Health Nutrition
Fruits
Vegetables and Pulses
Nuts and Seeds
Meat and Poultry
Fish and Seafood
Food For Health
Food For Weight Control
Food As Medicine
Food Tips
Zinc
Zinc is essential for:
- normal growth and development
- a healthy reproductive system and fertility
- healthy foetal development
- healthy skin
- a strong immune system
A deficiency of zinc can lead to:
- increase risk of infections
- skin lesion
- hair loss
- impaired sense of taste and smell
- low sperm count
- night blindness
- retarded growth and sexual development ( during pregnancy and infancy)
The absorption of zinc is affected by the following factors:
- smoking
- alcohol
Excessive absorption of zinc can also suppress copper and iron absorption.
Good Sources of Zinc
| Food / 100g | Amount (mg) |
| Wheatgerm | 17.0 |
| Calves' liver | 14.2 |
| Poppy seeds | 8.5 |
| Raw Oyster (weight including shells) | 8.3 |
| Quorn | 7.5 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 6.6 |
| Pine nuts | 6.5 |
| Beefsteak | 6.0 |
| Plain cashew nuts | 5.9 |
| Sesame seeds | 5.3 |
| Parmesan cheese | 5.3 |
| Roasted lean lamb leg | 5.2 |
| Sunflower seeds | 5.1 |
m = 0.001
Recommended Intakes for Adults::
UK Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI) - 7mg (female), 9.5mg (male)
USA Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) - 8mg (female), 11mg (male)