Which food having zinc

Did you know that nutritious vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, kale , and garlic contain zinc, as well as other vital vitamins and minerals? One cup of sliced raw mushrooms contains about 3 percent 0. Kale offers roughly the same amount 0. Adding these foods to your diet will give you an extra dose of zinc without adding many calories to your daily total. Mushrooms have a mere 20 calories in 3 oz, plus an excellent amount of the B vitamin riboflavin , according to the USDA.

In addition to zinc, kale offers vitamins A, K, B6 , and C, plus calcium , potassium , copper, and manganese — all for only 33 calories per cup, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Give this delicious mushroom risotto from Pinch of Yum a try! Legumes like chickpeas, lentils, and beans are also very good sources of zinc, she says. Add foods like hummus, edamame , and black beans to your meals for extra zinc and other health benefits.

Meanwhile, canned chickpeas pack 19 percent 2. Also for relatively few calories, legumes are a great low-fat, high-protein food packed with vitamins, minerals, and lots of dietary fiber , according to a study published in October in Clinical Diabetes. Nuts and seeds are yet another great source of zinc that will also add some zing to your day. Toss an ounce of pumpkin seeds or pine nuts into a salad for a delightful crunch, plus roughly 20 percent 2.

Or try a handful of cashews, pecans, or peanuts technically a legume on top of low-fat or fat-free yogurt or oatmeal. For example, 1 oz of dry-roasted cashews offers 15 percent of the DV for zinc 1. These little guys offer zinc, too — nearly 12 percent of the DV in 1 oz 1.

Another reason to add oast in your diet is its zinc content. If you want to add zinc in your diet, without consuming too many calories than include Mushrooms in your diet. Mushrooms are low in calories and are packed with essential nutrients like Vitamin A, C, E and iron. They also contain some amount of germanium, a nutrient rarely found in some vegetables that helps our body to utilize oxygen effectively.

Pumpkin seeds are loaded with different kinds of nutrients including zinc. They are super versatile and can be added in your diet in different ways.

Apart from iron, magnesium and copper, the green seeds are also rich in phytoestrogens, compounds found in the plant that improve the level of good cholesterol in postmenopausal women. Milk and yoghurt are not only rich sources of calcium but they also contain a considerable amount of zinc. They are good for your bones, teeth and gut health. They are extremely versatile and it is easy to add them in your diet. You can make smoothies or can have milk with oats.

If you are a sweet tooth then satisfy your sugar cravings with dark chocolate, which is also a source of zinc. The darker you chocolate is, the higher will be the zinc content.

Dark chocolate also contains flavanol, which has some vascular benefits like managing blood pressure, improving blood flow and boosting immunity. Please Click Here to subscribe other newsletters that may interest you, and you'll always find stories you want to read in your inbox. A weekly guide to the biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing delivered to your inbox. Thank you for subscribing! Your subscription is confirmed for news related to biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing.

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On this page Where does zinc come from? How much zinc do I need? What are the best sources of zinc? Should I take a zinc supplement? Related information on Australian websites Where does zinc come from? Zinc is found in many foods, but the body cannot absorb the zinc from all foods in the same way. Zinc is also obtained from breastmilk. The following foods are good sources of zinc.

Food Milligrams zinc per g Rock oysters Back To Top. General search results. Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. Zinc is also found in many cold lozenges and some over-the-counter drugs sold as cold remedies. Zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism. It is required for the catalytic activity of approximately enzymes [ 1 , 2 ] and it plays a role in immune function [ 3 , 4 ], protein synthesis [ 4 ], wound healing [ 5 ], DNA synthesis [ 2 , 4 ], and cell division [ 4 ].

Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence [ ] and is required for proper sense of taste and smell [ 9 ]. A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system [ 10 ]. DRI is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intakes of healthy people.

These values, which vary by age and gender [ 2 ], include the following:. The current RDAs for zinc are listed in Table 1 [ 2 ]. For infants aged 0 to 6 months, the FNB established an AI for zinc that is equivalent to the mean intake of zinc in healthy, breastfed infants.

