Nutrient lists · USDA FNDDS 2021–2023
Foods high in iron
Per serving, the top food in USDA’s FNDDS is Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat, with 17.6 mg of iron in 1 cup, cooked (240 g), 98% of the Daily Value. Cereal, wheat squares, Cream of rice and Liverwurst come next. Per 100 grams, Cereal, O's, multigrain ranks first, at 46.6 mg.
Per serving
Serving size a usual portion
| Food | Serving | Iron | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 17.6 mg | 98% |
| 2Cereal, wheat squares | 1 cup · 60 g | 16.7 mg | 93% |
| 3Cereal, bran flakes, plain | 1 cup · 50 g | 14.1 mg | 78% |
| 4Cream of rice | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 12 mg | 67% |
| 5Liverwurst | ½ cup, solid pack · 106.5 g | 11.9 mg | 66% |
| 6Oatmeal, instant, plain, made with non-dairy milk, no added fat | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 11.8 mg | 66% |
| 7Cream of wheat, instant, made with water, no added fat | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 9.86 mg | 55% |
| 8Cereal, oat bran, ready-to-eat | 1 cup · 80 g | 9.84 mg | 55% |
| 9Liver, paste or pate | ½ cup · 105 g | 9.65 mg | 54% |
| 10Beef, steak, T-bone, lean only eaten | 1 regular · 300 g | 9.39 mg | 52% |
| 11Oatmeal, reduced sugar | 1 cup, cooked · 240 g | 8.95 mg | 50% |
| 12Dal | 1 cup · 240 g | 7.61 mg | 42% |
| 13Liver, chicken | ½ cup · 70 g | 7.07 mg | 39% |
| 14Upma | 1 cup, cooked · 170 g | 6.9 mg | 38% |
| 15Oysters, canned | 1 small can · 75 g | 5.46 mg | 30% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 18 mg a day in one serving.
Per 100 grams
Serving size 100 g
| Food | Iron | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| 1Cereal, O's, multigrain | 46.6 mg | 259% |
| 2Cereal, oat squares | 30.1 mg | 167% |
| 3Seaweed, dried | 25 mg | 139% |
| 4Peanut butter, vitamin and mineral fortified | 16.6 mg | 92% |
| 5Cereal, oat bran, ready-to-eat | 12.3 mg | 68% |
| 6Cookie, chocolate sandwich | 12.1 mg | 67% |
| 7Caviar | 11.9 mg | 66% |
| 8Liverwurst | 11.2 mg | 62% |
| 9Wheat bran | 10.6 mg | 59% |
| 10Liver, chicken | 10.1 mg | 56% |
| 11Liver, paste or pate | 9.19 mg | 51% |
| 12Wheat germ | 9.09 mg | 51% |
| 13Sun-dried tomatoes | 9.09 mg | 51% |
| 14Cereal or granola bar (General Mills Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix) | 8.71 mg | 48% |
| 15Natto | 8.6 mg | 48% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 18 mg a day in 100 g.
About iron in this data
FNDDS reports total iron in milligrams and doesn’t separate heme iron, from meat and seafood, from non-heme iron, from plants and fortified foods. The FDA’s Daily Value is 18 mg. Fortified cereals would fill both lists on their own, so each list keeps two; instant hot cereals, liver and beef come next.
For what iron does in the body and how much people need, see Iron: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
How these lists work
- Foods. USDA’s generic foods, less baby foods, meal replacements, energy drinks, vitamin waters, mixed dishes such as sandwiches and soups, and recipe ingredients.
- Serving. One of FNDDS’s own portions, the one nearest the amount FNDDS assumes when someone doesn’t say how much they ate.
- One row per food. A food FNDDS lists several ways, such as baked, fried and grilled, shows once, at its highest.
Track iron in Calorie Tape
Calorie Tape logs every nutrient a food reports, iron included, and shows which foods your day’s iron came from. It works offline, needs no account, and keeps your log on your iPhone.
Related nutrients
- Foods high in vitamin CTop per serving: Cranberry juice drink, with high vitamin C
- Foods high in zincTop per serving: Oysters, canned
- Foods high in proteinTop per serving: Beef, steak, T-bone, lean only eaten
- Foods high in folateTop per serving: Cereal, oat bunches
- Compare the top twoGrits, instant, made with water, no added fat vs Cereal, wheat squares, every nutrient, in Food vs food
- All 27 nutrientsVitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and more
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2021–2023, from FoodData Central: every food, amount and portion. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
- Iron: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration: the Daily Values behind % DV.
- Calorie Tape Food Data: where the app’s foods come from.
Calorie Tape is a food log, not medical advice. Spotted a wrong number? Email hellochillcreatures@gmail.com.