Foods such as shellfish, beef, poultry, pork and many varieties of seeds, nuts and legumes are rich in Zinc.

Zinc, although very important, should be supplemented in moderation. We should be mindful of our supplementation. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Zinc is right around 11mg/day for men and 8mg/day for women. Toxicity issues with Zinc like nausea and headaches can occur when taken in very high doses. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level, which means the amount we can take each day that is unlikely to cause harmful side effects, is 40mg for both men and women. This DOES NOT mean that Zinc is unsafe! It means that too much Zinc can cause issues. Too much of a good thing right?

So, hopefully if you are tracking your calories, your app will give you values for how many vitamins and minerals you are consuming. Check what your daily intake for Zinc is on a normal basis and maybe add some supplementation if you are barely meeting your needs. Supplemental zinc is typically offered as tablets or lozenges and doses are always labeled in mg’s (milligrams) for easy tracking. Zinc is a crucial mineral to our overall health and can be easily added if we are falling short in our dietary intake!