Vegetarian Nutrient Guide for India: Iron, Zinc, Calcium and More (IFCT 2017)

By NYUS Inc. · Published 24 October 2026

General information: This article is information about food data. No dietitian or doctor has reviewed it, and it is not a substitute for their advice.

Medical topic: This guide lists how much of each nutrient is in foods. It does not diagnose, treat or advise on any deficiency, and it gives no requirement figures, no doses and no supplement advice. If you think a nutrient may be low, ask a doctor.

Vegetarians in India often ask which foods have iron, zinc, calcium and the rest. This guide links our nutrient posts, one for each of ten topics, and gives the top three foods from each. Every number is copied from the post it links to, and each of those posts ranks foods from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017) per 100 g.

How to read the lists

Values are per 100 g as listed in IFCT 2017, mostly dry or raw. Seeds are eaten by the spoonful, so each post adds a serving table with weights we chose.
IFCT lists the nutrient in the food, not how much of it the body absorbs, so none of these posts ranks absorption.
Each post ranks a different IFCT column and a different set of foods, so compare within a post, not across posts.

Our reading: sesame seeds (til) appear in the top three of the iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium posts, and dry pulses lead the folate and potassium posts. That is a pattern in the tables, not advice on what to eat.

Iron

Garden cress seeds (halim) have 17.20 mg of iron per 100 g, white sesame 15.04 mg and black sesame 13.90 mg. The post lists leaves, pulses, grains and seeds in separate groups, because they are not comparable gram for gram, and says iron in a food is not the same as iron absorbed. Iron-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 5).

Zinc

Black sesame has 8.59 mg of zinc per 100 g, white sesame 7.77 mg and sunflower seeds 7.07 mg. The post ranks 26 foods and adds a serving table with weights we chose. Zinc-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 5).

Magnesium

Sunflower seeds have 413 mg of magnesium per 100 g, black sesame 390 mg and white sesame 372 mg. The post ranks 28 foods, including grains, pulses, milk and paneer. Magnesium-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 5).

Calcium

Black sesame has 1,664 mg of calcium per 100 g, white sesame 1,283 mg and raw agathi leaves 901 mg. The post also compares paneer, ragi and milk. Calcium-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 5).

Potassium

Dry brown soybean has 1,613 mg of potassium per 100 g, toor dal 1,395 mg and brown rajmah 1,366 mg. The post says dry pulses look far ahead only because they are weighed dry, and that banana sits in the lower half of its list. Potassium-rich foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 5).

Folate

Dry moth bean has 349 µg of total folates per 100 g, brown rajmah 330 µg and brown soybean 297 µg. The post notes that IFCT lists total folates in µg while the ICMR-NIN brief note uses µg DFE, so it does not compare the two. Folate-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 2).

Vitamin C

Gooseberry (amla) has 252 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, pink-flesh guava 222 mg and white-flesh guava 214 mg. The post lists raw foods only and makes no claim about cooking. Vitamin C-rich foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 2).

Fibre

Linseeds have 26.17 g of fibre per 100 g, whole chana 25.22 g and whole urad 20.41 g. The post splits fibre into insoluble and soluble and says dry foods look far ahead of fruit and vegetables because they hold almost no water. High-fibre vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 1).

Protein (dals)

Masoor dal has 24.35 g of protein per 100 g dry, moong dal 23.88 g and urad dal 23.06 g. The post says the weight you cook changes the protein in a serving more than the choice of dal does. Which dal has the most protein (IFCT 2017 Table 1).

Vitamin E

Safflower seeds have 35.09 mg of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol equivalent) per 100 g, pistachio nuts 33.92 mg and almonds 25.86 mg. The post says nuts and seeds are far ahead per 100 g but a handful is about 20 g, and that the ICMR-NIN brief note has no vitamin E row, so it gives no requirement figure. Vitamin E-rich vegetarian foods in India (IFCT 2017 Table 3).

Frequently asked questions

Which vegetarian foods come up most often at the top of these lists?

Black and white sesame seeds are in the top three of the iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium posts, per 100 g as listed in IFCT 2017. Dry pulses such as brown soybean and brown rajmah lead the folate and potassium lists, and the fibre list is led by linseeds, whole chana and whole urad. Seeds are eaten by the spoonful and pulses are listed dry, so each post also shows a serving table with weights we chose.

Why does the same food rank differently from post to post?

Each post ranks a different IFCT 2017 column, and the foods on each list are not identical. Some lists mix raw leaves, dry pulses, grains, seeds and milk, so compare foods within a group and read the serving table before drawing a conclusion. IFCT lists the nutrient in the food, not how much of it the body absorbs.

Is this guide a diet plan or a target?

No. It is food data collected from our own posts, and every number in it comes from those posts, which cite IFCT 2017. It sets no target, gives no dose and makes no claim about health or disease.

How much of each nutrient do I need, and should I take a supplement?

This guide gives no requirement figures and no doses. The iron, zinc, magnesium and folate posts quote what the ICMR-NIN 2020 brief note lists; the other posts give no requirement figure. Whether you need more of a nutrient, or a supplement, is a decision for a doctor or registered dietitian who knows your situation.

A note on health

This guide is general educational content, not medical advice. It does not say that any food prevents or treats any condition or deficiency. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, follow a restricted diet, have a medical condition, take medicines or have been told a nutrient is low, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your own situation before changing your diet or taking any supplement.

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Sources

Every figure is copied from the post it sits under, checked against that post on 24 Oct 2026. Those posts read their values from ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017): Table 5 for iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium, Table 2 for folate and vitamin C, Table 3 for vitamin E, Table 1 for fibre and protein. The table, column and PDF pages are listed in each post's Sources section.

Every sentence starting "Our reading" is NYUS opinion, not from a study.