Which Foods Are High in Zinc?

Zinc is a trace mineral essential for human health in the amount of less than 100 mcg, daily. This mineral is needed as a co-factor, or helper, for more than 100 chemical reactions in the body. It aids in protein synthesis, the regulation of blood sugar, wound healing and brain function. Zinc also helps maintain healthy reproductive and immune systems. Many foods are rich in zinc, especially mollusks such as oysters, shellfish, meat, poultry, pork, seeds and nuts.

Shellfish and Crustaceans

Oysters are the best food source of zinc. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrition Database, a 3-ounce serving of wild Eastern oysters, cooked in moist heat provides 154 mg zinc, meeting more 1,000 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV. A 3-ounce serving of Alaskan king crab, cooked in moist heat provides 6.5 mg, meeting roughly 43 percent of the DV. Other varieties of crab, such as blue crab and Dungeness, are also rich in zinc, providing 4 to 5 mg per 3-ounce cooked serving, meeting 31 to 33 percent of the DV for this trace mineral. Lobster is a good food source of zinc, providing 2.5 mg per 3-ounce cooked serving, or meeting about 17 percent of the DV.

Beef, Pork and Poultry

According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, beef, pork and chicken are all rich in zinc. A 3-ounce cooked portion of beef shanks provides 8.9 mg zinc, meeting about 59 percent of the DV while the same serving size of cooked pork shoulder or pork tenderloin provides 4.2 and 2.5 mg, meeting nearly 30 percent and 17 percent of the DV for zinc, respectively. One whole cooked chicken leg provides slightly more zinc as 3-ounce cooked pork tenderloin, 2.7 mg or 18 percent of the DV.

Seeds, Nuts and Other Foods

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrition Database, roasted pumpkin seeds are the richest non-animal food source of zinc, providing 2.9 mg per 1-ounce serving; meeting 19 percent of the DV. A 1-ounce serving of whole roasted, toasted sesame seeds provide 2 mg zinc, meeting approximately 13 percent of the DV. Toasted sunflower seed kernels and roasted cashew nuts are other tasty food sources of zinc, meeting 10 percent of the DV in a 1-ounce serving for each.
A 1/2-cup serving of baked beans, from canned, provides 1.7 mg zinc. Similarly 1 cup of low-fat fruited yogurt provides 1.7 mg zinc; meeting 11 percent of the DV for this trace mineral.

References

• National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc: Health Professional Fact Sheet
• U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrition Database: Mollusks, oyster, eastern, wild, cooked, moist heat