Disappearing Zinc: Why it’s so Important
Zinc is being depleted from our soil and therefore, our plant foods contain less of this vital mineral than ever. Currently the best food sources for zinc are some meats, beans, certain dairy and nuts.
The RDA of zinc varies from 3 mg a day (for 7 months-3 year olds) to 14 mg (for lactating teens). To ensure you are getting enough zinc while limiting your meat intake, consume the following foods:
- Cashews (1oz has 1.6mg of zinc), Almonds (1oz has 1.0mg of zinc), Peanuts (1oz has .9mg of zinc)
- Milk/Yogurt (8oz has 1.8mg of zinc), Cheddar Cheese (1oz has .9mg of zinc)
- Baked Beans (1/2 cup has mg of zinc), Garbanzo/Chickpeas (1/2 cup as 1.3mg of zinc)
- Chicken/dark meat (3 oz has 1.8mg of zinc), Turkey/dark meat (3oz has 3.8mg of zinc)
- Pork (3 oz has 2.2mg of zinc)
- Beef (3 oz has 6.0mg of zinc)
What happens when we are zinc deficient? Lots of bad things are possible;