A wide variety of foods contain zinc Table 2 [ 2 ]. Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food, but red meat and poultry provide the majority of zinc in the American diet. Other good food sources include beans, nuts, certain types of seafood such as crab and lobster , whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products [ 2 , 11 ].

Phytates—which are present in whole-grain breads, cereals, legumes, and other foods—bind zinc and inhibit its absorption [ 2 , 12 , 13 ]. Thus, the bioavailability of zinc from grains and plant foods is lower than that from animal foods, although many grain- and plant-based foods are still good sources of zinc [ 2 ]. The U. Food and Drug Administration FDA developed DVs to help consumers compare the nutrient contents of foods and dietary supplements within the context of a total diet.

The DV for zinc is 11 mg for adults and children aged 4 years and older [ 14 ]. FDA does not require food labels to list zinc content unless zinc has been added to the food.

Department of Agriculture's USDA's FoodData Central [ 11 ] lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides a comprehensive list of foods containing zinc arranged by nutrient content and by food name. Supplements contain several forms of zinc, including zinc gluconate, zinc sulfate, and zinc acetate. The percentage of elemental zinc varies by form. The elemental zinc content appears in the Supplement Facts panel on the supplement container.

Research has not determined whether differences exist among forms of zinc in absorption, bioavailability, or tolerability. In addition to standard tablets and capsules, some zinc-containing cold lozenges are labeled as dietary supplements. Zinc is present in several products, including some labeled as homeopathic medications, sold over the counter for the treatment and prevention of colds.

Numerous case reports of anosmia loss of the sense of smell , in some cases long-lasting or permanent, have been associated with the use of zinc-containing nasal gels or sprays [ 15 , 16 ]. In June , the FDA warned consumers to stop using three zinc-containing intranasal products because they might cause anosmia [ 17 ].

The manufacturer recalled these products from the marketplace. Currently, these safety concerns have not been found to be associated with cold lozenges containing zinc. While use of these products as directed 0. Such toxicity has been reported in individuals who used 2 or more standard 2. Many denture creams have now been reformulated to eliminate zinc. However, some evidence suggests that zinc intakes among older adults might be marginal.

Zinc deficiency is characterized by growth retardation, loss of appetite, and impaired immune function. In more severe cases, zinc deficiency causes hair loss, diarrhea, delayed sexual maturation, impotence, hypogonadism in males, and eye and skin lesions [ 2 , 8 , 25 , 26 ]. Weight loss, delayed healing of wounds, taste abnormalities, and mental lethargy can also occur [ 5 , 8 , ]. Many of these symptoms are non-specific and often associated with other health conditions; therefore, a medical examination is necessary to ascertain whether a zinc deficiency is present.

Zinc nutritional status is difficult to measure adequately using laboratory tests [ 2 , 32 , 33 ] due to its distribution throughout the body as a component of various proteins and nucleic acids [ 34 ].

Plasma or serum zinc levels are the most commonly used indices for evaluating zinc deficiency, but these levels do not necessarily reflect cellular zinc status due to tight homeostatic control mechanisms [ 8 ]. Clinical effects of zinc deficiency can be present in the absence of abnormal laboratory indices [ 8 ]. Clinicians consider risk factors such as inadequate caloric intake, alcoholism, and digestive diseases and symptoms of zinc deficiency such as impaired growth in infants and children when determining the need for zinc supplementation [ 2 ].

In North America, overt zinc deficiency is uncommon [ 2 ]. When zinc deficiency does occur, it is usually due to inadequate zinc intake or absorption, increased losses of zinc from the body, or increased requirements for zinc [ 27 , 28 , 35 ]. People at risk of zinc deficiency or inadequacy need to include good sources of zinc in their daily diets. Supplemental zinc might also be appropriate in certain situations.

