Foods highest in Phosphorus
Phosphorus works alongside calcium to build bone and stores energy in every cell.
Below are the whole foods with the most phosphorus in a typical serving, straight from USDA FoodData Central, plus how much you need and how to keep track without doing any math.
What phosphorus does
Phosphorus works alongside calcium to build bone and stores energy in every cell.
Outright deficiency is rare, this page is mostly a map of where it comes from.
How much you need
The Daily Value used on food labels is 1,250 mg a day for adults. The tolerable upper limit is about 4,000 mg, with phosphorus, 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 phosphorus
| Food | Serving | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soybean, curd cheese | 1 cup soybean (225 g) | 500 mg | 40% |
| Meatballs, meatless | 1 cup meatball (144 g) | 495 mg | 40% |
| Mollusks, cuttlefish, mixed species, cooked, moist heat | 3 oz (85 g) | 493 mg | 39% |
| Fish, carp, raw | 4 oz raw (113 g) | 469 mg | 38% |
| Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | 1 oz (28 g) | 462 mg | 37% |
| Fish, roe, mixed species, raw | 4 oz raw (113 g) | 454 mg | 36% |
| Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, broiled, pan-fried or roasted, reduced sodium | 3 oz (85 g) | 453 mg | 36% |
| Tempeh | 1 cup tempeh (166 g) | 442 mg | 35% |
| Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw | 4 oz raw (113 g) | 437 mg | 35% |
| Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw | 4 oz raw (113 g) | 428 mg | 34% |
| Muffins, oat bran | 1 medium muffin (113 g) | 425 mg | 34% |
| Ham and cheese spread | 3 oz (85 g) | 421 mg | 34% |
Per typical serving, using the reference amounts food labels are built on (3 oz of meat or fish, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 oz of nuts or cheese, 1 cup of milk), or the everyday size for whole fruit and vegetables. Whole foods from USDA FoodData Central, highest first. In the app, every amount scales to the serving you actually log.
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Open Healthy Squirrel and log a food to see your phosphorus for the day.
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