food source

food source · 93

Almonds Vitamin Estrong · 2 cited
Almonds are among the richest foods in vitamin E: a handful (about 28 g) has about 7 mg, close to half of an adult's daily need. Vitamin E sits in cell membranes and shields unsaturated fats from free radicals.
Beef Ironstrong · 3 cited
Most of the iron in beef is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the non-heme iron in plants. Phytate and tea polyphenols in the same meal barely hold it back; only calcium may lower it somewhat.
Beef Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods. Cattle cannot make it themselves; the microbes in their rumen do, and the cow absorbs it and stores it in liver and muscle, so one serving of beef covers a good part of a day's need.
Bell Pepper Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited
Raw red bell pepper has about 128 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, roughly 2.4 times as much as the same weight of orange. The idea that vitamin C comes only from fruit is a common misunderstanding.
Carrot Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited
The orange of carrots comes from beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A as it needs it. Beta-carotene does not dissolve in water; it has to enter tiny droplets formed with dietary fat, called micelles, before the small intestine can take it up, so a carrot eaten plain and one eaten with a little oil deliver different amounts.
Cheese Calciumstrong · 2 cited
When cheese is made, the protein and most of the calcium stay in the curd while water and lactose drain off with the whey, so the calcium ends up highly concentrated. Sodium needs watching too: many cheeses have a lot of salt added for preservation and flavor.
Chicken Proteinstrong · 1 cited
Chicken is complete protein and high in leucine. Breast and thigh carry about the same protein and differ mainly in fat; skinless breast gives that protein for the fewest calories.
Chicken Niacinstrong · 2 cited
Chicken is a good dietary source of niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin is the raw material for NAD, the molecule that carries hydrogen when cells draw energy out of food.
Eggs Cholinestrong · 2 cited
One egg has about 147 mg of choline, almost all of it in the yolk. That is the biggest hidden loss when you eat only the whites.
Eggs Proteinstrong · 2 cited
Egg is often used as the yardstick for protein quality, because its amino acid pattern is close to what the body needs. About 91% of cooked egg protein is digested and absorbed, against only about 51% of raw.
Kale Vitamin K1strong · 2 cited
Raw kale has about 450–817 µg of vitamin K1 per 100 g, among the highest of any vegetable by weight. K1 does not dissolve in water and needs a little fat to be absorbed well.
Kelp Iodinestrong · 2 cited
Kelp concentrates iodine from seawater to very high levels, and one serving can far exceed a day's need. It is a source of iodine and also one whose portion needs limiting: too much iodine disrupts the thyroid just as too little does.
Kiwi Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited
A medium green kiwi has about 70–92 mg of vitamin C, while the same weight of orange has only about 40 mg, so one kiwi usually comes close to an adult's need for the day.
Lamb Ironstrong · 2 cited
Like beef, lamb is red meat, and most of its iron is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the iron in plants. That is lamb's most solid nutritional strength.
Milk Calciumstrong · 2 cited
Milk is a dependable source of calcium: a 250 ml glass holds about 300 mg, and about a third of it is absorbed. By the mechanism, phosphopeptides cut from casein during digestion, together with lactose, help keep calcium in an absorbable state, but how much they matter in adults is not settled.
Natto Vitamin K2strong · 2 cited
Natto's signature is vitamin K2 (MK-7), made by Bacillus subtilis during fermentation: ordinary natto has about 775 µg per 100 g, and none of it comes from the soybean itself. People taking warfarin should avoid natto.
Oats Carbs & Fiberstrong · 2 cited
What matters in oats is the soluble fiber beta-glucan: it turns into a gel in water and carries off some bile acids, the liver draws cholesterol from the blood to replace them, and LDL falls; blood glucose also rises more slowly. The US FDA's health claim is based on at least 3 g a day.
Orange Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited
One medium orange supplies close to an adult's vitamin C for a day. Eaten whole, with its fiber intact, it does not pour sugar in all at once the way juice does.
Organ Meat · Liver Vitamin Astrong · 3 cited
The liver is where animals store vitamin A: cooked pork liver has about 5400 µg RAE per 100 g, against an adult recommended intake of 700–900 µg a day, so 50 g covers about three days. Keep portions small; the UK NHS advises against eating liver and liver products in pregnancy.
Organ Meat · Liver Ironstrong · 3 cited
Liver is very rich in iron. Part of it is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the iron in plants and is barely held back by tea drunk with the meal; the stored part sits in ferritin. Cooked pork liver has about 17.9 mg of iron per 100 g.
Organ Meat · Liver Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited
Animal liver is extremely high in B12, and one serving covers several days. But liver has almost no fiber, little calcium and not much vitamin C, so the rest of the plate still has to round out the meal.
Oysters Zincstrong · 2 cited
Oysters are among the highest-zinc common foods. Species can differ more than twofold, and cooking concentrates them by driving off water, but even on the conservative figure one serving covers a day's need.
