Zinc-rich foods to boost your immunity
5 zinc-rich foods to boost your immunity
Ever
since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a lot of
buzz around zinc. Studies show that this mineral plays an important role
in boosting our immunity. The nutrient plays an important role in
digestion, nerve functioning and keeping the metabolism up. Thus,
needless to say, zinc is an important nutrient that we all need to have
in our daily diet.
The daily recommended dose of zinc ranges from 8 milligrams to 13 milligrams for adults. The value varies depending on your sex, if you're pregnant or lactating. With the onset of the winter season, it's important to get adequate zinc in your daily diet to fight off the flu and other infections.
Here are five zinc-rich foods, you must include in your daily diet.
Peanuts
Peanuts are a cheap and tasty source of zinc. Easy to include in your daily diet, peanuts are everyone's favourite.
You can sprinkle some on your salad, spread peanut butter on apples or bread or simply enjoy them alone. These are an important source of zinc for people who follow a strict vegetarian diet.
Hummus
Hummus
contains a decent amount of this immunity-boosting nutrient. To add
more hummus to the diet, you can use it as a sandwich spread or have it
with chips.
Hummus is also rich in antioxidants, fibre and various other nutrients.
Eggs
Eggs
have a moderate amount of zinc and can help you meet the daily target.
One large egg contains 5 per cent of the daily recommended value.
One large egg has 77 calories, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of healthy fats and various other minerals and vitamins, including selenium and B vitamins.
Legumes
Legumes
like lentils, chickpea and beans have a substantial amount of zinc. 100
grams of cooked lentils contain 12 per cent of the daily recommended
value of zinc.
But legumes also have phytates, which inhibit the absorption of zinc and other minerals. That is why zinc from legumes isn't well absorbed as zinc from other sources.
Legumes are also a rich source of fibre and protein.
Oysters
The humble little oysters are packed with zinc. Only three ounces of these contain 600 per cent of your daily recommended value. Not just this, eating oysters can give your body a boost of immunity-supporting DHA omega-3 fatty acids.
Chicken
Along
with many other important nutrients, chicken also provides you with a
decent amount of zinc. You can have chicken soup, grilled chicken or
some chicken tikka to get your daily dose zinc.