Zinc
What is zinc?
Zinc is an essential mineral that you must get through your diet. Zinc is important for:
How much zinc do I need?
The amount of zinc you need daily depends on your age and gender. Males age 9 to 13 years old need 8 milligrams of zinc each day. Males age 14 to 18 years old need 11 milligrams each day.
What are some good sources of zinc?
Oysters are the best source of zinc, but red meat and poultry are the most commonly eaten sources of zinc. Zinc is also found in:
The tables below list some foods that are rich in zinc.
| Dairy Foods | Serving | Milligrams of zinc per serving |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 ounce | 0.9 |
| Cow's Milk | 1 cup | 1.0 |
| Ricotta Cheese | ½ cup | 1.7 |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1.8 |
| Grains and Cereals | Serving | Milligrams of zinc per serving |
| Brown rice | 1 cup | 1.2 |
| Buckwheat | ½ cup | 2.0 |
| Cheerios® | ¾ cup | 3.5 |
| Life® | ¾ cup | 4.1 |
| Wheat germ | 2 tbsp | 1.8 |
| Legumes | Serving | Milligrams of zinc per serving |
| Chickpeas | ½ cup | 1.3 |
| Lentils | ½ cup | 1.3 |
| Lima beans | ½ cup | 0.8 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Shellfish | Serving | Milligrams of zinc per serving |
| Chicken breast | 3 ounces | 0.9 |
| Hamburger, lean | 3 ounces | 5.4 |
| Shrimp | 3 ounces | 1.3 |
| Sirloin steak | 3 ounces | 4.5 |
| Turkey, dark meat | 3 ounces | 3.8 |
| Oysters | 6 oysters | 15.6 |
| Soy Foods | Serving | Milligrams of zinc per serving |
| Soynuts | ½ cup | 1.5 |
| Soybeans | ½ cup | 1.3 |
| Tempeh | ½ cup | 1.0 |
| Textured vegetable protein (TVP) | ½ cup | 0.8 |
| Tofu | ½ cup | 1.0 |
Updated: 10/23/2009
Related Information:
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