Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Top 5 Common Food Sources of Zinc
Looking to get more mg of zinc in your diet? Look no further! My team and I have crunched the numbers and did all the math to determine the top 5 common food sources of zinc, per serving. Aside from oysters, most food sources of zinc provide moderate amounts per serving, so it’s important to choose a variety of zinc rich foods and and sprinkle them throughout the day. Getting zinc from our diet through healthy eating is important since a large collection of studies show that getting nutrients from dietary supplements doesn’t improve health outcomes compared to getting nutrients from foods!
| Rank | Food | Nutrivore Score | Serving Size (Raw) | Zinc (mg/serving) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oysters, Average1 | 2759 | 4 oz / 115 g | 36.0 | 327 |
| 2 | Beef, Average2 | 293 | 3.5 oz / 100 g | 4.8 | 44 |
| 3 | Crab, Average3 | 1096 | 4 oz / 115 g | 4.8 | 43 |
| 4 | Soybeans, Mature Seeds | 326 | 1/2 cup | 4.5 | 41 |
| 5 | Liver, Average4 | 4192 | 3.5 oz / 100 g | 4.5 | 41 |
2Beef, average includes all USDA raw beef muscle meat entries.
3Crab, average includes Alaska king, blue, dungeness, and queen crab.
4Liver, average includes beef, chicken, duck, goose, lamb, pork, turkey, and veal.
Want to know more about this important mineral including what zinc does in the body, how much zinc we need, what happens if we have low zinc levels or if we get too much, and even more awesome food sources to up your daily zinc intake? Keep reading to learn all there is to know!
Learn What Foods Are the Best Sources of Every Nutrient
The Top 25 Foods for Every Nutrient
The Top 25 Foods for Every Nutrient e-book is a well-organized, easy-to-use guide to help you choose foods that fit your needs of 42 important nutrients while creating a balanced nutrient-dense diet.
Get two “Top 25” food lists for each nutrient, plus you’ll find RDA charts for everyone, informative visuals, fun facts, serving sizes and the 43 foods that are Nutrient Super Stars!
Buy now for instant digital access.
What Is Zinc and What Does It Do?
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that serves as a cofactor for over 300 enzymes and upwards of 1000 transcription factors, playing roles in the body’s structural, regulatory, and catalytic functions. This nutrient is particularly important for immunity (helping develop cells that mediate both the innate and adaptive immune response), the function of sensory organs (including taste, smell, and vision), hormone release, collagen production, reproductive function, and the absorption and metabolism of several other nutrients (including the B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin A).
Research shows zinc (particularly in the form of lozenges) can reduce the duration of the common cold, as long as supplementation begins shortly after the onset of illness; this is due to both its direct effects on viruses and its overall influence on immunity. Zinc’s immune-boosting effects also give it a role in protecting against age-related immune decline, improving Covid-19 survival and health outcomes, preventing the recurrence of canker sores, and reducing the risk of opportunistic infections and immune failure in HIV/AIDS patients. Other research suggests zinc could help protect against several neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression, as well as improve blood lipid profiles.
Due to zinc’s wide-ranging roles in the body, insufficiency can disrupt hundreds of metabolic pathways—subsequently impacting immune function, vision, wound healing, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as potentially increasing the risk of some chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and autoimmunity. Zinc is particularly important during childhood for supporting healthy mental and psychomotor development and physical growth, with deficiency in early childhood causing impairments in these areas.
Learn more about zinc here.
Zinc Deficiency
A 2011 study evaluated American’s usual nutrient intake including nutrients that are naturally-occurring in foods, from fortified and enriched foods, and from supplements. The results indicated that 16.8% of American adults usual diet falls short of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for zinc intake.
Groups At Risk
Those at higher risk of zinc deficiency include:
- children and adolescents,
- adults 65 and older,
- pregnant and lactating individuals,
- premature and low-birth weight infants,
- people with inflammatory bowel diseases – such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease,
- individuals with sickle cell anemia – due to higher zinc demands
- people with chronic diseases – such as liver disease, kidney disease, or malabsorption syndromes (e.g., celiac disease)
- alcoholics,
- individuals with the genetic disorder acrodermatitis enteropathica – which severely impacts zinc absorption,
- those taking certain medications – such as diuretics, some antibiotics (e.g., cephalexin), antivirals (e.g., atazanavir, ritonavir), and anticonvulsants (e.g., sodium valproate), and
- individuals on phytate-rich diets with low zinc-rich animal food intake – common in less developed areas of the world.
