What foods do you find zinc in? It is found in meat, cheese, grain products, nuts and seafood. Below is a list of foods by category that contain zinc:
- Fish and shellfish: oysters, crab, shrimp and mussels.
- Meat: beef, pork, lamb and turkey
- Dairy: cheese
- Legumes: chickpeas and lentils
- Nuts, seeds and kernels: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and cashews
Of course, how much zinc you need per day depends on the body's needs for each person and the complaint. For example, if you are sick, your body has a higher need for zinc.
The daily reference intake in small children up to 1 year is 2 mg per day1, up to 3 years 3 mg per day, children 4 to 8 years 5 mg per day from 9 to 13 years 8 mg per day, girls 14 to 18 years 9 mg per day, boys and men 14 years and older 11 mg per day, women 19 years and older 8 mg per day, pregnant women 13 mg per day, breastfeeding women 14 mg per day1.
The average dietary intake is 13 mg per day in men and 9 mg per day in women1.
Daily intake of no more than 40mg per day is perfectly safe1.
1.Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002. Available at: nap.edu/books/0309072794/html/.