Pork Thiaminstrong · 2 cited
Pork is one of the richest common sources of thiamin (vitamin B1): lean pork has about 0.6–0.9 mg per 100 g, several times as much as beef. Thiamin sits in the lean meat, so a fatty cut such as belly dilutes it.
Potato Potassium & Sodiumstrong · 2 cited
Potato with its skin has about 420–540 mg of potassium per 100 g, more than banana weight for weight. Its nutrients are concentrated in the skin and the thin layer just beneath it, so peeling it down to the white core throws away the most valuable part.
Pumpkin Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited
The orange of pumpkin is beta-carotene, which the body cuts into vitamin A as it needs it. As with carrots and sweet potatoes, it is absorbed better when eaten with a little fat.
Salmon Fats & Omega-3strong · 2 cited
Salmon stores its oil in its muscle, so the fillet you eat carries the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA itself: about 1.8–2.5 g per 100 g of farmed Atlantic salmon.
Salmon Vitamin Dstrong · 2 cited
Vitamin D dissolves in oil and travels with fat. Salmon stores its oil in the flesh, so the fish itself carries a useful amount of vitamin D: about 250–650 IU per 100 g of farmed Atlantic salmon.
Sardines Fats & Omega-3strong · 3 cited
EPA and DHA are first made by marine microalgae, and sardines feed on plankton, taking them close to the source. Canned sardines have about 1.4–1.5 g of EPA and DHA per 100 g, among the highest of common foods.
Sardines Calciumstrong · 2 cited
Canned sardines come with soft, edible bones and have about 300–380 mg of calcium per 100 g, close to a glass of milk, which makes them a rare non-dairy calcium source for people who do not drink milk.
Sardines Vitamin Dstrong · 2 cited
Oily fish is one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. Sardines eaten with their bones put calcium and the vitamin D that helps it into the blood in the same bite.
Shrimp Proteinstrong · 1 cited
Cooked shrimp has about 20–24 g of complete protein and only 1–1.5 g of fat per 100 g, so it delivers a lot of protein for its calories.
Soybeans & Tofu Proteinstrong · 2 cited
Soy is one of the few complete plant proteins, with all nine essential amino acids on its own, which sets it apart from starchy staples. Tofu takes its protein quality from the soybean; how much protein it has depends on how much water it holds.
Spinach Folatestrong · 2 cited
The word folate comes from the Latin folium, meaning leaf, because folate was first isolated from spinach leaves. Folate is spinach's real strength; its iron, by contrast, is hard to absorb.
Spinach Vitamin K1strong · 2 cited
Dark leafy greens are among the main food sources of vitamin K1, and spinach ranks near the top. K1 dissolves in fat, so it is absorbed better when eaten with a little oil.
Strawberry Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited
A 150 g serving of strawberries, about 8–10 berries, has about 87–134 mg of vitamin C against an adult need of 75–90 mg a day, so one serving covers it; and strawberries are almost always eaten raw, with no cooking step to wear it down.
Sweet Potato Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited
The orange in orange-fleshed sweet potato is beta-carotene, which the body converts into retinol as it needs it. It dissolves in fat, so eating it with a little fat raises absorption considerably.
Tuna Proteinstrong · 1 cited
Raw yellowfin tuna has about 24 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat per 100 g, which makes it almost pure lean protein, with all nine essential amino acids.
Tuna Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and tuna is very high in it: one serving usually exceeds a day's need. B12 maintains the insulating sheath around nerve fibers and lets the bone marrow make red blood cells of normal size.
Tuna Seleniumstrong · 2 cited
Tuna is one of the richest sources of selenium, and a serving often covers a day. Selenium is built into the active site of antioxidant enzymes as a part that lets them work; it is not itself an antioxidant that goes around neutralizing free radicals.
White Fish · Cod & Seabass Proteinstrong · 1 cited
White fish has almost no fat, so nearly all of its calories come from protein, which makes it one of the most protein-dense animal foods per calorie.
Yogurt Calciumstrong · 2 cited
Yogurt has about as much calcium as milk, and it is absorbed about as well, because fermentation mainly changes the lactose and leaves the casein. When Greek yogurt is strained, some of the calcium leaves with the whey.
Almonds Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited
ATP has to bind magnesium before enzymes recognize this energy currency. Almonds are a good source of magnesium, and a handful supplies roughly a fifth of an adult's daily need.
Apple Carbs & Fibermoderate · 2 cited
What to remember about apples is pectin: this soluble fiber turns into a gel in water and slows how fast sugar reaches the blood. Juicing filters the gel away.
Avocado Potassium & Sodiummoderate · 2 cited
Avocado has about 480 mg of potassium per 100 g of flesh, a little more than the same weight of banana. Most of its calories come from fat, but people who need to limit potassium still have to count it by weight.
Avocado Carbs & Fibermoderate · 1 cited
Avocado has about 7 g of fiber per 100 g, which is high for a fruit; most of its 9 g of carbohydrate is fiber, so the net carbohydrate that can raise blood glucose is small.
Banana Vitamin B6moderate · 2 cited
Bananas are often reduced to a potassium fruit, but their more reliable strength is vitamin B6: one medium banana supplies a good share of an adult's daily need.
