Approximately 70% of the zinc consumed by most people in the United States is provided by animal products, especially meat.
In animal foods such beef and pork, the fat tissue contains much less than the muscle tissue. Dark red meat generally has higher zinc content than white meat and fish muscle tissue has lower zinc content than meat.
Whole grains, pork, eggs, dairy products, nuts, beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas contain moderate concentrations of zinc.
Egg yolk, not egg white, is particularly rich in zinc whereas milk tends to be middle range as a food source.
One liter of milk, for example, conations only about 2 mg of zinc, which means that a person must consume 5 quartz in order to meet the daily zinc requirement.
Poor sources of zinc include fish, butter and fats. White bread contains little zinc, as milling removes the zinc-rich bran and germ portions of grains. Fruit and vegetables also are considered good sources of zinc because the zinc in plant foods is not as readily available for use by the body.
Dietary sources of zinc
