Zinc Supplements, Dosages And Natural Solutions For Vegetarians

By Author: Abhinav Sidana
Total Articles: 467
Comment this article

One of the most essential minerals in our bodies that perform so many functions such as synthesizing over 100 enzymes, building our immune system, preserving our senses of smell and taste, is zinc. Zinc is also responsible with the testosterone production in both women and men, and it increases the libido.

You can get zinc either directly from natural foods with high levels of proteins, or from zinc supplements available for selling on the pharmaceutical market. Foods rich in zinc are generally the nonvegetarian ones, meat being one of the richest foods in zinc. So consume as much beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, salmon, clams, lobster, liver or crabmeat, as you can. If you are a vegetarian or an almost convinced one, you can get your zinc from foods like milk, cheese, peanuts, cereals, potatoes, beans, grains or brown rice. These foods have as much zinc as meat has, and they can fill in the mineral lost suffered by your body, for not eating meat. Also the pumpkin seeds are known to be rich in zinc. As a vegetarian, you will have to consume four times more quantity of vegetables to gain the zinc quantity you would have ...
... gain from consuming the same quantity of meat.

The bioavailability of zinc in vegetables is four times lower than in meat when it comes to the body to absorb it. Zinc from vegetal proteins can't be absorbed so easily by the human body as the zinc in human proteins. Phytic acid and dietary fibers bond with the zinc resulting non-soluble compounds. After this, remains only a percent of 15 to 40 to be absorbed by the body.

It is not enough to only add zinc to your diet and wait for a miracle to happen. The zinc deficiency is very sensitive and may appear in cases of stress, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse. So you will have to take care of yourself and have a clean lifestyle.

Vitamins such as B6, E, and C, taken with magnesium will very much help the body to absorb zinc. The recommended zinc dosage for adults is about 11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women. These quantities are at a per day rate. If you take more than 40 milligrams of zinc every day, once a day, you can cause very serious health problems. For infants, from 0 through 6 months, 2.0 mg of zinc per day is perfect. The best dosage for zinc is 3 mg per day for infants between 7 months to 3 years, 5mg for those 4 to 8 years, and 8 mg for those 9 to 13 years. The teenagers 14 and above are advised to take 11 mg of zinc for males, and 9 mg for females. Pregnant women and lactating mothers should consult the doctor in the matter of zinc dosages, because they are recommended to take more.

You will have to be very careful with zinc dosages! This is not "another multivitamin without any effects" on the market. A more than recommended zinc level in the body leads to decline of good cholesterol, a weakened immune system and a dysfunction in the iron and copper metabolism.

Click here to know more about zinc supplements and its related product Vitamins and Minerals as they are very vital health products.