Beef Zincmoderate · 2 cited
Red meat is one of the best dietary sources of zinc. Meat contains no phytate or similar compounds that lock zinc up, so the zinc in beef is well absorbed.
Black Beans Ironmoderate · 2 cited
The iron in black beans is non-heme iron that phytate holds back; a food rich in vitamin C in the same meal clearly helps it get absorbed, by the same mechanism as in lentils.
Black Beans Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited
Black beans carry a share of magnesium: about 70 mg per 100 g cooked, roughly 17–22% of an adult's daily need. Magnesium takes part in energy production and in signaling between nerves and muscles.
Broccoli Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Weight for weight, raw broccoli has about as much vitamin C as citrus fruit, or more. Many people think only fruit supplies vitamin C, but cruciferous vegetables are an underrated source.
Broccoli Vitamin K1moderate · 2 cited
Dark green cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are also a source of vitamin K1. K1 dissolves in fat, so it is absorbed more easily with a little oil.
Broccoli Folatemoderate · 2 cited
Broccoli is an everyday source of folate, which sits on the same plant as vitamin C and K1. Folate suffers from long boiling, and stir-frying or steaming keeps more of it.
Buckwheat Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited
Despite its name, buckwheat is not a grass grain; dry buckwheat has about 230 mg of magnesium per 100 g, among the highest of grain-type staples.
Century Egg Cholinemoderate · 2 cited
A century egg is a duck egg cured with alkali and salt. Curing neither adds nor removes fat, so the choline in the yolk largely remains. It suits an occasional side dish, one egg at a time, and the number to watch is sodium.
Cheese Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Hard aged cheese is almost all protein and fat: Cheddar has about 25 g of protein and 33 g of fat per 100 g. It is usually eaten a small piece at a time, as a small, dense source of protein and calcium.
Chickpeas Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Chickpeas are high in protein, about 17–22% on a dry-seed basis, but eaten alone they are not complete protein: they are rich in lysine and low in the sulfur-containing amino acids, and eating them with rice or wheat fills the gap.
Crab Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Cooked crab meat has about 17.9 g of protein and 0.7 g of fat per 100 g, lean protein like skinless chicken breast. The roe and paste are a different food, far higher in cholesterol.
Eggs Vitamin Dmoderate · 2 cited
Egg is one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. It is concentrated in the yolk, though the amount is far below that in fatty fish.
Eggs Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and an egg's B12 is in the yolk, about 0.6 μg per egg. For lacto-ovo vegetarians it is one source among several, but one egg falls well short of a day's need.
Kale Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Raw kale has about 93–120 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, more than citrus fruit. Vitamin C is damaged by heat, so quick cooking with little water, or eating kale raw, keeps more of it.
Lamb Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and lamb is a reliable source; people who eat no animal foods at all need to take it separately.
Lamb Zincmoderate · 2 cited
Red meat is a well-absorbed source of zinc, and lamb is much like beef in this respect. Zinc takes part in immunity, wound healing and the work of hundreds of enzymes.
Lentils Ironmoderate · 4 cited
The iron in lentils is non-heme iron, so how much is absorbed depends on the meal: phytate and calcium hold it back, and vitamin C in the same meal clearly helps it get absorbed.
Lentils Folatemoderate · 2 cited
Lentils are a good plant source of folate: cooked lentils have about 90–180 µg of dietary folate equivalents per 100 g, about 20–45% of an adult's daily need.
Lentils Proteinmoderate · 2 cited
Lentils are a high-protein bean that can serve as a staple: cooked lentils have about 9 g of protein and 8 g of fiber per 100 g, and protein supplies about 30% of their calories, which is rare for a staple food.
Lychee Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Lychee has a simple nutrient profile: almost nothing but sugar, water and vitamin C. It has about 71.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, a little more than orange, and that is its clear strength.
Mango Vitamin Amoderate · 2 cited
The orange of mango flesh comes from beta-carotene, which the wall of the small intestine cuts and converts into vitamin A as the body needs it. It dissolves only in fat, so eaten on its own a good share passes straight through the gut; a little fat alongside makes it worth much more.
Milk Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Milk protein is complete, with enough of all nine essential amino acids. About 80% is casein, which curdles in the stomach and digests slowly; about 20% is whey, which digests fast and is rich in leucine. A 250 ml glass holds about 8 g.
Milk Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods. A 250 ml glass of milk supplies about 45% of an adult's recommended daily amount, which makes milk an important source for lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat no meat.
Mushrooms Vitamin Dmoderate · 2 cited
Ergosterol in the cell membranes of mushrooms turns into vitamin D2 under ultraviolet light. Mushrooms grown in the dark have little vitamin D; only those that have been in the sun or treated with UV light count as a vitamin D source.
