	Squash, summer, yellow, includes skin, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.14 mg	1%
255	Cheese, swiss	Dairy and Egg Products	0.13 mg	1%
256	Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat	Dairy and Egg Products	0.13 mg	1%
257	Cheese, swiss	Dairy and Egg Products	0.13 mg	1%
258	Cranberry juice, not fortified, from concentrate, shelf stable	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.13 mg	1%
259	Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, refrigerated	Beverages	0.12 mg	1%
260	Grape juice, white, with added vitamin C, from concentrate, shelf stable	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.12 mg	1%
261	Peppers, poblano, seeded, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.12 mg	1%
262	Cherries, sweet, dark red, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.11 mg	1%
263	Tomato, roma	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.10 mg	1%
264	Tomato, roma	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.10 mg	1%
265	Cheese, ricotta, whole milk	Dairy and Egg Products	0.10 mg	1%
266	Cheese, ricotta, whole milk	Dairy and Egg Products	0.10 mg	1%
267	Yogurt, Greek, strawberry, nonfat	Dairy and Egg Products	0.09 mg	0%
268	Carrots, baby, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.09 mg	0%
269	Pawpaw, peeled, seeded, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.07 mg	0%
270	Orange juice, no pulp, not fortified, not from concentrate, refrigerated	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.07 mg	0%
271	Grapefruit juice, white, canned or bottled, unsweetened	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.07 mg	0%
272	Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat	Dairy and Egg Products	0.07 mg	0%
273	Apples, granny smith, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.07 mg	0%
274	Apples, granny smith, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.07 mg	0%
275	Cheese, feta, whole milk, crumbled	Dairy and Egg Products	0.07 mg	0%
276	Cabbage, green, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.07 mg	0%
277	Orange juice, no pulp, not fortified, from concentrate, refrigerated	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.06 mg	0%
278	Squash, pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.06 mg	0%
279	Apples, gala, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.06 mg	0%
280	Butter, stick, salted	Dairy and Egg Products	0.06 mg	0%
281	Apples, gala, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.06 mg	0%
282	Peppers, serrano, seeded, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.06 mg	0%
283	Pineapple, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.05 mg	0%
284	Oil, coconut	Fats and Oils	0.05 mg	0%
285	Sugars, granulated	Sweets	0.05 mg	0%
286	Sugars, granulated	Sweets	0.05 mg	0%
287	Applesauce, unsweetened, with added vitamin C	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.04 mg	0%
288	Applesauce, unsweetened, with added vitamin C	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.04 mg	0%
289	Grape juice, purple, with added vitamin C, from concentrate, shelf stable	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.04 mg	0%
290	Apple juice, with added vitamin C, from concentrate, shelf stable	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.04 mg	0%
291	Peppers, jalapeno, seeded, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.04 mg	0%
292	Kiwifruit (kiwi), green, peeled, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.04 mg	0%
293	Lettuce, iceberg, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.03 mg	0%
294	Squash, spaghetti, peeled, seeded, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	0.03 mg	0%
295	Juice, pomegranate, from concentrate, shelf-stable	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.03 mg	0%
296	Butter, stick, unsalted	Dairy and Egg Products	0.03 mg	0%
297	Watermelon, seedless, flesh only, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.02 mg	0%
298	Apples, fuji, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.02 mg	0%
299	Grapefruit juice, red, not fortified, not from concentrate, refrigerated	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.02 mg	0%
300	Apples, fuji, with skin, raw	Fruits and Fruit Juices	0.01 mg	0%

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA Foundation)

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