23 High Zinc Foods for Vegans and Vegetarians

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Dr. Patricia Shelton
Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed. Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.
23 High Zinc Foods for Vegans and Vegetarians

Zinc is an essential nutrient required by the body for creating over 300 enzymes, and maintaining our sense of taste and smell. (1,2)

Research has found several health benefits of getting enough zinc, including enhanced immune function, faster wound healing, and even reduced duration of the common cold. (3,4,5,6)

Zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss, impotence, delayed wound healing, abnormal taste sensations, and mental fatigue. (7,8)

Phytates, which are present in whole-grain breads, cereals, and legumes, can reduce the absorption of zinc in the digestive tract. (9) To compensate for this, it's recommended that vegans and vegetarians aim to consume about 50% more zinc than those in the general population. They may choose to eat foods fortified with zinc in order to ensure that they’re getting enough.

Although some people choose to take zinc supplements, it's important to use caution with these. Taking high-dose zinc supplements can lead to copper deficiency. These two minerals are absorbed in the same way in the digestive tract, and so they compete with each other for absorption. (10)

Vegan and vegetarian sources of zinc include fortified cereals, wheat germ, tofu, lentils, yogurt, oatmeal, wild rice, squash seeds, and milk. The daily value (DV) for zinc is 11mg per day. (11)

Below are 23 vegan and vegetarians foods high in zinc. For more, see the articles on high zinc nuts, high zinc fruits, and high zinc vegetables.

List of Vegetarian Zinc Foods

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Zinc Requirements By Age and Gender

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for zinc ranges from 3mg to 11mg per day, depending on a person's age and gender. The daily value for zinc is 11mg per day. (11) The daily value is a general guideline that will prevent deficiency for most people and is listed on food labels, while the RDA is specific for age and gender.

Life StageRDA
Infants
0-6 months old*2mg
7-12 months old3mg
Children
1-3 years old3mg
4-8 years old5mg
Males
9-13 years old8mg
14-18 years old11mg
19-50 years old11mg
50+ years old11mg
Females
9-13 years old8mg
14-18 years old9mg
19-50 years old8mg
50+ years old8mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old12mg
18+ years old11mg
Lactation
14-18 years old13mg
18+ years old12mg
*The amounts for children less than 6 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Zinc.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Zastrow ML, Pecoraro VL. Function and mechanism of zinc metalloenzymes Biochemistry. 2014 Feb 18;53(6):957-78. doi: 10.1021/bi4016617. Epub 2014 Feb 7. 24506795
  2. Doty RL. Zinc and the special senses Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;164:229-246. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63855-7.00015-0. 31604550
  3. Rasouli M, Rahimi A, Soleimani M, Keshel SH. Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation Acta Histochem. 2021 Oct;123(7):151785. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151785. Epub 2021 Sep 6. 34500185
  4. Haase H, Rink L. Zinc and the immune system Metallomics. 2014 Jul;6(7):1175-80. doi: 10.1039/c3mt00353a. 24531756
  5. Singh M, Das RR. Zinc for the common cold Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 30;2015(4):CD001364. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001364.pub5. 25924708
  6. Crider K, Williams J, Qi YP, Gutman J, Yeung L, Mai C, Finkelstain J, Mehta S, Pons-Duran C, Menéndez C, Moraleda C, Rogers L, Daniels K, Green P. Zinc Supplementation Reduces Common Cold Duration among Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials with Micronutrients Supplementation Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. 36321557
  7. Crider K, Williams J, Qi YP, Gutman J, Yeung L, Mai C, Finkelstain J, Mehta S, Pons-Duran C, Menéndez C, Moraleda C, Rogers L, Daniels K, Green P. Zinc Deficiency Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. 36321557
  8. Crider K, Williams J, Qi YP, Gutman J, Yeung L, Mai C, Finkelstain J, Mehta S, Pons-Duran C, Menéndez C, Moraleda C, Rogers L, Daniels K, Green P. Zinc Deficiency Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. 36321557
  9. Gibson RS, Raboy V, King JC. Dietary factors influencing zinc absorption Nutr Rev. 2018 Nov 1;76(11):793-804. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy028. 30010865
  10. Stagg MP, Miatech J, Majid B, Polala R. Zinc-Induced Copper Deficiency as a Rare Cause of Neurological Deficit and Anemia Cureus. 2024 May 7;16(5):e59796. doi: 10.7759/cureus.59796. eCollection 2024 May. 38846187
  11. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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