Nori (Laver)Vitamin B12moderate · 5 cited
Dried nori contains real, active B12, and one review judges it the most suitable natural source currently available to vegetarians; but the amount varies widely with species and processing, so it cannot be the only source. What is measured in spirulina, by contrast, is mostly inactive look-alikes.
Oysters Seleniummoderate · 2 cited
One oyster brings zinc, selenium and B12 together. Selenium is built into the active site of antioxidant enzymes, a part those enzymes need in order to work.
Peanuts Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Peanuts are the seeds of a legume and have about 25 g of protein per 100 g, high among plant foods; but on their own they are not complete protein, being low in both lysine and methionine.
Pineapple Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Pineapple has about 47.8 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, in the same range as orange; a usual serving of 100–200 g supplies about 48–96 mg. Fresh-cut pineapple keeps more of it than canned.
Pomelo & Grapefruit Vitamin Cmoderate · 3 cited
Pomelo and grapefruit are citrus sources of vitamin C. Eating the segments with their membranes gives more fiber than drinking the juice, and the sugar reaches the blood more slowly.
Pork Zincmoderate · 2 cited
Lean pork is a well-absorbed animal source of zinc. Meat contains no phytate, so its zinc is not locked up the way it is in whole grains and beans.
Pork Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
B12 comes almost only from animal foods. Lean pork carries a share, in the same lean meat as its protein, thiamin and zinc.
Pork Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Lean pork is complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, and thiamin (vitamin B1), zinc and B12 sit in the same lean meat, so choosing a lean or a fatty cut changes more than the calories.
Potato Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Potato with its skin has about 13–20 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. That is not citrus territory, but it stands out among staple foods, and because potatoes are eaten in quantity, they are a real source of vitamin C wherever people eat a lot of them.
Quinoa Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Quinoa is one of the very few plant foods with enough of all nine essential amino acids, lysine especially, which is exactly what grains lack most. But it does not have much protein: cooked quinoa has about 4.4 g per 100 g.
Quinoa Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited
Quinoa is high in magnesium for a staple food, clearly above white rice and above brown rice too. Magnesium has to bind ATP before the body's energy currency can be spent.
Rice Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited
The magnesium in rice sits in the bran layer. Brown rice has about 3.5 times as much magnesium as white rice, because polishing grinds that layer away and the magnesium with it.
Salmon Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
Salmon is a good source of B12: farmed Atlantic salmon has about 2.5–3 μg per 100 g, enough to cover most adults' recommended amount for a day (2.4 μg).
Salmon Seleniummoderate · 2 cited
Sea fish are a good source of selenium, and salmon is no exception. Selenium is built into the active site of a group of antioxidant enzymes, a part those enzymes need in order to work.
Salmon Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Salmon is complete protein. Its fat is woven through the muscle and cannot be removed, so the protein arrives together with fat rich in omega-3.
Shrimp Iodinemoderate · 2 cited
Seafood is generally rich in iodine, and shrimp is a source too. Iodine is the raw material the thyroid uses to make its hormones, and every thyroid hormone molecule carries several iodine atoms.
Soybeans & Tofu Calciummoderate · 1 cited
The calcium in tofu mostly comes in with the coagulant: firm tofu set with calcium sulfate (gypsum) can have 150–350 mg of calcium per 100 g, while tofu set with nigari or glucono-delta-lactone carries almost none, so check the coagulant on the label.
Tempeh Proteinmoderate · 2 cited
Tempeh is whole soybeans bound into a cake by a mold, so it inherits soy's complete protein; because it is made from whole beans, it is denser in protein than watery tofu.
Tomato Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited
Tomatoes carry some vitamin C: one medium tomato supplies one to two tenths of the daily reference amount. Vitamin C is damaged by heat, so raw tomatoes have the edge here.
White Fish · Cod & Seabass Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited
Seafood is generally a good source of B12. White fish is not the richest seafood, but it is mild, cheap and the easiest to eat every day, and one serving meets more than half of a day's need.
White Fish · Cod & Seabass Iodinemoderate · 2 cited
Iodine is dissolved in seawater and passes up the food chain, so sea fish are one source of it. The amount varies with species and waters, so eating seafood regularly is a more practical way to cover iodine than counting on any one fish.
Yogurt Proteinmoderate · 1 cited
Greek yogurt is yogurt with the whey drained off, so it has roughly twice the protein by weight: about 8–10 g per 100 g, against about 3.5–4 g in regular plain yogurt.
Sesame Calciumweak · 2 cited
Most of the calcium in sesame is in the outer seed coat, the hull, and so is the oxalate that locks calcium up. The calcium in unhulled sesame is real, but its absorption is discounted, and hulling removes a large part of it. Sesame can add some calcium but cannot replace milk.

