Does anyone know what the symptoms are please?

I will google this but personal experiences would be very interesting.

What do you eat to get your zinc etc etc

thank you

My source says (sorry I am translating this from Dutch just now):
Zinc is needed for
healthy skin
healthy retina
normal growth
wound healing
stimulation of immune system
formation of collagen
synthesis of RNA, DNA
synthesis of proteins
healthy prostate
cellular growth
protection against heavy metals
good working thymus
mobilisation of vitamin A

Deficiency symptoms:
slow sexual development
stunted growth
tiredness
loss of smell and taste
loss of appetite
slow healing of wounds
white patches on the nails
loss of hair
depressions
poor absorption of nutrients
striae
night blindness
acne
irregular menstruation
apathy

antagonism:
alcohol, phytic acid, diuretics, excess copper, excess cadmium, contraceptives, dialysis

the above pretty much covers it, poor digestion is also another result as zinc is a catalyst for stomach acid formation.

what symptoms you having?

Thank you - the reason I am asking is that a few threads recently have had me thinking about vitamins and minerals and where we get them from and how likely we are to get low on some.

For me a list of symptoms although interesting doesn't really mean very much - you can make things fit if it is on your mind and you are worried.

For instance - tiredness - well that could be down to all number of things.

So I am interested in people who have had tests done and discovered themselves to be low in a nutrient. Did they suspect they were low and have the test done or was it just routine screening?

What foods are good sources of zinc - I'm asking this because there are many raw foods such as sprouts and nuts and seeds in any quantity above miniscule that I just can't tolerate.

Just interested really and wanting to learn more

I eat pumpkin seeds, pinenuts, and some nuts (pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts) for zinc.


My favorite raw vegan

Quote

What do you eat to get your zinc etc etc

I take a supplement. It's very difficult to get enough zinc from even a varied omnivores diet, let alone a diet limited to just 40 or 50 foods with no animal-products. I was deficient in zinc when I was younger (also beta-carotene & vitamin B6). I'm sure all the veggies I eat fixes up the beta-carotene issue (I barely ate vegetables as a kid) but I supplement B-vits (nutritional yeast) and zinc.

I follow a low-fat high-fruit diet (normally) and haven't had problems reaching the RDA. I don't have any agreement with USDA numbers, but I will check fitday and see what items had the most zinc. BRB.

1 lb. dates
12 c. oranges
5 c. pineapple
8 c. spinach
2 c. red bell pepper
avocado

grapes, romaine, blueberries, and jalapeno all had some zinc but a smaller percentage than those above. that's one day.

Percent RDA of zinc - 122%


------
3 c. raspberries
5 pears
6 c. mixed greens
2 Brazil nuts
6 c. watermelon
6 c. spinach
1 c. parsley


celery, cherry tomatoes, figs, kiwi, apples, cilantro, and apricots had some zinc as well.

Percent RDA of zinc - 111%

--------

20 bananas
17 c. spinach
8 c. kale
4 c. cherry tomatoes
avocado

Apples had some zinc as well.

Percent RDA of zinc - 141%

Its also worthwhile to look at the anti-zinc agents mentioned in greenpower's post. Phytic acids are found in grains, for those using grains in their raw diets. And sunshine79 mentioned earlier that raw cacao is a high source of copper.

Utopian life, this is interesting. You are lucky to have access to all these foods.

Absolutely Greenpowere - I thought 'wow how lovely' when I looked at Utopian Life's list of scrumptious food.

Thanks everyone for your input

tiredness is most commonly from weak adrenals, try an adaptagen for abit such as ashwagandha, schizandra, suma, jiaogulan etc.

Community Builder posted "It's very difficult to get enough zinc from even a varied omnivores diet, let alone a diet limited to just 40 or 50 foods with no animal-products."

Which is part of the reason why I posted my food, considering it's obviously in correction of his post about it being "very difficult." I guess some people's monetary situations and area where they choose to reside my hinder their access to certain foods. The nutrient itself is available in plenty of plant-based foods. I have no interest to check animal based sources.

powerlifer - I will have to go and google all that 'greek' but thanks

communitybuilder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do you eat to get your zinc etc etc
> I take a supplement. It's very difficult to get
> enough zinc from even a varied omnivores diet, let
> alone a diet limited to just 40 or 50 foods with
> no animal-products. I was deficient in zinc when
> I was younger (also beta-carotene & vitamin B6).
> I'm sure all the veggies I eat fixes up the
> beta-carotene issue (I barely ate vegetables as a
> kid) but I supplement B-vits (nutritional yeast)
> and zinc.


I've started to supplement zinc as well, with zinc glutamate, a zinc/glucose derivative that is easily digestible.

"2.6 Typical intakes
"... Zinc intakes from vegetarian diets have been shown to be similar to non-vegetarian diets (Hunt et al., 1998). However, the dietary requirement for zinc may be as much as 50% greater for vegetarians."

[ec.europa.eu]

..as mentioned, greenpower mentioned antagonists to zinc absorption--

alcohol, phytic acid, diuretics, excess copper, excess cadmium, contraceptives, dialysis



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2010 09:10PM by loeve.

