Structural component of bone, ATP and nucleic acids.
Every figure here is per 100 g of the food, not per serving. That makes foods comparable to each other, but it is not how anyone eats: 100 g of a dried spice and 100 g of a leafy green are very different portions, so a high position in this list does not tell you what a meal contributes.
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
% DV compares the per-100 g amount with the FDA Daily Value of 1250 mg for adults and children aged 4 and over. It is a labelling reference, not a personal target.
24 entries with a measured phosphorus value, highest first.
Cannabis sativa
The hulled seed of industrial hemp, a cannabis variety bred to contain negligible THC. The USDA reference entry is for the hulled…
132% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Cucurbita pepo
The hulled green kernels of certain pumpkin and squash varieties, eaten raw or roasted. The USDA reference entry is for the dried…
99% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Salvia hispanica
Tiny seeds from a Mexican member of the mint family that form a thick gel when hydrated, because of soluble mucilage in the seed…
69% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Bertholletia excelsa
Large seeds harvested from wild Amazonian trees, notable for concentrating selenium from the soil to a degree no other common…
58% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Glycine max
The legume behind tofu, soy milk, tempeh and miso, eaten either as mature dry beans or as edamame, the immature green pod…
56% of the Daily Value per 100 g
A hard cheese aged a year or more, during which enzymes break down protein into free amino acids and the crystalline tyrosine…
56% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Helianthus annuus
The hulled kernels of the sunflower, one of the densest common food sources of vitamin E. The USDA reference entry is for the…
53% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Linum usitatissimum
The seed of the flax plant, sold whole, ground or pressed for oil, and the densest common dietary source of plant lignans. The…
51% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Sesamum indicum
Small oil-rich seeds used whole, toasted, or ground into tahini across the Middle East, Africa and East Asia. The USDA reference…
50% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Anacardium occidentale
The kidney-shaped seed that grows beneath the cashew apple, always sold shelled and heat-treated because the shell contains…
47% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Avena sativa
Whole oat groats that have been steamed and pressed flat so they hydrate quickly. The USDA reference entry is for the dry flake;…
42% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Cuminum cyminum
The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, used whole or ground across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The USDA…
40% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Sardina pilchardus
Small schooling fish canned whole with their soft, edible bones intact. Being short-lived plankton feeders low in the food chain,…
39% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Pistacia vera
The green seed of a small desert tree, usually sold roasted in a split shell. The USDA reference entry is for the raw kernel…
39% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Prunus dulcis
The edible seed of a stone fruit closely related to the peach, eaten raw, roasted or ground into flour and butter. The USDA…
38% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Chenopodium quinoa
A pseudocereal seed from a plant related to spinach and beet, cooked and used as a grain. The USDA reference entry is for the…
37% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Coriandrum sativum
The dried fruit of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant whose leaves are sold as cilantro, though the seed tastes citrusy and warm…
33% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Phaseolus vulgaris
The large red-skinned variety of the common bean, and the one carrying the highest concentration of the toxic lectin…
32% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Gallus gallus domesticus
The fat-soluble half of the egg, carrying essentially all of its fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, choline and carotenoid…
31% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Bos taurus
The metabolic and storage organ of cattle, and consequently one of the most nutrient-concentrated foods in the human diet by a…
31% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Arachis hypogaea
Botanically a legume that ripens underground, not a tree nut, though its fat content and culinary use put it with the nuts. The…
30% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Triticum aestivum
The entire wheat kernel — bran, germ and endosperm — either milled into wholemeal flour or cooked whole as berries. The USDA…
29% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Phaseolus vulgaris
A common bean variety whose dark seed coat carries anthocyanin pigments, staple across Latin America and the Caribbean. The USDA…
28% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Fagopyrum esculentum
A pseudocereal seed from a plant in the rhubarb family, unrelated to wheat and free of gluten. The USDA reference entry is for…
28% of the Daily Value per 100 g