food source · 93

Almonds are among the richest foods in vitamin E: a handful (about 28 g) has about 7 mg, close to half of an adult's daily need. Vitamin E sits in cell membranes and shields unsaturated fats from free radicals.

Beef Ironstrong · 3 cited

Most of the iron in beef is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the non-heme iron in plants. Phytate and tea polyphenols in the same meal barely hold it back; only calcium may lower it somewhat.

Beef Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods. Cattle cannot make it themselves; the microbes in their rumen do, and the cow absorbs it and stores it in liver and muscle, so one serving of beef covers a good part of a day's need.

Bell Pepper Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited

Raw red bell pepper has about 128 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, roughly 2.4 times as much as the same weight of orange. The idea that vitamin C comes only from fruit is a common misunderstanding.

Carrot Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited

The orange of carrots comes from beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A as it needs it. Beta-carotene does not dissolve in water; it has to enter tiny droplets formed with dietary fat, called micelles, before the small intestine can take it up, so a carrot eaten plain and one eaten with a little oil deliver different amounts.

Cheese Calciumstrong · 2 cited

When cheese is made, the protein and most of the calcium stay in the curd while water and lactose drain off with the whey, so the calcium ends up highly concentrated. Sodium needs watching too: many cheeses have a lot of salt added for preservation and flavor.

Chicken Proteinstrong · 1 cited

Chicken is complete protein and high in leucine. Breast and thigh carry about the same protein and differ mainly in fat; skinless breast gives that protein for the fewest calories.

Chicken Niacinstrong · 2 cited

Chicken is a good dietary source of niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin is the raw material for NAD, the molecule that carries hydrogen when cells draw energy out of food.

Eggs Cholinestrong · 2 cited

One egg has about 147 mg of choline, almost all of it in the yolk. That is the biggest hidden loss when you eat only the whites.

Eggs Proteinstrong · 2 cited

Egg is often used as the yardstick for protein quality, because its amino acid pattern is close to what the body needs. About 91% of cooked egg protein is digested and absorbed, against only about 51% of raw.

Kale Vitamin K1strong · 2 cited

Raw kale has about 450–817 µg of vitamin K1 per 100 g, among the highest of any vegetable by weight. K1 does not dissolve in water and needs a little fat to be absorbed well.

Kelp Iodinestrong · 2 cited

Kelp concentrates iodine from seawater to very high levels, and one serving can far exceed a day's need. It is a source of iodine and also one whose portion needs limiting: too much iodine disrupts the thyroid just as too little does.

Kiwi Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited

A medium green kiwi has about 70–92 mg of vitamin C, while the same weight of orange has only about 40 mg, so one kiwi usually comes close to an adult's need for the day.

Lamb Ironstrong · 2 cited

Like beef, lamb is red meat, and most of its iron is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the iron in plants. That is lamb's most solid nutritional strength.

Milk Calciumstrong · 2 cited

Milk is a dependable source of calcium: a 250 ml glass holds about 300 mg, and about a third of it is absorbed. By the mechanism, phosphopeptides cut from casein during digestion, together with lactose, help keep calcium in an absorbable state, but how much they matter in adults is not settled.

Natto Vitamin K2strong · 2 cited

Natto's signature is vitamin K2 (MK-7), made by Bacillus subtilis during fermentation: ordinary natto has about 775 µg per 100 g, and none of it comes from the soybean itself. People taking warfarin should avoid natto.

Oats Carbs & Fiberstrong · 2 cited

What matters in oats is the soluble fiber beta-glucan: it turns into a gel in water and carries off some bile acids, the liver draws cholesterol from the blood to replace them, and LDL falls; blood glucose also rises more slowly. The US FDA's health claim is based on at least 3 g a day.

Orange Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited

One medium orange supplies close to an adult's vitamin C for a day. Eaten whole, with its fiber intact, it does not pour sugar in all at once the way juice does.

Organ Meat · Liver Vitamin Astrong · 3 cited

The liver is where animals store vitamin A: cooked pork liver has about 5400 µg RAE per 100 g, against an adult recommended intake of 700–900 µg a day, so 50 g covers about three days. Keep portions small; the UK NHS advises against eating liver and liver products in pregnancy.

Organ Meat · Liver Ironstrong · 3 cited

Liver is very rich in iron. Part of it is heme iron, which is absorbed several times more efficiently than the iron in plants and is barely held back by tea drunk with the meal; the stored part sits in ferritin. Cooked pork liver has about 17.9 mg of iron per 100 g.

Organ Meat · Liver Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited

Animal liver is extremely high in B12, and one serving covers several days. But liver has almost no fiber, little calcium and not much vitamin C, so the rest of the plate still has to round out the meal.

Oysters Zincstrong · 2 cited

Oysters are among the highest-zinc common foods. Species can differ more than twofold, and cooking concentrates them by driving off water, but even on the conservative figure one serving covers a day's need.

