Zinc-Rich Foods: Top Sources Ranked, Plus How Much You Need

Zinc at a glance

• Why it matters: zinc is an essential mineral needed for the activity of hundreds of enzymes. It helps with immune function, protein and DNA synthesis, wound healing, cell signaling and division, healthy growth in pregnancy, infancy and childhood, and the sense of taste (NIH ODS).
• Best sources: oysters (the richest food by far), other shellfish, red meat and poultry. Beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains add zinc too, but it is less well absorbed. Many breakfast cereals are fortified. Fruits and vegetables contain very little.
• Absorption matters: phytates in plant foods bind zinc, so absorption ranges from about 5% to more than 50% depending on the diet (NIH ODS).
• Top picks per serving here: Oysters, Eastern, farmed, raw, Oysters, Pacific, cooked, Beef chuck blade roast, lean, braised.

How much zinc do you need?

The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) from the National Academies, summarized by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, are 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women 19 and older, 11 mg during pregnancy and 12 mg while breastfeeding. Teens need 9 to 11 mg (12 to 13 mg if pregnant or breastfeeding) and children 3 to 8 mg, depending on age. The Daily Value (DV) on Nutrition Facts labels is 11 mg, so a food with 2.2 mg provides 20% DV, which counts as a high source. FDA only requires zinc on the label when it has been added to the food.

On average, U.S. men get about 13 mg a day from food and women about 9.2 mg (NIH ODS), so most people meet their needs. Shortfalls are more common in some groups, described below.

Zinc-rich foods list (per serving)

Values are for the form listed (cooked unless marked raw). Oyster zinc varies widely by species and source, so treat those numbers as estimates. Breakfast cereals are a major source of zinc in the U.S. diet but vary by brand: NIH lists 2.8 mg for a serving of cereal fortified with 25% of the DV, so check the label. Plant foods in this list contain phytates, so your body absorbs less of their zinc than the numbers suggest.

Absorption: getting more from plant foods

Phytates, the storage form of phosphorus in beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains, bind zinc in the gut and form a complex your body cannot absorb, so zinc from plant foods is less available than zinc from meat and seafood (NIH ODS). Meals that mix animal and plant foods are absorbed less well than meals of animal foods alone. Harvard’s Nutrition Source and MedlinePlus make the same point.

• Soak beans, grains and seeds in water for several hours before cooking, or use canned or pre-cooked beans; NIH notes both can reduce phytate binding.
• Include fermented foods: organic acids in fermented foods might increase zinc absorption (NIH ODS).
• Space out high-dose iron: taking an iron supplement with 25 mg or more of iron at the same time as a zinc supplement can lower zinc absorption. The iron in fortified foods does not significantly interfere. For iron sources, see our foods high in iron list.
• Combine sources: a bowl of oatmeal with milk or yogurt and pumpkin seeds, or beans with brown rice, adds up across the day.

Deficiency and who is at risk

Zinc deficiency can affect the skin, bones, and the digestive, reproductive, nervous and immune systems. NIH notes that children may have diarrhea, hair loss, slowed growth, frequent infections and loss of appetite; deficiency can blunt taste and smell; and in older adults it can delay wound healing and affect thinking and mood. Serum zinc is the usual test, but it is affected by sex, age, time of day, infection and other factors, so it does not always reflect intake.

According to NIH, groups more likely to fall short include:

• People with gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or celiac disease, and people who have had bariatric surgery.
• People who follow vegetarian or vegan diets, because of lower intakes and higher phytate intake.
• People who are pregnant (who need 3 mg more per day) or breastfeeding (4 mg more).
• Older infants who are exclusively breastfed after 6 months, since breast milk alone no longer meets their zinc needs.
• Children with sickle cell disease, and people with alcohol use disorder (low zinc status is seen in 30% to 50%).

Learn more in our article on zinc for immunity, healing and hormones.

Supplements: what the evidence says

Common supplement forms include zinc sulfate, zinc acetate and zinc gluconate; the label lists elemental zinc, not the weight of the whole compound. NIH notes that absorption from zinc citrate and zinc gluconate is similar (about 61% in young adults), compared with about 50% from zinc oxide. MedlinePlus notes that it is not known whether one form is better than the others. Zinc also appears in some cold lozenges, nasal sprays and denture creams.

For colds, the evidence is mixed: lozenges or syrup taken soon after symptoms start appear to shorten colds, but not to prevent them or clearly reduce severity (see the FAQ below). For age-related macular degeneration, the AREDS trials found that a supplement with high-dose zinc, copper and antioxidants slowed progression in people at high risk of advanced disease; NIH advises people with AMD to discuss these formulations with their eye care provider. For everyday eating, see our immune support foods.

Easy ways to eat more zinc

• Start the day with oats and dairy, as in our overnight oats with berries (rolled oats, milk and Greek yogurt), or scramble eggs, as in our spinach tomato egg scramble.
• Snack on seeds and chickpeas: our nut and seed trail mix includes pumpkin seeds, and our crispy roasted chickpeas and classic hummus (chickpeas plus tahini) are easy extras.
• Build meals on beans, lentils and whole grains: try our lentil vegetable soup, three-bean chili, black bean burrito bowl with brown rice, chickpea spinach curry or Mediterranean quinoa salad (quinoa plus chickpeas).
• Use tofu in a tofu vegetable stir-fry served with brown rice.
• If you eat seafood, shellfish such as oysters, crab, clams and mussels are the most concentrated sources; see our article on shellfish nutrient density. Browse more ideas in our guides to nuts and seeds, whole grains and legumes and beans.

Related on HealAtlas

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• Calcium-rich foods
• Potassium-rich foods
• Magnesium-rich foods
• High-fiber foods list
• Top 10 protein foods
• Foods for immune support
• Zinc for immunity, healing and hormones
• Zinc-induced copper deficiency
• Plant-based protein sources
• Healthy whole-food recipes