Nutrition Guide
Real food sources of bioavailable nutrients
Vegetarian
Top Vegetarian Protein Sources
| # | Food | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek Yogurt, 1 cup * | 19g |
| 2 | Edamame (soy bean), 1 cup * | 18g |
| 3 | Legumes – Lentils / Black Beans / Chickpeas / Kidney Beans, etc., 1 cup | 16g |
| 4 | Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup * | 13g |
| 5 | Yogurt, 1 cup * | 10g |
| 6 | Tofu, 3 ounces * | 9g |
| 7 | Soy Milk, 1 cup * | 9g |
| 8 | Hemp Hearts, 3 tbsp * | 9g |
| 9 | Amaranth, 1 cup * | 9g |
| 10 | Paneer / Cheddar Cheese / Parmesan / Ricotta / Swiss, 1 ounce * | 8g |
| 11 | Milk (Dairy), 1 cup * | 8g |
| 12 | Pumpkin Seeds, 3 tbsp | 8g |
| 13 | Peanut Butter, 2 tbsp | 8g |
| 14 | Green peas, 1 cup | 8g |
| 15 | Almond Butter, 2 tbsp | 7g |
| 16 | Oats, 1/2 cup | 7g |
* Complete protein
Top Vegetarian Sources of Leucine
| # | Food | Leucine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Firm Tofu, 1 cup | 3.51g |
| 2 | Whey Protein Concentrate, 5 tbsp † | 2.30g |
| 3 | Vital Wheat Gluten (seitan), cooked, 100g | 1.90g |
| 4 | Soybeans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.59g |
| 5 | Adzuki Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.45g |
| 6 | Cottage Cheese, full fat, 1/2 cup † | 1.32g |
| 7 | Lentils, cooked, 1 cup | 1.30g |
| 8 | Navy Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.27g |
| 9 | Kidney Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.23g |
| 10 | Peanuts, 1/2 cup | 1.22g |
| 11 | Black Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.22g |
| 12 | Buckwheat Groats, cooked, 1 cup | 1.21g |
| 13 | Greek Yogurt, full fat, 1 cup † | 1.16g |
| 14 | Mung Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.10g |
| 15 | Chickpeas, cooked, 1 cup | 1.04g |
| 16 | Pistachios, 1/2 cup | 0.99g |
| 17 | Sesame Seeds, 1/2 cup | 0.98g |
| 18 | Fava Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 0.97g |
| 19 | Rye Grain, cooked, 1 cup | 0.95g |
| 20 | Lima Beans, cooked, 1 cup | 0.91g |
| 21 | Cashews, 1/2 cup | 0.88g |
| 22 | Almonds, 1/2 cup | 0.80g |
| 23 | Brazil Nuts, 1/2 cup | 0.79g |
| 24 | Spinach, 1 bunch | 0.76g |
| 25 | Milk, whole, 1 cup † | 0.73g |
| 26 | Hazelnuts, 1/2 cup | 0.72g |
| 27 | Pumpkin Seeds, 1 oz | 0.70g |
| 28 | Walnuts, 1/2 cup | 0.68g |
| 29 | Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz † | 0.55g |
| 30 | Oats, cooked, 1 cup | 0.51g |
| 31 | Soy Milk, 1 cup | 0.50g |
† Dairy-derived, not plant-based, but vegetarian. Eggs were intentionally left off this list.