Learn more here.
Symptoms of Deficiency
Due to zinc’s vital role in so many body functions, zinc deficiency causes a disruption in hundreds of metabolic pathways—leading to a wide range of potential health issues.
Symptoms of zinc deficiency include reduced alertness, slow wound healing, dulled sense of taste and smell, hair loss, frequent infections, reduced appetite, and diarrhea. Deficiency may also cause hormonal changes (like reduced testosterone), impaired night vision, and skin issues such as acne, dry skin, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis—although many of these symptoms can be caused by a number of other health issues, too, and are worth getting investigated with the help of a health professional. In children, it can impair growth and development, while in adults, it may contribute to the risk of some chronic diseases, autoimmune conditions and inflammatory diseases due to zinc’s role in regulating the immune system. Zinc insufficiency can increase the likelihood of pregnancy complications, including higher risk and greater severity of preeclampsia, and can lead to congenital malformations in newborns.
Learn more here.
Problems From Too Much Zinc
Prolonged high doses of zinc (over 40-50 mg daily for adults, for weeks) can lead to copper deficiency due to increased production of a copper-binding protein, though this risk doesn’t apply to short-term use, such as for colds. Zinc supplements may cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain, especially on an empty stomach, and zinc nasal sprays have been reported to impair smell. Zinc forms vary in bioavailability, with zinc picolinate being the most absorbable, while zinc sulfate and zinc oxide are less bioavailable and more likely to cause digestive discomfort.
Learn more here.
How Much Zinc Do We Need?
The following table summarizes the current recommended amounts of zinc, based on age, gender, or situation. However, those following vegan or vegetarian diets who rely heavily on grains and legumes may need up to 50% higher dietary zinc intake to avoid deficiency, due to the high phytate levels in these foods.
It’s also important to note that zinc plays a role in our ability to use other micronutrients such as magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
| 0 – 6 months | |||||
| 6 months to < 12 months | |||||
| 1 yr – 3 yrs | |||||
| 4 yrs – 8 yrs | |||||
| 9 yrs – 13 yrs | |||||
| 14 yrs – 18 yrs | |||||
| 19 yrs – 50 yrs | |||||
| 51+ yrs | |||||
| Pregnant (14 – 18 yrs) | |||||
| Pregnant (19 – 30 yrs) | |||||
| Pregnant (31 – 50 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (14 – 18 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (19 – 30 yrs) | |||||
| Lactating (31 – 50 yrs) |
Nutrient Daily Values
Nutrition requirements and recommended nutrient intake for infants, children, adolescents, adults, mature adults, and pregnant and lactating individuals.
More Food Sources of Zinc
Good sources of zinc include red meat, some organ meats (especially liver and heart), seafood (especially shellfish like oysters and crab), eggs, legumes, nuts, hemp seeds, dairy products, and whole grains. But, due to the phytate content of zinc-rich plant foods, its bioavailability is much higher in animal products. Some foods are also fortified with zinc, such as breakfast cereals.
Best Food Sources of Zinc
The following foods have high zinc content, containing at least 50% of the recommended dietary allowance per serving, making them our best food sources of this valuable mineral!
Good Food Sources of ZInc
The following foods are also excellent or good sources of zinc, containing at least 10% (and up to 50%) of the daily value per serving.
Top 5 Common Food Sources
If you’re looking for top 5 common food sources of other important nutrients check out these posts!
cITATIONS
Expand to see all scientific references for this article.
Fulgoni VL 3rd, Keast DR, Bailey RL, Dwyer J. Foods, fortificants, and supplements: Where do Americans get their nutrients? J Nutr. 2011 Oct;141(10):1847-54. doi: 10.3945/jn.111.142257. Epub 2011 Aug 24. PMID: 21865568; PMCID: PMC3174857.
Foods High in Vitamin C
