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 301–350 of 4,377 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Soy flour, low-fat | Legumes and Legume Products | 8.20 mg | 46% |
| 302 | Leavening agents, baking powder, low-sodium | Baked Products | 8.17 mg | 45% |
| 303 | Lemon grass (citronella), raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.17 mg | 45% |
| 304 | Candies, chocolate, dark, NFS (45-59% cacao solids 90%; 60-69% cacao solids 5%; 70-85% cacao solids 5%) | Sweets | 8.13 mg | 45% |
| 305 | Seaweed, Canadian Cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, rehydrated | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 306 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, with salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 307 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, without salt | Nut and Seed Products | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 308 | Cereals, QUAKER, Oat Bran, QUAKER/MOTHER'S Oat Bran, dry | Breakfast Cereals | 8.07 mg | 45% |
| 309 | Cereals ready-to-eat, SUN COUNTRY, KRETSCHMER Honey Crunch Wheat Germ | Breakfast Cereals | 8.05 mg | 45% |
| 310 | Chocolate, dark, 45- 59% cacao solids | Sweets | 8.02 mg | 45% |
| 311 | Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | Nut and Seed Products | 7.95 mg | 44% |
| 312 | Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, GOLDEN PUFFS | Breakfast Cereals | 7.92 mg | 44% |
| 313 | Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Oatmeal, DINOSAUR EGGS, Brown Sugar, dry | Breakfast Cereals | 7.91 mg | 44% |
| 314 | Pancakes, whole-wheat, dry mix, incomplete | Baked Products | 7.84 mg | 44% |
| 315 | Cookies, chocolate sandwich, with extra creme filling | Baked Products | 7.80 mg | 43% |
| 316 | Spices, pepper, red or cayenne | Spices and Herbs | 7.80 mg | 43% |
| 317 | Papad | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.80 mg | 43% |
| 318 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, with salt added (decorticated) | Nut and Seed Products | 7.78 mg | 43% |
| 319 | Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, without salt added (decorticated) | Nut and Seed Products | 7.78 mg | 43% |
| 320 | Beans, small white, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.73 mg | 43% |
| 321 | Crackers, saltines, fat-free, low-sodium | Baked Products | 7.72 mg | 43% |
| 322 | Seeds, chia seeds, dried | Nut and Seed Products | 7.72 mg | 43% |
| 323 | Infant formula, GERBER, GOOD START, PROTECT PLUS, powder | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% |
| 324 | Toddler formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Nutramigen Toddler with LGG Powder, with ARA and DHA, not reconstituted | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% |
| 325 | Infant formula, NESTLE, GOOD START SUPREME, with iron, powder | Baby Foods | 7.70 mg | 43% |
| 326 | Beverages, Dairy drink mix, chocolate, reduced calorie, with low-calorie sweeteners, powder | Beverages | 7.70 mg | 43% |
| 327 | Teff, uncooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.63 mg | 42% |
| 328 | Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Fruity DYNO-BITES | Breakfast Cereals | 7.62 mg | 42% |
| 329 | Amaranth grain, uncooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.61 mg | 42% |
| 330 | Leeks, (bulb and lower-leaf portion), freeze-dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 7.60 mg | 42% |
| 331 | Mungo beans, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.57 mg | 42% |
| 332 | Lima beans, large, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.51 mg | 42% |
| 333 | Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAMIL, ENFAGROW, GENTLEASE, Toddler transitions, with ARA and DHA, powder | Baby Foods | 7.50 mg | 42% |
| 334 | Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with applesauce and bananas, strained | Baby Foods | 7.50 mg | 42% |
| 335 | Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with applesauce and bananas, junior, fortified | Baby Foods | 7.50 mg | 42% |
| 336 | Gravy, brown instant, dry | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 7.40 mg | 41% |
| 337 | Toddler formula, MEAD JOHNSON, ENFAGROW, Toddler Transitions, with ARA and DHA, powder | Baby Foods | 7.40 mg | 41% |
| 338 | Lentils, pink or red, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.39 mg | 41% |
| 339 | Wheat flour, white, cake, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.32 mg | 41% |
| 340 | Seeds, watermelon seed kernels, dried | Nut and Seed Products | 7.28 mg | 40% |
| 341 | Egg, whole, dried | Dairy and Egg Products | 7.20 mg | 40% |
| 342 | Seasoning mix, dry, taco, original | Spices and Herbs | 7.20 mg | 40% |
| 343 | Elk, free range, ground, raw (Shoshone Bannock) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 7.17 mg | 40% |
| 344 | Pancakes, whole wheat, dry mix, incomplete | Baked Products | 7.11 mg | 40% |
| 345 | Desserts, rennin, tablets, unsweetened | Sweets | 7.07 mg | 39% |
| 346 | Spices, allspice, ground | Spices and Herbs | 7.06 mg | 39% |
| 347 | Wheat flour, white, tortilla mix, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 7.05 mg | 39% |
| 348 | Potatoes, baked, skin, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 7.04 mg | 39% |
| 349 | Potatoes, baked, skin only, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 7.04 mg | 39% |
| 350 | Beans, yellow, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 7.01 mg | 39% |
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