According to the National Institutes of Health, zinc is an essential mineral that occurs naturally in some foods and as an additive in others. Some people take zinc as a dietary supplement or in lozenges. However, you can obtain a good amount of zinc just by eating foods high in zinc. An Ohio State University fact sheet points out that a person's recommended daily allowance for zinc is 15 milligrams per day.
Proteins
The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service states that zinc is an essential mineral for a healthy diet. While many foods have traces of zinc, certain protein sources offer a greater percentage of zinc per serving size. For example, six medium oysters offer 76.28 mg of zinc. One cup of canned baked beans has 13 mg of zinc. Three oz. of broiled beef sirloin contains 4.97 mg of zinc. A 100-gram serving of veal liver has 12 mg of zinc. The same size serving of dry roasted peanuts contains 3.3 mg of zinc, and the same size serving of Alaskan king crab has 7.6 mg of zinc.
Grains
Many ready-to-eat cold cereals and sliced breads contain zinc or are fortified with zinc. One cup of puffed wheat cereal contains between 10 and 24 percent of the recommended daily allowance for adults and children older than 4. Wheat flour has similar content. You can boost the zinc content of any cereal, salad, yogurt or smoothie by adding wheat germ. One hundred g of toasted wheat germ contains 17 mg of zinc, which exceeds the recommended daily allowance. Untoasted or crude wheat germ boasts 12 mg of zinc.
Seeds
On its list of the top 10 foods highest in zinc, HealthaLiciousNess includes several types of seeds. A serving of whole sesame seeds, as well as sesame flour and sesame seed paste, have more than half of an adult's recommended daily allowance. Roasted squash and pumpkin seeds have 10 mg of zinc for every 100 g serving. Although not as common a snack, dried watermelon seeds also contain zinc, up to 10 mg in a 100 g serving.
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