 Welcome to Part 2 of What's in my Tablet Box... Meet Zinc, my main mineral!!!! This mineral is an absolute must have in your health box. It is needed in more than 100 enzymes and it is involved in more body functions than any other mineral. It’s also fairly common to be zinc deficient. This is as a result of soil losses and food processing losses. Where do we find zinc? OYSTERS! Red meat and liver. Egg yolks.  The zinc found in animal sources is better absorbed by the body than those sources in plants. It is possible to obtain adequate zinc from plant sources, though. Whole grains are rich in zinc – wheat, rye and oats. Pecan and Brazil nuts contain high amounts of zinc. And pumpkin seeds are considered helpful to the prostate gland. What is Zinc for? Zinc is required for
What does Zinc do? It is involved in many body functions. It aids the liver in detoxifying alcohol but drinking alcohol flushes zinc from the liver. So you’ll need to take extra zinc after you have indulged in those cocktails! Zinc helps the body to use and maintain levels of vitamin A. This action may help to keep healthy skin cells and make new skin cells. In one study of macular degeneration the supplementation of zinc resulted in significantly less vision loss. We all need our eyes so what a good idea to add zinc each day… It is needed in energy production. Do you feel tired and lethargic? Maybe it’s time to up your zinc… Zinc is important to the male sex organ function and reproductive fluids. It is helpful in treating infertility by improving sperm count and motility of the sperm. It helps in digestion. Zinc attaches to over 300 enzymes (structures made of protein that break down other molecules). It is needed by the body to use amino acids from the food we at. It also helps to break down carbohydrates which are a source of energy for the body. It supports immune function. Zinc helps to boost the immune system in fighting the common cold and prevents the progression of viral flu symptoms. It supports insulin activity. This is especially important for people who have diabetes. Zinc binds to insulin. Insulin is stored in the pancreas and is released when glucose enters the bloodstream. Zinc allows digestive enzymes that are needed for insulin to bind to cells so that the glucose in the bloodstream is used by the body for energy and not stored as fat cells. Zinc helps with your taste sensation. A study done with anorexic patients found that by increasing their zinc intake their appetite and taste function improved. Of course there is more to anorexia than just not eating. But by not eating their zinc levels would be low and so they would have a reduced appetite. A vicious circle.  It can speed up recovery time post op. (I’m thinking post C-section, tell your friends who are preggers). Zinc is useful in treating skin problems like acne, dermatitis, bedsores and boils. Teenage acne has been successfully treated with zinc supplementation. If only I had known this when my brother was suffering the worst of acne. He was staying in a back packers at the time and living on baked beans. Nothing wrong with baked beans just not for every meal for every day…. As we grow older the absorption of zinc is reduces as well as our intake. This is because our digestion is not as good as it is when you are younger AND you tend to eat less so there is less nutrition to be gained. When we are pregnant our need for zinc increases. This is probably because we are growing another human who requires zinc too. PMS and using birth control pills are associated with lower zinc levels. Have you ever noticed white flecks on your nails? This could be a sign of low zinc levels. Being under stress causes the body to use more zinc. Have you ever wondered why you have a white tongue? It could be a sign of low zinc levels!! It has also been found to improve behaviour and IQ in children who may be deficient in zinc. There is a product for children called Zinplex. It comes in a liquid form and tastes great. Ask my Boys!!! Both my boys take it from time to time. When I notice that J is getting a cough or post nasal drip then he'll get Zinplex for a few days. When M is teething that usually brings on a snotty nose and I give him Zinplex which seems to stop the runny nose. In two studies, extra zinc was given to Alzheimer’s patients. The improvements in cognition were dramatic. It seems that a deficiency leads to plaque forming and nerve cells being destroyed in the brain tissue. Do you know an older someone? Make sure that they are taking zinc…  How much zinc?
The RDA is 12mg. The average American consumes 10mg. We can safely assume that we also are somewhere close to that number. The result? We’re short on zinc. I use a product called Zinplex. It provides 9.5mg of elemental which means available zinc per 50mg. I take 100mg twice per day. When I’m fighting off a cold or infection then I take 150mg twice per day. A side note… Cadmium is a toxic trace mineral that COPIES Zinc. Ther is no benefit to cadmium and yet it is found in our foods!! Its toxicity is kept under control by zinc. Whole foods have a beneficial ratio of zinc to cadmium. BUT when a food is processed and refined then zinc is removed from the food and cadmium dominates. It is found in coffee, tea, shellfish, sugar, white flour and white rice. Chat soon, Lee If you know of another mom who’s looking to bring harmony & health to her life, please share this with her. She’ll appreciate it and so will I… Click here to get quick meal ideas for your kids Comments are closed.
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