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 3051–3100 of 4,377 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
3051 Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.45 mg 2%
3052 Drumstick pods, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.45 mg 2%
3053 McDONALD'S, Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait Fast Foods 0.45 mg 2%
3054 Vinegar, red wine Spices and Herbs 0.45 mg 2%
3055 Beverages, chocolate almond milk, unsweetened, shelf-stable, fortified with vitamin D2 and E Beverages 0.45 mg 2%
3056 Pie, apple, commercially prepared, enriched flour Baked Products 0.45 mg 2%
3057 Cheese, edam Dairy and Egg Products 0.44 mg 2%
3058 Soymilk (All flavors), lowfat, with added calcium, vitamins A and D Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3059 SILK Light Plain, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3060 SILK Light Vanilla, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3061 SILK Very Vanilla, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3062 SILK Chai, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3063 SILK Mocha, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3064 Soup, vegetarian vegetable, canned, prepared with equal volume water Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.44 mg 2%
3065 Strawberry-flavor beverage mix, powder Beverages 0.44 mg 2%
3066 Vitasoy USA, Vitasoy Organic Classic Original Soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3067 SILK Plain, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3068 SILK Vanilla, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3069 SILK Plus Omega-3 DHA, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3070 SILK Plus for Bone Health, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3071 SILK Plus Fiber, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3072 SILK Unsweetened, soymilk Legumes and Legume Products 0.44 mg 2%
3073 Sweet Potatoes, french fried, crosscut, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3074 Mountain yam, hawaii, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3075 Mushrooms, shiitake, cooked, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3076 Rutabagas, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3077 Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3078 Carrots, frozen, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3079 Mushrooms, shiitake, cooked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3080 Squash, winter, all varieties, cooked, baked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3081 Squash, winter, all varieties, cooked, baked, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
3082 Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk Dairy and Egg Products 0.44 mg 2%
3083 Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk Dairy and Egg Products 0.44 mg 2%
3084 Babyfood, fruit, papaya and applesauce with tapioca, strained Baby Foods 0.44 mg 2%
3085 Maraschino cherries, canned, drained Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%
3086 Blueberries, canned, light syrup, drained Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%
3087 Durian, raw or frozen Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%
3088 Balsam-pear (bitter gourd), pods, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3089 Mountain yam, hawaii, cooked, steamed, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3090 Mountain yam, hawaii, cooked, steamed, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3091 APPLEBEE'S, mozzarella sticks Restaurant Foods 0.43 mg 2%
3092 Cheese, pasteurized process, American, low fat Dairy and Egg Products 0.43 mg 2%
3093 Celeriac, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3094 Celeriac, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3095 Beans, mung, mature seeds, sprouted, canned, drained solids Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3096 Peppers, sweet, red, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
3097 Cheese, port de salut Dairy and Egg Products 0.43 mg 2%
3098 Apples, dehydrated (low moisture), sulfured, stewed Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%
3099 Apricots, canned, heavy syrup pack, without skin, solids and liquids Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%
3100 Boysenberries, canned, heavy syrup Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.43 mg 2%

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