Pork Thiaminstrong · 2 cited

Pork is one of the richest common sources of thiamin (vitamin B1): lean pork has about 0.6–0.9 mg per 100 g, several times as much as beef. Thiamin sits in the lean meat, so a fatty cut such as belly dilutes it.

Potato Potassium & Sodiumstrong · 2 cited

Potato with its skin has about 420–540 mg of potassium per 100 g, more than banana weight for weight. Its nutrients are concentrated in the skin and the thin layer just beneath it, so peeling it down to the white core throws away the most valuable part.

Pumpkin Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited

The orange of pumpkin is beta-carotene, which the body cuts into vitamin A as it needs it. As with carrots and sweet potatoes, it is absorbed better when eaten with a little fat.

Salmon Fats & Omega-3strong · 2 cited

Salmon stores its oil in its muscle, so the fillet you eat carries the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA itself: about 1.8–2.5 g per 100 g of farmed Atlantic salmon.

Salmon Vitamin Dstrong · 2 cited

Vitamin D dissolves in oil and travels with fat. Salmon stores its oil in the flesh, so the fish itself carries a useful amount of vitamin D: about 250–650 IU per 100 g of farmed Atlantic salmon.

Sardines Fats & Omega-3strong · 3 cited

EPA and DHA are first made by marine microalgae, and sardines feed on plankton, taking them close to the source. Canned sardines have about 1.4–1.5 g of EPA and DHA per 100 g, among the highest of common foods.

Sardines Calciumstrong · 2 cited

Canned sardines come with soft, edible bones and have about 300–380 mg of calcium per 100 g, close to a glass of milk, which makes them a rare non-dairy calcium source for people who do not drink milk.

Sardines Vitamin Dstrong · 2 cited

Oily fish is one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. Sardines eaten with their bones put calcium and the vitamin D that helps it into the blood in the same bite.

Shrimp Proteinstrong · 1 cited

Cooked shrimp has about 20–24 g of complete protein and only 1–1.5 g of fat per 100 g, so it delivers a lot of protein for its calories.

Soybeans & Tofu Proteinstrong · 2 cited

Soy is one of the few complete plant proteins, with all nine essential amino acids on its own, which sets it apart from starchy staples. Tofu takes its protein quality from the soybean; how much protein it has depends on how much water it holds.

Spinach Folatestrong · 2 cited

The word folate comes from the Latin folium, meaning leaf, because folate was first isolated from spinach leaves. Folate is spinach's real strength; its iron, by contrast, is hard to absorb.

Spinach Vitamin K1strong · 2 cited

Dark leafy greens are among the main food sources of vitamin K1, and spinach ranks near the top. K1 dissolves in fat, so it is absorbed better when eaten with a little oil.

Strawberry Vitamin Cstrong · 2 cited

A 150 g serving of strawberries, about 8–10 berries, has about 87–134 mg of vitamin C against an adult need of 75–90 mg a day, so one serving covers it; and strawberries are almost always eaten raw, with no cooking step to wear it down.

Sweet Potato Vitamin Astrong · 2 cited

The orange in orange-fleshed sweet potato is beta-carotene, which the body converts into retinol as it needs it. It dissolves in fat, so eating it with a little fat raises absorption considerably.

Tuna Proteinstrong · 1 cited

Raw yellowfin tuna has about 24 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat per 100 g, which makes it almost pure lean protein, with all nine essential amino acids.

Tuna Vitamin B12strong · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and tuna is very high in it: one serving usually exceeds a day's need. B12 maintains the insulating sheath around nerve fibers and lets the bone marrow make red blood cells of normal size.

Tuna Seleniumstrong · 2 cited

Tuna is one of the richest sources of selenium, and a serving often covers a day. Selenium is built into the active site of antioxidant enzymes as a part that lets them work; it is not itself an antioxidant that goes around neutralizing free radicals.

White Fish · Cod & Seabass Proteinstrong · 1 cited

White fish has almost no fat, so nearly all of its calories come from protein, which makes it one of the most protein-dense animal foods per calorie.

Yogurt Calciumstrong · 2 cited

Yogurt has about as much calcium as milk, and it is absorbed about as well, because fermentation mainly changes the lactose and leaves the casein. When Greek yogurt is strained, some of the calcium leaves with the whey.

Almonds Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited

ATP has to bind magnesium before enzymes recognize this energy currency. Almonds are a good source of magnesium, and a handful supplies roughly a fifth of an adult's daily need.

Apple Carbs & Fibermoderate · 2 cited

What to remember about apples is pectin: this soluble fiber turns into a gel in water and slows how fast sugar reaches the blood. Juicing filters the gel away.

Avocado Potassium & Sodiummoderate · 2 cited

Avocado has about 480 mg of potassium per 100 g of flesh, a little more than the same weight of banana. Most of its calories come from fat, but people who need to limit potassium still have to count it by weight.

Avocado Carbs & Fibermoderate · 1 cited

Avocado has about 7 g of fiber per 100 g, which is high for a fruit; most of its 9 g of carbohydrate is fiber, so the net carbohydrate that can raise blood glucose is small.

