Lubna Khan |
With these beautiful seasonal changes, a lot of us have started to feel under the weather, here is something that can definitely help – and this one, you will want to intake regularly!
I am talking about ZINC. This vital mineral is needed in small quantities every day to sustain your health, help with hormone production, improve immunity, and facilitate digestion. Zinc also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and can help fight cancer or even reverse heart disease. Unfortunately, in this digital age, zinc deficiency is becoming quite common across the world. If you are experiencing hair loss, weight gain/loss, low immunity, poor concentration and memory, infertility or digestive problems – you may be deficient in zinc.
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Deficiencies in zinc can happen due to a number of reasons; the environment, when one does not consume enough foods that contain zinc or when the body does not digest it from the foods due to various health reasons or blockages in your digestive system. It’s always a good idea to get tested through your doctor and keep your vitamin and mineral levels in check.
So what exactly are some of the benefits of zinc?
- Increase in immunity – zinc is your remedy for fighting common colds. Research shows, when its supplemented regularly for about 5-6 months, your risk of catching a common cold slows down dramatically, also once you are already feeling symptoms – you can still add zinc supplements to fasten your healing process.
- Balance of hormones – zinc plays an important role when it comes to balancing hormones for both, women and men by helping maintain or even produce testosterone and estrogen. This, in turn, supports overall reproductive health. Also by balancing hormones like insulin, it helps regulate blood sugar levels.
- Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents – due to its anti-inflammatory properties, zinc can help liver health and act as a liver cleanse, support heart health by supporting blood vessels, control high blood pressure and cholesterol by supporting healthy circulation in the cardiovascular system and its’ high antioxidant levels may also help in decreasing chances of cancer.
- Nutrient Absorption and digestive aid – a diet with balanced zinc levels help maintain energy levels and metabolism by aiding the body break down carbs from the food consumed and using them as fuel, thus regulating energy and burning carbs.
Now, who doesn’t want these amazing benefits added to their lifestyle? Where do we find zinc? The highest levels of zinc are found in animal proteins, which means high-quality, organic and grass-fed meats, different kinds of seafood and also grains and legumes. But because most of the meat or grains we consume are processed, the type of zinc they include is not as absorbable for our bodies anymore, and unfortunately, sometimes the anti-nutrients (or a high number of carbohydrates) found in these food products may actually prevent or block zinc absorption in your body. The more pollution we come across, the more zinc our bodies lose and with crops and animals feeds full of chemicals/pesticides and hormones, the food we grow is no longer sufficient for a healthy balance of zinc.
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Increasing your intake of foods rich in zinc or adding a supplement of zinc can certainly help. Here’s a small list of top food sources of zinc:
- Grass-fed and organic meats (beef, lamb, chicken, turkey)
- Chickpeas
- Cashews
- Pumpkin and sesame seeds
- Mushrooms
- Eggs
- Salmon
- Organic yogurt or kefir
- Lentils
So put some amazing recipes together with these zinc-rich food items, get your levels checked and add a supplement if needed and you will feel the difference! This is a vital mineral for your health that has been depleted in our environment, yet needed to assist many important activities of our body systems.
Lubna is a certified fitness leadership trainer from Canada and is looking to become a motivational speaker. She advises people on how to eat healthy by making substitutions in their diets, offer meal plans and add small habits in their routine. She also offers to consult on beauty and skincare routines, workouts and training as well as fashion styling.