Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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 4851–4900 of 8,274 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV Source
4851 Cauliflower, green, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4852 Fennel, bulb, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4853 Cardoon, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4854 Asparagus, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4855 Beets, canned, regular pack, solids and liquids Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4856 CRACKER BARREL, onion rings, thick-cut Restaurant Foods 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4857 Fiddlehead ferns, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% USDA_SR
4858 Shepherd's pie with corn Mixed Dishes 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4859 Fiddlehead greens (ferns), frozen, boiled, drained Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4860 Cardoon, boiled, drained, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4861 Soup, pea, low sodium, water added Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4862 Potato, red, flesh and skin, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4863 Fast foods, side dish, potato salad Fast Foods 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4864 Fiddlehead greens (ferns), frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4865 Broccoli, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4866 Cauliflower, green, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4867 Fennel, bulb, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4868 Cardoon, boiled, drained Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4869 Beets, canned, solids and liquid Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4870 Asparagus, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4871 Soup, pea, green, canned, condensed, water added Soups, Sauces and Gravies 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4872 Salad dressing, french, commercial, low calorie Fats and Oils 0.73 mg 4% CNF
4873 Soup, minestrone, canned, reduced sodium, ready-to-serve Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4874 Cheese, low-sodium, cheddar or colby Dairy and Egg Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4875 Snacks, yucca (cassava) chips, salted Snacks 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4876 Vinegar, balsamic Spices and Herbs 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4877 Pasta, gluten-free, corn flour and quinoa flour, cooked, ANCIENT HARVEST Cereal Grains and Pasta 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4878 Cheese, monterey Dairy and Egg Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4879 Taro, cooked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4880 Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4881 Potatoes, french fried, shoestring, salt added in processing, frozen, as purchased Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4882 Potatoes, canned, solids and liquids Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4883 Broccoli, frozen, spears, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4884 Bacon bits, meatless Legumes and Legume Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4885 Candies, MARS SNACKFOOD US, POP'ABLES SNICKERS Brand Bite Size Candies Sweets 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4886 Candies, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS Bar Sweets 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4887 Cauliflower, green, cooked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4888 Cauliflower, green, cooked, no salt added Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4889 Potatoes, french fried, wedge cut, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4890 Spaghetti, protein-fortified, cooked, enriched (n x 6.25) Cereal Grains and Pasta 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4891 Puddings, coconut cream, dry mix, instant Sweets 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4892 Taro, cooked, without salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4893 Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4894 Escarole, cooked, boiled, drained, no salt added Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4895 Frozen novelties, ice cream type, chocolate or caramel covered, with nuts Sweets 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4896 Cheese, monterey, low fat Dairy and Egg Products 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4897 DENNY'S, french fries Restaurant Foods 0.72 mg 4% USDA_SR
4898 Potato, french-fried, wedge cut, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% CNF
4899 Taro, cooked, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% CNF
4900 Sweet potato, boiled without skin, with salt Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.72 mg 4% CNF

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