All Food
Top Sources of Bioavailable Iron
| # | Food * | Iron |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clams (~8) | 23 mg |
| 2 | Oysters (~5–7) | 7 mg |
| 3 | Mussels (~6–7) | 7 mg |
| 4 | Legumes (red lentils, cannellini, kala chana, kidney, garbanzo, pinto), 1 cup | 5–7 mg |
| 5 | Grass-Fed Bison (6 oz) | 5.5 mg |
| 6 | Pumpkin Seeds, sprouted (4 tbsp) | 4 mg |
| 7 | Hemp Hearts (3 tbsp) | 4 mg |
| 8 | Swiss Chard (cooked, 1 cup) | 4 mg |
| 9 | Blackstrap Molasses (1 tbsp) | 3.6 mg |
| 10 | Grass-Fed Beef (6 oz) | 3.5 mg |
| 11 | Tofu (3/4 cup) | 3.4 mg |
| 12 | Green Moong Dosa (whole, 3/4 cup, 3 dosas) | 3 mg |
| 13 | Dark Chocolate (100% cacao, 1 oz) | 3 mg |
| 14 | Moong Dal (1 cup) | 2.8 mg |
| 15 | Quinoa (1 cup) | 2.8 mg |
| 16 | Unhulled Tahini (unhulled sesame seeds, 2 tbsp) | 2.6 mg |
| 17 | Collard Greens (sauteed, 1 cup) | 2.5 mg |
| 18 | Chia Seed (soaked, 3 tbsp) | 2.3 mg |
| 19 | Kale (sauteed, 1 cup) | 1.9 mg |
* Pair vegetarian food sources with fruit high in vitamin C to boost iron absorption
Top Sources of Calcium
| # | Food | Calcium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tofu, firm, calcium-set, 4 oz (1/2 cup) | 250–750mg |
| 2 | Yogurt, plain, 1 cup | 450mg |
| 3 | Sardines, canned with bones, 3 oz | 325mg |
| 4 | Milk (whole, low-fat, or skim), 1 cup | 300mg |
| 5 | Nonfat dry milk powder, 5 tbsp | 300mg |
| 6 | Figs, dried, 1 cup | 300mg |
| 7 | Sesame seeds, whole roasted, 1 oz | 280mg |
| 8 | Swiss or Gruyère cheese, 1 oz | 270mg |
| 9 | Tofu, soft regular, 4 oz | 120–390mg |
| 10 | Sour cream, 1 cup | 250mg |
| 11 | Mackerel, canned, 3 oz | 250mg |
| 12 | Spinach, cooked, 1 cup | 240mg |
| 13 | Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, 1 oz | 200mg |
| 14 | Mozzarella cheese, 1 oz | 200mg |
| 15 | Salmon, canned with bones, 3 oz | 170–210mg |
| 16 | Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup | 180mg |
| 17 | Amaranth, cooked, 1/2 cup | 135mg |
| 18 | Blackstrap molasses, 1 tbsp | 135mg |
| 19 | Sesame tahini, 1 oz (2 tbsp) | 130mg |
| 20 | Arugula, raw, 1 cup | 125mg |
| 21 | Oatmeal, instant, 1 package | 100–150mg |
| 22 | Chard or okra, cooked, 1 cup | 100mg |
| 23 | Soybeans, boiled, 1/2 cup | 100mg |
| 24 | Ice cream or ice milk, 1/2 cup | 100mg |
| 25 | Acorn squash, cooked, 1 cup | 90mg |
Top 25 Food Sources of Leucine
| # | Food | Leucine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roasted chicken leg, 1 leg with skin | 5.16g |
| 2 | Skirt steak, grilled, 6 oz | 5.01g |
| 3 | Lamb shoulder roast, cooked, 6 oz | 4.70g |
| 4 | Lean chicken breast, cooked, 6 oz | 4.51g |
| 5 | Pork chop, braised (with fat), 1 chop | 4.50g |
| 6 | Ground turkey, fat-free, cooked, 6 oz | 4.44g |
| 7 | Pork chop, braised (lean), 6 oz | 4.34g |
| 8 | Chicken leg, boneless skinless, raw, 1 leg | 4.27g |
| 9 | Bluefin tuna, cooked, 6 oz fillet | 4.13g |
| 10 | Grouper, cooked, 1 fillet | 4.08g |
| 11 | Pork tenderloin, broiled, 6 oz | 4.06g |
| 12 | Chicken leg, boneless skinless, roasted, 1 leg | 4.04g |
| 13 | Chuck steak, braised, 1 steak | 3.89g |
| 14 | Yellowfin tuna, cooked, 6 oz fillet | 3.86g |
| 15 | Coho salmon, wild, cooked, 6 oz fillet | 3.78g |
| 16 | Sockeye salmon, cooked, 6 oz fillet | 3.72g |
| 17 | Ribeye steak (filet), cooked, 1 fillet | 3.67g |
| 18 | Snapper, cooked, 1 fillet | 3.63g |
| 19 | King (Chinook) salmon, cooked, 6 oz fillet † | 3.55g |
| 20 | Yellowtail, cooked, 1/2 fillet | 3.52g |
| 21 | Atlantic salmon, wild, cooked, 6 oz fillet | 3.51g |
| 22 | Tofu, firm, 1 cup | 3.51g |
| 23 | Ground pork, cooked, 6 oz | 3.50g |
| 24 | Goose, roasted, 1 unit (from 1 lb ready-to-cook) | 3.50g |
| 25 | Ground beef, 97% lean, cooked, 6 oz | 3.49g |
Ranked by absolute leucine per each food's typical serving size (not standardized per 100g); tofu (#22) is the only plant-based food in the top 25. † King salmon's source entry defaults to a 3 oz serving (1.78g leucine); value shown is scaled to 6 oz to match the other fish entries.