Banana Vitamin B6moderate · 2 cited

Bananas are often reduced to a potassium fruit, but their more reliable strength is vitamin B6: one medium banana supplies a good share of an adult's daily need.

Beef Zincmoderate · 2 cited

Red meat is one of the best dietary sources of zinc. Meat contains no phytate or similar compounds that lock zinc up, so the zinc in beef is well absorbed.

Black Beans Ironmoderate · 2 cited

The iron in black beans is non-heme iron that phytate holds back; a food rich in vitamin C in the same meal clearly helps it get absorbed, by the same mechanism as in lentils.

Black Beans Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited

Black beans carry a share of magnesium: about 70 mg per 100 g cooked, roughly 17–22% of an adult's daily need. Magnesium takes part in energy production and in signaling between nerves and muscles.

Broccoli Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Weight for weight, raw broccoli has about as much vitamin C as citrus fruit, or more. Many people think only fruit supplies vitamin C, but cruciferous vegetables are an underrated source.

Broccoli Vitamin K1moderate · 2 cited

Dark green cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are also a source of vitamin K1. K1 dissolves in fat, so it is absorbed more easily with a little oil.

Broccoli Folatemoderate · 2 cited

Broccoli is an everyday source of folate, which sits on the same plant as vitamin C and K1. Folate suffers from long boiling, and stir-frying or steaming keeps more of it.

Buckwheat Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited

Despite its name, buckwheat is not a grass grain; dry buckwheat has about 230 mg of magnesium per 100 g, among the highest of grain-type staples.

Century Egg Cholinemoderate · 2 cited

A century egg is a duck egg cured with alkali and salt. Curing neither adds nor removes fat, so the choline in the yolk largely remains. It suits an occasional side dish, one egg at a time, and the number to watch is sodium.

Cheese Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Hard aged cheese is almost all protein and fat: Cheddar has about 25 g of protein and 33 g of fat per 100 g. It is usually eaten a small piece at a time, as a small, dense source of protein and calcium.

Chickpeas Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Chickpeas are high in protein, about 17–22% on a dry-seed basis, but eaten alone they are not complete protein: they are rich in lysine and low in the sulfur-containing amino acids, and eating them with rice or wheat fills the gap.

Crab Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Cooked crab meat has about 17.9 g of protein and 0.7 g of fat per 100 g, lean protein like skinless chicken breast. The roe and paste are a different food, far higher in cholesterol.

Eggs Vitamin Dmoderate · 2 cited

Egg is one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D. It is concentrated in the yolk, though the amount is far below that in fatty fish.

Eggs Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and an egg's B12 is in the yolk, about 0.6 μg per egg. For lacto-ovo vegetarians it is one source among several, but one egg falls well short of a day's need.

Kale Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Raw kale has about 93–120 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, more than citrus fruit. Vitamin C is damaged by heat, so quick cooking with little water, or eating kale raw, keeps more of it.

Lamb Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods, and lamb is a reliable source; people who eat no animal foods at all need to take it separately.

Lamb Zincmoderate · 2 cited

Red meat is a well-absorbed source of zinc, and lamb is much like beef in this respect. Zinc takes part in immunity, wound healing and the work of hundreds of enzymes.

Lentils Ironmoderate · 4 cited

The iron in lentils is non-heme iron, so how much is absorbed depends on the meal: phytate and calcium hold it back, and vitamin C in the same meal clearly helps it get absorbed.

Lentils Folatemoderate · 2 cited

Lentils are a good plant source of folate: cooked lentils have about 90–180 µg of dietary folate equivalents per 100 g, about 20–45% of an adult's daily need.

Lentils Proteinmoderate · 2 cited

Lentils are a high-protein bean that can serve as a staple: cooked lentils have about 9 g of protein and 8 g of fiber per 100 g, and protein supplies about 30% of their calories, which is rare for a staple food.

Lychee Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Lychee has a simple nutrient profile: almost nothing but sugar, water and vitamin C. It has about 71.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, a little more than orange, and that is its clear strength.

Mango Vitamin Amoderate · 2 cited

The orange of mango flesh comes from beta-carotene, which the wall of the small intestine cuts and converts into vitamin A as the body needs it. It dissolves only in fat, so eaten on its own a good share passes straight through the gut; a little fat alongside makes it worth much more.

Milk Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Milk protein is complete, with enough of all nine essential amino acids. About 80% is casein, which curdles in the stomach and digests slowly; about 20% is whey, which digests fast and is rich in leucine. A 250 ml glass holds about 8 g.

Milk Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods. A 250 ml glass of milk supplies about 45% of an adult's recommended daily amount, which makes milk an important source for lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat no meat.

Mushrooms Vitamin Dmoderate · 2 cited

Ergosterol in the cell membranes of mushrooms turns into vitamin D2 under ultraviolet light. Mushrooms grown in the dark have little vitamin D; only those that have been in the sun or treated with UV light count as a vitamin D source.

