Our bodies need a healthy mix of macronutrients to run smoothly. One of the most important nutrients on our body’s gotta-have-it list is zinc. A little extra zinc goes a long way, especially on days where our health feels like it’s stalled out in a lower gear. For this week’s Wellness Wednesday, we’re looking at the importance of zinc in our daily lives.
What Is Zinc?
Zinc is an essential nutrient that your body needs but can’t produce or store on its own. Zinc has to be absorbed through your diet and/or supplements. Zinc plays a very important role in maintaining our health, as it assists with our growth and development, helps synthesize proteins, bolsters our metabolism and immune system, and even supports wound healing.
How Do I Know if I Need More Zinc?
Some nutrient deficiencies can be hard to detect as their symptoms are subtle. This isn’t the case with zinc: if you’re not getting enough zinc, your body will undergo some hard-to-ignore changes. If you experience any of the following symptoms, talk to your doctor as it could be quite likely you’re zinc deficient.
- Slow wound healing
- Frequent sickness
- Hair loss
- Discolored and/or brittle nails
- Slower rate of growth (in infants, children, and adolescents)
- Rashes or skin lesions
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of taste and smell
What to Eat
Looking to add more zinc to your diet? Zinc tends to be found in higher quantities in animal products, legumes, nuts, and beans. Foods that are rich in zinc include:
- Oysters
- Beef
- Crab
- Pork chops
- Lobster
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Cheddar cheese
- Sardines
- Kidney beans
- Cashews
- Oats
- Greek yogurt
- Hemp seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Mushrooms
- Tofu
What Are the Benefits of Zinc?
Taking zinc supplements and/or getting more zinc in your diet can support your health in noticeable ways. For one thing: zinc can help lower the risk of vision loss worsening and age-related macular degeneration. Our retinas (the part of the eye that converts light into signals our brain uses to make images) have a high concentration of zinc. More zinc in your system helps protect the cells of your retinas from getting damaged by free radicals.
The next time you feel a cold coming on, reach for some zinc. Zinc can’t prevent a cold but it could help you bounce back from it faster. Studies have found that people who used zinc lozenges recovered faster from their colds than subjects who didn’t. Zinc helps support our immune systems, so if you’re trying to stay one step ahead of cold or flu season add some more zinc to your diet for added protection.
Research has also found that zinc can lower blood sugar and cholesterol for people with diabetes. Zinc also can help speed up wound repair and recovery. One last perk from taking more zinc: zinc has anti-inflammatory properties that makes it great for skincare! If you’re struggling with acne or eczema, zinc could help you clear up your skin.
Article by Austin Brietta
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