The right amount of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants is important to every individual’s health. But many people don’t know exactly what kind of nutrients they need and how each nutrient affects them. That is because the educational system does not teach them the basics of nutrition. I’m not surprised, since long ago they also gave up cooking classes and now millions of kids who are now turning 18 cannot cook. They’re minerals that everyone needs to know, but one important mineral that we will talk about today is zinc. While you only need a little bit of zinc, it is important to rebuild damaged tissue, reinforce a healthy immune system, maintain muscle, and support the proper function of smell and taste. So here are ten foods with high zinc content so you can make sure to eat your daily serving.
Table of Contents
1. Oysters
100 grams (3.5 ounces) serving of oysters contains 86.45 mg zinc.
To many people all over the world, oysters are regarded as an aphrodisiac. While there is no true scientific way to measure how much a serving of oysters impacts your libido, science certainly does tell us that oysters are a great source of zinc. A single serving of oysters can provide nearly a week’s worth of zinc, so if your doctor says you’re low on the mineral, it’s time to head to your grocery store’s seafood section and stock up on oysters.
2. Alaskan Crab
100 grams (3.5 ounces) serving of lobster contains 7.6 mg zinc.
The next time you are at a luxury buffet, head over to the section with the seafood and load up your plate full of crab. These delicious shellfish are packed with zinc, so it’s a great food to dine on after you strength train or recover from the flu.
3. Beef Liver
100-gram (3.5-ounce) of beef liver contains 7 mg of zinc.
This is the second time we have beef on this list, and that is because beef is a valuable resource for zinc. Now beef naturally has a lot of zinc, but the liver, especially the beef liver, has enough zinc to satisfy the daily requirement for several days in a single serving. If you don’t have beef liver, then the liver of different animals like chicken or goat is also a great source. There’s a reason why many old people grew up eating organ Meats. The organs are the parts of the body that use a lot of minerals, and that is where these minerals are stored.
4. Beef
100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of raw ground beef contains 4.8 mg of zinc.
Easily one of these foods with the highest amount of zinc per serving, beef is relatively easy to incorporate into your meals. You may have even eaten beef today before reading this article! Whether you eat filet mignon, a hamburger, beef stew, or a beef kabob, know that you will be eating nearly 50% of all your required zinc for the day. So take a big bite and let the zinc absorb into your system.
5. Cashews
100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of cashews contains 4.5 mg of zinc.
Honestly, I believe the cashew is way better than the almond. It makes a much smoother form of nut butter, has a very buttery taste, and the cashew seed does not have a thin skin around its surface that causes its nut butter to have a grainy texture. It is smooth as can be. And unlike the almond, the cashew can provide a person with 15% of the daily amount of zinc they need.
6. Dark Chocolate
100-gram (3.5-ounce) bar of 70–85% dark chocolate contains 3.3 mg of zinc.
When you’re having a girl’s day and you and your girlfriends are surrounded with champagne flutes, pedicures and manicure supplies, and cake, don’t forget to include some dark chocolate in that mix! An entire dark chocolate bar contains 30% of all of the zinc you need for the day. But watch out; a bar of chocolate has a lot of calories, so you may need to spread out your chocolate consumption throughout the week.
7. Cheddar Cheese
100-gram (3.5-ounce) of cheddar cheese contains 3.1 mg zinc.
Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the United States. It is added to all kinds of different foods and other types of cheeses like nacho cheese. So if you are a fan of cheeseburgers or cheese fries, not only have you been eating delicious classic American food, you’ve also been getting a great source of zinc a few times a week. Cheddar cheese has 28% of the daily requirement of zinc every person needs.
8. Oatmeal
1 cup (3.17 ounces.) of oatmeal contains 2.95 mg zinc.
One of the easiest foods to eat in the morning when pressed for time, oatmeal can be flavored however you like, and it can be eaten on the go. A serving of oatmeal will provide you with more than 10% of your daily nutritional requirement of zinc, but if you add other types of food to your oatmeal, like dark chocolate or seeds, you can certainly boost up that number.
9. Seeds
100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of seeds contains 35 mg of zinc.
Seeds, like sesame, pumpkin, chia, and sunflower, are great sources of fat. But seeds also contain a lot of zinc. Since you can easily eat more than 50 seeds without batting an eye, it is best to serve yourself a handful of seeds in a small bowl. They may contain many things, but if you are watching your figure, you may end up eating more calories than you need to.
10. Lobster
One lobster contains about 4.2 mg zinc.
If you’re not a big fan of shelled crab, then there is another option available if you want to stuff your face with amazing seafood that contains a lot of zinc. This alternative is lobster! A simple serving of lobster contains over 40% of the zinc you need to keep your muscles strong and your immune system powerful. But cooking lobster might be a bit more difficult than cooking crab, so take yourself and a loved one out to a seafood restaurant and enjoy professionally cooked lobster for the night!
Conclusion
Remember: to have a well-rounded, healthy diet that provides all of the vitamins and minerals you need to have a healthy body, you must eat various foods. Do not stick to the same old foods and ingredients over and over again. There are far too many foods in this world to only stick to a certain few. Remember to eat various types of proteins, including plant proteins and animal proteins, and try out a few new vegetables whenever you see them at the grocery store. And if you are having problems cooking certain vegetables, roasting them is the number one way to make any vegetable tastes delicious.
