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 1–50 of 4,377 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV
1	Spices, thyme, dried	Spices and Herbs	123.60 mg	687%
2	Spices, basil, dried	Spices and Herbs	89.80 mg	499%
3	Spearmint, dried	Spices and Herbs	87.47 mg	486%
4	Spices, marjoram, dried	Spices and Herbs	82.71 mg	460%
5	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Enriched Wheat Bran flakes	Breakfast Cereals	67.67 mg	376%
6	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with honey, dry	Baby Foods	67.23 mg	374%
7	Seaweed, Canadian Cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, dry	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	66.38 mg	369%
8	Spices, cumin seed	Spices and Herbs	66.36 mg	369%
9	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, dry fortified	Baby Foods	64.10 mg	356%
10	Babyfood, cereal, Oatmeal, dry, GERBER, SINGLE GRAIN, fortified	Baby Foods	64.03 mg	356%
11	Spices, turmeric, ground	Spices and Herbs	55.00 mg	306%
12	Parsley, freeze-dried	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	53.90 mg	299%
13	Babyfood, cereal, rice, dry fortified	Baby Foods	53.01 mg	294%
14	Cereals, QUAKER, Quick Oats with Iron, Dry	Breakfast Cereals	49.45 mg	275%
15	Spices, dill weed, dried	Spices and Herbs	48.78 mg	271%
16	Babyfood, cereal, barley, dry fortified	Baby Foods	48.21 mg	268%
17	Babyfood, cereal, brown rice, dry, instant	Baby Foods	47.60 mg	264%
18	Babyfood, rice cereal, dry, EARTHS BEST ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN, fortified only with iron	Baby Foods	47.53 mg	264%
19	Babyfood, cereal, high protein, with apple and orange, dry	Baby Foods	47.50 mg	264%
20	Babyfood, cereal, mixed, with bananas, dry	Baby Foods	47.50 mg	264%
21	Babyfood, cereal, rice, with bananas, dry	Baby Foods	47.50 mg	264%
22	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with bananas, dry	Baby Foods	45.00 mg	250%
23	Babyfood, cereal, whole wheat, with apples, dry fortified	Baby Foods	45.00 mg	250%
24	Spices, celery seed	Spices and Herbs	44.90 mg	249%
25	Spices, bay leaf	Spices and Herbs	43.00 mg	239%
26	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, chocolate, dry	Breakfast Cereals	42.88 mg	238%
27	Spices, coriander leaf, dried	Spices and Herbs	42.46 mg	236%
28	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, OAT BLENDERS with honey & almonds	Breakfast Cereals	41.38 mg	230%
29	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, Farina Hot Wheat Cereal, dry	Breakfast Cereals	40.93 mg	227%
30	Cereals, QUAKER, corn grits, instant, plain, dry	Breakfast Cereals	38.75 mg	215%
31	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Corn Biscuits	Breakfast Cereals	38.37 mg	213%
32	Spices, savory, ground	Spices and Herbs	37.88 mg	210%
33	Babyfood, rice and apples, dry	Baby Foods	37.00 mg	206%
34	Spices, anise seed	Spices and Herbs	36.96 mg	205%
35	Spices, oregano, dried	Spices and Herbs	36.80 mg	204%
36	Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, HERSHEY'S European Style Cocoa	Sweets	36.00 mg	200%
37	Spices, poultry seasoning	Spices and Herbs	35.30 mg	196%
38	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, honey roasted	Breakfast Cereals	34.82 mg	193%
39	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Blueberry MUFFIN TOPS Cereal	Breakfast Cereals	34.29 mg	190%
40	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, HONEY GRAHAM SQUARES	Breakfast Cereals	33.81 mg	188%
41	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, with almonds	Breakfast Cereals	33.80 mg	188%
42	Spices, fenugreek seed	Spices and Herbs	33.53 mg	186%
43	Cereals, farina, enriched, assorted brands including CREAM OF WHEAT, quick (1-3 minutes), dry	Breakfast Cereals	33.39 mg	186%
44	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON CRISP RICE	Breakfast Cereals	32.73 mg	182%
45	Spices, tarragon, dried	Spices and Herbs	32.30 mg	179%
46	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON TASTEEOS	Breakfast Cereals	32.14 mg	179%
47	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER WHOLE HEARTS oat cereal	Breakfast Cereals	32.11 mg	178%
48	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, 2 1/2 minute cook time, dry	Breakfast Cereals	32.02 mg	178%
49	Spices, chervil, dried	Spices and Herbs	31.95 mg	178%
50	Cereals ready-to-eat, wheat, puffed, fortified	Breakfast Cereals	31.70 mg	176%

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA SR Legacy)

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