Top Sources of Zinc *
| # | Food | Zinc |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oysters, cooked, 3 oz (about 6 medium) | 66.8mg |
| 2 | Beef chuck short ribs, cooked, 3 oz | 10.2mg |
| 3 | Beef shank, cooked, 3 oz | 8.9mg |
| 4 | Alaska king crab, cooked, 3 oz | 6.5mg |
| 5 | Bison, cooked, 3 oz | 7.3mg |
| 6 | Lamb shoulder, cooked, 3 oz | 5.9mg |
| 7 | Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1 oz | 2.2mg |
| 8 | Sunflower seeds, toasted, 1 oz | 1.8mg |
| 9 | Pork shoulder, cooked, 3 oz | 3.0mg |
| 10 | Chicken, dark meat, cooked, 3 oz | 2.4mg |
| 11 | Cashews, roasted, 1 oz | 1.6mg |
| 12 | Chickpeas, cooked, 1 cup | 2.5mg |
| 13 | Lentils, cooked, 1 cup | 2.5mg |
| 14 | Black beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.9mg |
| 15 | Kidney beans, cooked, 1 cup | 1.9mg |
| 16 | Swiss cheese, 1 oz | 1.2mg |
| 17 | Greek yogurt, plain, 1 cup | 1.3mg |
| 18 | Milk, 1 cup | 1.0mg |
| 19 | Eggs, 2 large | 1.0mg |
| 20 | Almonds, roasted, 1 oz | 0.9mg |
* Unfortified food sources; legume/grain zinc has lower bioavailability due to phytates
Top Sources of Vitamin D3
| # | Food | Serving Size | Method | Vitamin D3 (mcg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carp, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 32.0 |
| 2 | Rainbow trout, farmed | 4.5 oz | cooked | 24.3 |
| 3 | Pompano, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 22.5 |
| 4 | Freshwater eel (unagi) | 4.5 oz | cooked | 22.3 |
| 5 | Sockeye salmon, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 21.3 |
| 6 | Swordfish, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 21.2 |
| 7 | Atlantic mackerel, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 21.0 |
| 8 | Steelhead trout, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 19.1 |
| 9 | Cod liver oil | 1.5 tsp | raw | 17.0 |
| 10 | King (Chinook) salmon, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 16.8 |
| 11 | Atlantic salmon, farmed | 4.5 oz | cooked | 16.7 |
| 12 | Pink salmon, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 16.5 |
| 13 | Sturgeon, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 16.4 |
| 14 | Channel catfish, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 15.3 |
| 15 | Coho salmon, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 14.4 |
| 16 | Red snapper, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 12.8 |
| 17 | Lake trout, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 12.0 |
| 18 | Halibut (Atlantic/Pacific), wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 7.4 |
| 19 | Atlantic herring, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 6.9 |
| 20 | Bluefin Ahi Tuna, wild | 4.5 oz | raw | 6.5 |
| 21 | Cisco, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 6.0 |
| 22 | Sablefish / Black Cod, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 6.0 |
| 23 | Pacific rockfish, wild | 4.5 oz | cooked | 5.9 |
| 24 | Albacore Tuna, wild | 3 oz | cooked | 5.5 |
| 25 | Sardines, wild | 3 oz | cooked | 5.0 |
| 26 | Salmon roe / caviar | 1 oz | raw | 3.4 |
| 27 | Bigeye Ahi Tuna, wild | 4.5 oz | raw | 2.8 |
| 28 | Albacore / Tombo Tuna, wild | 4.5 oz | raw | 2.5 |
| 29 | Skipjack tuna, wild | 3 oz | cooked | 2.4 |
| 30 | Eggs with yolk | 2 large | cooked | 2.2 |
| 31 | Yellowfin Ahi Tuna, wild | 4.5 oz | raw | 1.9 |
| 32 | Beef liver | 3 oz | braised | 1.0 |