Top 10 Foods and Drinks Highest in Fluoride

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Top 10 Foods and Drinks Highest in Fluoride

Fluoride is a mineral well known for strengthening teeth and helping prevent dental cavities. (1) Since the amount of fluoride in foods can vary, it is added to public water supplies in some countries, including the US.

According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the amount of fluoride you need depends on your body mass (weight). Children typically need 0.5mg (500mcg) per day, while adults need 3-4mg (3000-4000mcg) of fluoride each day. (1) For the adequate intake (AI) calculations below 4mg (4000mcg) was used.

Since consuming too much fluoride can have ill health effects, the NLM sets the upper limit at 10mg, or 10,000mcg. This is just 2.5 times the adequate intake.

Fluoride tends to accumulate in a mixture of both healthy and unhealthy foods including tea, coffee, shellfish, grapes (raisins, wine, grape juice), artificial sweeteners, sodas, potatoes, flavored popsicles, baby foods, broths, stews, and hot cereals made with tap water. If fluoride fortified water is used to make these foods and drinks, they will contain even more fluoride.

Further sugary or carbonated drinks can lead to more tooth decay, wiping out any good effect from the fluoride.

For all these fluoride foods and drinks, if fluoride fortified water was used in their creation, they will have even more fluoride. Below are the top 10 sources of fluoride, for more, see the extended list of fluoride rich foods and drinks.

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More Sources of Fluoride

FoodServingFluoride
1. Cooked Oatmeal per cup 4% AI
(167.5mcg)
2. Chocolate Almond Milk per cup 4% AI
(166.1mcg)
3. Light Beer per 12oz can 4% AI
(160.4mcg)
4. Black Bean Soup per cup 2% AI
(87.9mcg)
5. Cooked Carrots per cup 2% AI
(74.1mcg)
6. Cooked Spinach per cup 2% AI
(68mcg)
7. Boiled Potatoes per potato 2% AI
(67.2mcg)
8. White Rice per cup 2% AI
(64.9mcg)
9. Oysters per 3oz 1% AI
(53.6mcg)
10. Asparagus per cup 1% AI
(39.4mcg)

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that\'s found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It\'s more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily food log.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. Fluoride: A Review Of Use And Effects On Health. Mater Sociomed. 2016 Apr; 28(2): 133–137. Published online 2016 Mar 25. doi: 10.5455/msm.2016.28.133-137
  2. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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