Nori (Laver)Vitamin B12moderate · 5 cited

Dried nori contains real, active B12, and one review judges it the most suitable natural source currently available to vegetarians; but the amount varies widely with species and processing, so it cannot be the only source. What is measured in spirulina, by contrast, is mostly inactive look-alikes.

Oysters Seleniummoderate · 2 cited

One oyster brings zinc, selenium and B12 together. Selenium is built into the active site of antioxidant enzymes, a part those enzymes need in order to work.

Peanuts Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Peanuts are the seeds of a legume and have about 25 g of protein per 100 g, high among plant foods; but on their own they are not complete protein, being low in both lysine and methionine.

Pineapple Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Pineapple has about 47.8 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, in the same range as orange; a usual serving of 100–200 g supplies about 48–96 mg. Fresh-cut pineapple keeps more of it than canned.

Pomelo & Grapefruit Vitamin Cmoderate · 3 cited

Pomelo and grapefruit are citrus sources of vitamin C. Eating the segments with their membranes gives more fiber than drinking the juice, and the sugar reaches the blood more slowly.

Pork Zincmoderate · 2 cited

Lean pork is a well-absorbed animal source of zinc. Meat contains no phytate, so its zinc is not locked up the way it is in whole grains and beans.

Pork Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

B12 comes almost only from animal foods. Lean pork carries a share, in the same lean meat as its protein, thiamin and zinc.

Pork Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Lean pork is complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, and thiamin (vitamin B1), zinc and B12 sit in the same lean meat, so choosing a lean or a fatty cut changes more than the calories.

Potato Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Potato with its skin has about 13–20 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. That is not citrus territory, but it stands out among staple foods, and because potatoes are eaten in quantity, they are a real source of vitamin C wherever people eat a lot of them.

Quinoa Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Quinoa is one of the very few plant foods with enough of all nine essential amino acids, lysine especially, which is exactly what grains lack most. But it does not have much protein: cooked quinoa has about 4.4 g per 100 g.

Quinoa Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited

Quinoa is high in magnesium for a staple food, clearly above white rice and above brown rice too. Magnesium has to bind ATP before the body's energy currency can be spent.

Rice Magnesiummoderate · 2 cited

The magnesium in rice sits in the bran layer. Brown rice has about 3.5 times as much magnesium as white rice, because polishing grinds that layer away and the magnesium with it.

Salmon Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

Salmon is a good source of B12: farmed Atlantic salmon has about 2.5–3 μg per 100 g, enough to cover most adults' recommended amount for a day (2.4 μg).

Salmon Seleniummoderate · 2 cited

Sea fish are a good source of selenium, and salmon is no exception. Selenium is built into the active site of a group of antioxidant enzymes, a part those enzymes need in order to work.

Salmon Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Salmon is complete protein. Its fat is woven through the muscle and cannot be removed, so the protein arrives together with fat rich in omega-3.

Shrimp Iodinemoderate · 2 cited

Seafood is generally rich in iodine, and shrimp is a source too. Iodine is the raw material the thyroid uses to make its hormones, and every thyroid hormone molecule carries several iodine atoms.

Soybeans & Tofu Calciummoderate · 1 cited

The calcium in tofu mostly comes in with the coagulant: firm tofu set with calcium sulfate (gypsum) can have 150–350 mg of calcium per 100 g, while tofu set with nigari or glucono-delta-lactone carries almost none, so check the coagulant on the label.

Tempeh Proteinmoderate · 2 cited

Tempeh is whole soybeans bound into a cake by a mold, so it inherits soy's complete protein; because it is made from whole beans, it is denser in protein than watery tofu.

Tomato Vitamin Cmoderate · 2 cited

Tomatoes carry some vitamin C: one medium tomato supplies one to two tenths of the daily reference amount. Vitamin C is damaged by heat, so raw tomatoes have the edge here.

White Fish · Cod & Seabass Vitamin B12moderate · 2 cited

Seafood is generally a good source of B12. White fish is not the richest seafood, but it is mild, cheap and the easiest to eat every day, and one serving meets more than half of a day's need.

White Fish · Cod & Seabass Iodinemoderate · 2 cited

Iodine is dissolved in seawater and passes up the food chain, so sea fish are one source of it. The amount varies with species and waters, so eating seafood regularly is a more practical way to cover iodine than counting on any one fish.

Yogurt Proteinmoderate · 1 cited

Greek yogurt is yogurt with the whey drained off, so it has roughly twice the protein by weight: about 8–10 g per 100 g, against about 3.5–4 g in regular plain yogurt.

Sesame Calciumweak · 2 cited

Most of the calcium in sesame is in the outer seed coat, the hull, and so is the oxalate that locks calcium up. The calcium in unhulled sesame is real, but its absorption is discounted, and hulling removes a large part of it. Sesame can add some calcium but cannot replace milk.