Zinc is a mineral that is added to some foods and naturally found in a variety of others, according to the National Institutes of Health. Your body requires zinc for several functions to maintain good health. Your body cannot manufacture its own zinc. Zinc is an essential mineral that must come from your diet.
Zinc Fortified Foods
Food label regulations do not require the amount of zinc in a serving of food to be listed unless the food is fortified with zinc. Foods fortified with zinc include breakfast cereals. If a food has at least 20 percent of the daily reference value of zinc per serving, it is a good source of zinc, as reported by the Ohio State University Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Foods High In Zinc
The daily value for zinc is 15 mg for everyone over the age of 4. Oysters are higher in zinc than any other food, and a serving of six medium oysters contains 513 percent of your daily value for zinc. Americans get most of their zinc by consuming meat and poultry. Other foods high in zinc include crab, lobster, nuts, beans, whole grains and dairy products.
Considerations
The amount of zinc you get from plant sources such as legumes, whole grain breads and cereals is less than the amount of zinc you absorb form animal products. To reduce the amount of zinc lost in cooking, you should cook your food for the shortest time possible and in the smallest amount of water possible.
Vegetarians
Vegetarians need to eat more plant sources of zinc than non-vegetarians in order to meet their zinc requirement. If you are a vegetarian, you can absorb more of the zinc found in legumes by soaking them in water and allowing them to sit until sprouts form. The zinc contained in leavened products such as bread is better absorbed than the zinc found in crackers.
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