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 3301–3350 of 4,377 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
3301 Soup, tomato bisque, canned, prepared with equal volume milk Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.35 mg 2%
3302 Fast foods, vanilla, light, soft-serve ice cream, with cone Fast Foods 0.35 mg 2%
3303 Cherries, sweet, canned, pitted, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.35 mg 2%
3304 Soymilk (all flavors), nonfat, with added calcium, vitamins A and D Legumes and Legume Products 0.35 mg 2%
3305 Soymilk, chocolate, nonfat, with added calcium, vitamins A and D Legumes and Legume Products 0.35 mg 2%
3306 Cookies, gluten-free, vanilla sandwich, with creme filling Baked Products 0.34 mg 2%
3307 Beverages, drink mix, QUAKER OATS, GATORADE, orange flavor, powder Beverages 0.34 mg 2%
3308 Ice creams, vanilla, rich Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3309 Fruit juice smoothie, BOLTHOUSE FARMS, GREEN GOODNESS Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
3310 Candies, NESTLE, 100 GRAND Bar Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3311 Egg custards, dry mix, prepared with whole milk Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3312 Puddings, chocolate, dry mix, regular, prepared with 2% milk Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3313 Candies, MARS SNACKFOOD US, MILKY WAY Caramels, milk chocolate covered Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3314 DENNY'S, coleslaw Restaurant Foods 0.34 mg 2%
3315 Melons, casaba, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
3316 Papaya nectar, canned Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
3317 Radishes, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3318 Squash, winter, spaghetti, cooked, boiled, drained, or baked, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3319 Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3320 Puddings, chocolate, dry mix, regular, prepared with whole milk Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3321 Plums, canned, purple, juice pack, solids and liquids Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
3322 Jams, preserves, marmalades, sweetened with fruit juice Sweets 0.34 mg 2%
3323 Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3324 Chayote, fruit, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3325 Onions, frozen, whole, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3326 Peppers, sweet, green, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3327 Onions, frozen, whole, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3328 Squash, winter, spaghetti, cooked, boiled, drained, or baked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
3329 Soup, cream of potato, canned, condensed Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.34 mg 2%
3330 Babyfood, juice, mixed fruit Baby Foods 0.34 mg 2%
3331 Oil, flaxseed, contains added sliced flaxseed Fats and Oils 0.34 mg 2%
3332 Beverages, Chocolate-flavored drink, whey and milk based Beverages 0.33 mg 2%
3333 Egg custards, dry mix, prepared with 2% milk Sweets 0.33 mg 2%
3334 Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Premature, 20 calories ready-to-feed Low iron Baby Foods 0.33 mg 2%
3335 Salad dressing, coleslaw Fats and Oils 0.33 mg 2%
3336 Pie fillings, cherry, low calorie Sweets 0.33 mg 2%
3337 Squash, summer, scallop, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
3338 Mushrooms, white, microwaved Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
3339 Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, Premature, 24 calories ready-to-feed Low iron Baby Foods 0.33 mg 2%
3340 Cheese, american cheddar, imitation Dairy and Egg Products 0.33 mg 2%
3341 Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted, with added calcium Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.33 mg 2%
3342 Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.33 mg 2%
3343 Onions, frozen, chopped, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
3344 Squash, summer, scallop, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
3345 Arrowroot flour Cereal Grains and Pasta 0.33 mg 2%
3346 Babyfood, dessert, peach melba, strained Baby Foods 0.33 mg 2%
3347 Cheese spread, pasteurized process, American Dairy and Egg Products 0.33 mg 2%
3348 Babyfood, fruit, prunes with tapioca, without ascorbic acid, junior Baby Foods 0.33 mg 2%
3349 Soup, tomato bisque, canned, prepared with equal volume water Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.33 mg 2%
3350 Soup, vegetable soup, condensed, low sodium, prepared with equal volume water Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.33 mg 2%

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