This won't necessarily work for everyone, but I go by my acne. If it starts getting worse, I eat more pumpkin seeds. This usually clears it up. If it doesn't, I look at other causes.

vegan sources of zinc include cashews, legumes ( beans, lentils, peas) sesame seeds/tahini.

Paul

Just a quick thought, if one is taking a broad spectrum vegan supplement, these issues kind of go away, do they not? In other words, is this still the "raw vegan diet is the optimal natural diet" discussion. I would have thought we put that one to bed. If not, it's high time we do so for B12 sake, not zinc.

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2010 09:03PM by pborst.

Pborst, I take supplements, but I still sometimes benefit from increasing the amount of zinc in my diet. I think because many nutrients are used at surprisingly higher rates when the body is under stress, this is not a moot point even for those taking supplements.

Bryan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its also worthwhile to look at the anti-zinc
> agents mentioned in greenpower's post. Phytic
> acids are found in grains, for those using grains
> in their raw diets. And sunshine79 mentioned
> earlier that raw cacao is a high source of copper.


Actually if phytic acids are prevalent in grains, they may be more beneficial than harmful. [www.phytochemicals.info]YMMV

Paul

veghunter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pborst, I take supplements, but I still sometimes
> benefit from increasing the amount of zinc in my
> diet. I think because many nutrients are used at
> surprisingly higher rates when the body is under
> stress, this is not a moot point even for those
> taking supplements.

No, I would agree if there is a special need for stress, growth and also that would transcend a raw vegan lifestyle to anyone whose body has a greater need for nutrients. It's just that if problems develop, rarely, vegans tend to be on the low end anyway, it's a life style choice that if it suffers, suffers from deficiency, not excess. Meat eaters, on the other hand suffer from dietary excesses. Every diet has risks. No human who has ever lived has embarked on a diet that hasn't included elements of risk. Risk can't be eliminated, only managed. In my humble opinion, vegan risks are more easily managed and dealt with than standard American diets or even the "I wanna drink raw goat milk and ignore my principals" folks.

We raw vegans don't have to deal with the uncertainty of acrylamides, AGEs, GMOs, food irradiation, pesticide residues (to an extent). Etc.

I would put it to you all. Our problems, to the extent we can agree on what they are!,are more manageable than our bretheren! To your health! To doing what you can!!

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2010 09:48PM by pborst.

paul you are correct on the phytic acids rather than the common myth that they steal minerals.

The Food and Nutrition Board might be the source of the idea that vegetarians may need as much as 50% more zinc due to phytates etc., but they haven't the studies to give a definitive answer or to make recommendations on the matter--

"Special Considerations
"Vegetarianism
"Cereals are the primary source of dietary zinc for vegetarians (Gibson, 1994). The bioavailability of zinc in vegetarian diets is reduced if the phytate content in the diet is high (Gibson, 1994), and this may result in low zinc status (Freeland-Graves et al., 1980b). Absorption of zinc from vegetarian diets is lower than from nonvegetarian diets (Hunt et al., 1998; Kies, 1988); however, relatively minor changes to the diet can improve zinc absorption (Gibson et al., 1997; Harland et al., 1988). Vegetarian diets rich in calcium may negatively affect zinc bioavailability (Ellis et al., 1987).

"Zinc intake from vegetarian diets has been found to be both similar to intake from nonvegetarian diets (Alexander et al., 1994; Berglund et al., 1994; Donovan and Gibson, 1996; Johansson and Widerstrom, 1994; Kelsay et al., 1988; Levin et al., 1986; Srikumar et al., 1992) and lower than intake from nonvegetarian diets (Faber et al., 1986; Freeland-Graves et al., 1980a; Harland and Peterson, 1978; Hunt et al., 1998; Janelle and Barr, 1995). In most older adult and elderly populations, vegetarians have lower zinc intakes than non-
vegetarians (Brants et al., 1990; Hunt et al., 1988; Lowik et al., 1990). Among vegetarians, zinc concentrations in serum, plasma, hair, urine, and saliva are either the same as or lower than those of nonvegetarians (Anderson et al., 1981; Freeland-Graves et al., 1980a, 1980b; Hunt et al., 1998; Kadrabova et al., 1995; King et al., 1981; Krajcovicova-Kudlackova et al., 1995; Levin et al., 1986; Srikumar et al., 1992). The variations in these status indicators are most likely due to the amount of phytate, fiber, calcium, or other inhibitors of zinc absorption in the vegetarian diets. Individuals consuming vegetarian diets were found to be in positive zinc balance (Ganapathy et al., 1981; Hunt et al., 1998).

"The requirement for dietary zinc may be as much as 50 percent greater for vegetarians and particularly for strict vegetarians whose major food staples are grains and legumes and whose dietary phytate:zinc molar ratio exceeds 15:1. At this time there are not sufficient data to set algorithms for establishing dietary requirements for zinc on the basis of the presence and concentration of other nutrients and food components."

[www.nap.edu]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2010 01:45PM by loeve.

Interesting stuff - thanks

powerlifer - I think you asked on another thread who is Uk based. I am in the soggy South West

hey flipperjan, im up in dundee, scotland which is soggy and wet daily haha.