Foods highest in Iron
Iron carries oxygen in your blood — low iron is a leading cause of fatigue.
Below are the whole foods with the most iron per 100 g, straight from USDA FoodData Central — plus how much you need and how to keep track without doing any math.
What iron does
Iron carries oxygen in your blood — low iron is a leading cause of fatigue.
Menstruating women, pregnant people, vegetarians and endurance athletes are most likely to run low.
How much you need
The Daily Value used on food labels is 18 mg a day for adults. The tolerable upper limit is about 45 mg — with iron, more isn't better.
Your real target depends on your age, sex and body — Healthy Squirrel sets it for you from NIH / Institute of Medicine reference intakes, then shows every food against your number, not a generic one.
Foods highest in iron (per 100 g)
| Food | per 100 g | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Goose, liver, raw | 31 mg | 170% |
| Duck, domesticated, liver, raw | 31 mg | 170% |
| Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw | 23 mg | 129% |
| Seeds, sesame butter, paste | 19 mg | 107% |
| Thyme, fresh | 17 mg | 97% |
| Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares | 17 mg | 97% |
| Soybeans, mature seeds, raw | 16 mg | 87% |
| Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted | 15 mg | 82% |
| Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, breaded and fried | 14 mg | 77% |
| Winged beans, mature seeds, raw | 13 mg | 75% |
| Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, pan-fried | 13 mg | 72% |
| Archway Home Style Cookies, Reduced Fat Ginger Snaps | 13 mg | 70% |
Amounts are per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (whole foods), sorted highest first. In the app, every amount scales to the exact serving you log — no conversions.
Track iron free
Healthy Squirrel is a free food tracker that fills in Iron — and every other vitamin and mineral — automatically as you log meals, so you can see where your day actually lands. No account needed to start, no ads, nothing sold.
Open Healthy Squirrel and log a food to see your iron for the day.
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