My first encounter with Zinc came when I learnt the periodic table. We can all recall reciting in chemistry class “Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium…” and so on. It didn’t mean very much then – simply that it was an element found on earth and that the Ancient Greek and Romans used it to make brass.
It wasn’t until I studied Naturopathy that I discovered its essentialness. It was taught to us as a mineral “of exceptional biological and public health importance”, found in over 300 enzymatic reactions in our body & as significant as iron (a widely acknowledged & prevalent deficiency).
Zinc is found in the brain (often called the intelligence mineral), muscles, bones, kidneys, and liver, with the highest concentrations in the prostate and parts of the eye. Semen is particularly rich in zinc, which is a key factor in prostate gland function and fertility. It acts as a catalyst, an antioxidant, is involved in protein synthesis and collagen formation. Zinc is also involved in the blood sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes. Zinc is needed to maintain proper levels of vitamin E in the blood and deficiencies during pregnancy can cause birth defects.
What are the most common signs and symptoms of Zinc deficiency?
As an essential mineral, we need to obtain Zinc from our diet. Since modern diets have become highly industrialised from poorly sourced and highly processed ingredients, much of our food intake has become low in Zinc and many other nutrients. Stress caused by emotional or environmental changes has also contributed.
Hallmark signs and symptoms include:
- Diarrhoea
- Poor sensory performance, such as loss of taste and smell.
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Poor growth
- Poor wound healing
- Skin problems such as acne, dermatitis, psoriasis
- Hair loss
- Lack of menstrual period
- Night blindness
- White spots on fingernails
- Depression
- PMS
- Low immunity
- Infertility
Zinc sources
Your body absorbs 20 – 40% of the zinc present in food.
Zinc from animal foods like red meat, fish and poultry, is more readily absorbed by the body than zinc from plant foods. For an even richer source of zinc, choose grass fed or pastured animals over grain fed animals. Choose wild fish over farmed, grain-fed salmon.
Zinc is best absorbed when taken with a meal that contains protein.
The best sources of zinc are:
- Oysters (richest source)
- Grass fed red meats
- Grass fed poultry
- Organic Cheese (ricotta, Swiss, gouda)
- Sustainable prawns, crab, and other shellfish.
- Wild fish
- Natural salt such as Celtic sea salt
- Home made bone stocks from pastured bones
Other good, though less easily absorbed, sources of zinc include:
- Organic and biodynamic legumes (properly prepared) such as lima beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans)
- Organic and biodynamic whole grains (properly prepared) such as spelt
- Organic miso
- Organic hulled tahini
- Organic and biodynamic nuts and seeds (properly prepared) such as pumpkin, and sunflower seeds.
- Organic Ginger
Note: what does “properly prepared” mean?
Phytic acid is found within the hulls, husk, skin or bran of nuts, seeds, and grains. Phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. When a mineral binds to phytic acid, it becomes insoluble and will be non-absorbable in the intestines. Home preparation techniques can reduce the phytic acid in all of these foods. Simply cooking the food will reduce the phytic acid to some degree. More effective methods are soaking in an acid medium, lactic acid fermentation, and sprouting. Examples include – Bircher muesli – soaked in yoghurt overnight or choosing sourdough bread (which is fermented & cultured) over chemically leavened bread.
Zinc is not just another mineral to memorise in science class, rather, a nutritional hero! Including readily absorbable zinc in our daily diets will ensure we avoid deficiency and keep over 300 bodily processes happy. So, savour that entrée of oysters – the original zinc supplement.
Read next week’s Zinc Article: Part 2, explaining other causes of Zinc deficiencies besides poor dietary intake – heavy metal toxicity and imbalanced mineral ratios such as iron and copper, the oral contraceptive pill, soil deficiency, high phytate intake, poor digestion and absorption, increased requirements & gut flora imbalance. Also in next week’s article I’ll review the different kinds of supplements, and offer delicious zinc-rich recipes.
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Source: Zinc | University of Maryland Medical Centerhttps://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/zinc#ixzz2k5T0a4I3
https://www.westonaprice.org/search/search?q=mineral+primer