Gastrointestinal surgery and digestive disorders such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and short bowel syndrome can decrease zinc absorption and increase endogenous zinc losses primarily from the gastrointestinal tract and, to a lesser extent, from the kidney [ 2 , 27 , 36 , 37 ].

Other diseases associated with zinc deficiency include malabsorption syndrome, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, sickle cell disease, diabetes, malignancy, and other chronic illnesses [ 38 ]. Chronic diarrhea also leads to excessive loss of zinc [ 25 ]. The bioavailability of zinc from vegetarian diets is lower than from non-vegetarian diets because vegetarians do not eat meat, which is high in bioavailable zinc and may enhance zinc absorption. In addition, vegetarians typically eat high levels of legumes and whole grains, which contain phytates that bind zinc and inhibit its absorption [ 32 , 39 ].

In addition, they might benefit from using certain food preparation techniques that reduce the binding of zinc by phytates and increase its bioavailability. Techniques to increase zinc bioavailability include soaking beans, grains, and seeds in water for several hours before cooking them and allowing them to sit after soaking until sprouts form [ 39 ]. Vegetarians can also increase their zinc intake by consuming more leavened grain products such as bread than unleavened products such as crackers because leavening partially breaks down the phytate; thus, the body absorbs more zinc from leavened grains than unleavened grains.

Pregnant women, particularly those starting their pregnancy with marginal zinc status, are at increased risk of becoming zinc insufficient due, in part, to high fetal requirements for zinc [ 40 ]. Lactation can also deplete maternal zinc stores [ 41 ]. For these reasons, the RDA for zinc is higher for pregnant and lactating women than for other women see Table 1 [ 2 ].

In addition to breast milk, infants aged 7—12 months should consume age-appropriate foods or formula containing zinc [ 2 ]. Zinc supplementation has improved the growth rate in some children who demonstrate mild-to-moderate growth failure and who have a zinc deficiency [ 25 , 42 ].

Zinc supplementation has been shown to improve growth in children with sickle cell disease [ 44 ]. In addition, the variety and amount of food consumed by many alcoholics is limited, leading to inadequate zinc intake [ 2 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Severe zinc deficiency depresses immune function [ 49 ], and even mild to moderate degrees of zinc deficiency can impair macrophage and neutrophil functions, natural killer cell activity, and complement activity [ 50 ].

The body requires zinc to develop and activate T-lymphocytes [ 2 , 51 ]. Individuals with low zinc levels have shown reduced lymphocyte proliferation response to mitogens and other adverse alterations in immunity that can be corrected by zinc supplementation [ 50 , 52 ]. These alterations in immune function might explain why low zinc status has been associated with increased susceptibility to pneumonia and other infections in children in developing countries and the elderly [ ].

Zinc helps maintain the integrity of skin and mucosal membranes [ 50 ]. Patients with chronic leg ulcers have abnormal zinc metabolism and low serum zinc levels [ 57 ], and clinicians frequently treat skin ulcers with zinc supplements [ 58 ]. The authors of a systematic review concluded that zinc sulfate might be effective for treating leg ulcers in some patients who have low serum zinc levels [ 59 , 60 ]. However, research has not shown that the general use of zinc sulfate in patients with chronic leg ulcers or arterial or venous ulcers is effective [ 59 , 60 ].

Acute diarrhea is associated with high rates of mortality among children in developing countries [ 61 ]. Zinc deficiency causes alterations in immune response that probably contribute to increased susceptibility to infections, such as those that cause diarrhea, especially in children [ 50 ].

Studies show that poor, malnourished children in India, Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia experience shorter courses of infectious diarrhea after taking zinc supplements [ 62 ].

The children in these studies received 4—40 mg of zinc a day in the form of zinc acetate, zinc gluconate, or zinc sulfate [ 62 ]. In addition, results from a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials of zinc supplementation in developing countries suggest that zinc helps reduce the duration and severity of diarrhea in zinc-deficient or otherwise malnourished children [ 63 ].