Which foods are high in zinc, and how much is in each?

Foods high in zinc include oysters and other shellfish such as crab, red meat such as beef, offal such as pork liver, cheese, and seeds such as pumpkin, watermelon and sesame seeds. Per 100 g, raw farmed eastern oysters have 37.9 mg of zinc and lean beef chuck about 7.8 mg, while raw brown rice has 2.1 mg and raw spinach 0.5 mg. The Thai Reference Daily Intake (Thai RDI) for zinc is 11 mg a day.

In short:

• Highest per 100 g: oysters, watermelon seeds, lean beef, pumpkin and sesame seeds, pork liver, cashews
• Highest per usual serving (in the table below): oysters, beef, crab, cooked oats, pumpkin seeds, pork, cheese, shrimp
• Plant foods: seeds, nuts, dried beans and whole grains contain zinc, along with phytate; fruit and vegetables have very little
• Rice: brown rice has about twice the zinc of white rice per 100 g raw
• Daily amount: Thai RDI 11 mg

This article is a table-based guide to how much zinc is in foods. For what zinc does in the body, see What is zinc, and what does it do for the body?, and for the compounds used in products, see What types of zinc are there, and how do they differ?

Which foods are high in zinc?

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), part of the US National Institutes of Health, says the richest food sources of zinc are meat, fish and seafood. Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food, but beef supplies 20% of zinc intake from food in the United States because it is eaten so often. Eggs and dairy products also contain zinc, beans, nuts and whole grains contain zinc together with phytate, and fruits and vegetables contain very little. The UK's NHS lists meat, shellfish, dairy foods such as cheese, bread and cereal products such as wheatgerm. Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to normal DNA and protein synthesis.

Zinc per 100 g of food

The figures below come from the US Department of Agriculture's FoodData Central database (SR Legacy), per 100 g of the food as described. Shellfish in particular vary by species, season and where they are grown, and Thai varieties may give different amounts.

Seeds, nuts, dried beans and rice are listed dry and raw. They take up water when cooked or are eaten in small amounts, so the next section looks at usual servings.

Oysters and other shellfish

Oysters stand far above every other food. Raw farmed eastern oysters have 37.92 mg of zinc per 100 g, and raw Pacific oysters 16.62 mg, so even two kinds of oyster differ by more than double. Other shellfish have much less: raw blue crab has 3.54 mg, blue mussels 1.60 mg, squid 1.53 mg and shrimp 1.34 mg.

Meat, offal and eggs

Red meat has more zinc than poultry or fish. Lean beef chuck has about 7.8 mg per 100 g raw and ground beef (85% lean) 4.48 mg, while lean pork loin has 1.84 mg and chicken thigh 1.58 mg. Among offal, raw pork liver has 5.76 mg, beef liver 4.00 mg and chicken liver 2.67 mg. A whole raw egg has 1.29 mg per 100 g, and tilapia 0.33 mg.

Seeds that Thai people snack on

Dried watermelon seed kernels, the shelled seeds sold as melon seeds, have 10.2 mg of zinc per 100 g. Dried pumpkin seed kernels have 7.81 mg, whole sesame seeds 7.75 mg and raw cashews 5.78 mg. The figures are for kernels without the shell.

How much zinc is in a usual serving?

The ODS table lists zinc per typical serving, based on FoodData Central. The last column compares each serving with the Thai RDI of 11 mg.

Zinc per serving

Source: ODS zinc fact sheet, Table 2 (US servings). The share of 11 mg is our comparison with the Thai RDI.

Fruit and vegetables

The ODS says fruits and vegetables contain very little zinc. In FoodData Central, 100 g of raw spinach has 0.53 mg, raw broccoli 0.41 mg and raw banana 0.15 mg. In the serving table, half a cup of cooked broccoli has 0.4 mg.

What is phytate, and how much is in plant foods?

Phytate often comes up alongside zinc in plant foods, so it helps to know what it is.

A definition

A 2006 study led by the University of Otago describes phytate as a salt of phytic acid (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) found in certain plant-based foods, which strongly binds minerals. The ODS calls it the storage form of phosphorus in plants, and says it binds some minerals such as zinc in the intestine to form an insoluble complex.

Phytate content of foods

A 2005 study from China's National Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition (China CDC) analysed 60 foods commonly eaten in China, mostly based on cereal grains and soybeans. Phytate ranged from 0 in foods made from starch to 1,878 mg per 100 g in dried stick-shaped soybean milk film (yuba). The same food had the highest zinc of the 60, while potato and bean starches had the lowest, at 0.08 mg per 100 g. The researchers note that many of the foods in the study that were relatively rich in zinc also contained a higher level of phytate. The study covered Chinese foods and recipes.

How much zinc do Thai meals provide?

Two Thai studies collected a copy of everything people ate and analysed it in the laboratory, which avoids relying on food tables.

Adults in Ubon Ratchathani and Bangkok

A 1999 study from Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University recruited 10 men and 10 women in Ubon Ratchathani and the same number in Bangkok, and collected duplicate portions of their self-selected meals for 5 consecutive days. Average zinc intake was 20.0 mg a day in men and 12.7 mg in women in Ubon Ratchathani, and 7.7 mg and 6.1 mg in Bangkok. Average phytate intake was 1,104.8 and 1,139.3 mg a day in Ubon Ratchathani and 1,304.7 and 997.1 mg in Bangkok. The researchers also calculated the phytate-to-zinc molar ratio, a figure used to describe how much phytate a diet contains relative to its zinc: 7.5 and 3.9 in Ubon Ratchathani, and 16.2 and 17.5 in Bangkok.

Schoolchildren in Ubon Ratchathani

The Otago study collected a weighed duplicate of one day's food from 40 children aged 6 to 13 in Ubon Ratchathani, randomly selected from 567 children in a larger trial. The median zinc content was 4.3 mg a day.

These studies are small and old, and each covered one or two places. They show how widely zinc intake can vary between groups, but they do not describe the whole country today.

Does polishing or cooking change the zinc in food?

Polishing rice

In FoodData Central, 100 g of raw long-grain brown rice has 2.13 mg of zinc and raw unenriched long-grain white rice 1.09 mg. A 2020 study from Chulalongkorn University measured elements in rice grains at each step of polishing. The levels of essential elements fell as the degree of polishing increased. Copper, nickel and manganese fell most after the first step, because they are mainly in the outer aleurone layer, while the largest fall in zinc, 15%, came after the fourth polishing step. The study measured its own rice samples, so other varieties and mills may give different figures.

Raw and cooked figures

Rice shows lower figures after cooking mainly because cooked rice is mostly water. Oysters and crab show higher figures after cooking because they lose water and 100 g holds more flesh. When you compare foods, check whether a figure is for raw or cooked food, and for 100 g or a serving.

How much zinc do you need a day, and how much is too much?

The Thai RDI for zinc is 11 mg a day, for the general population aged 3 and over. It counts zinc from all foods. For the Thai reference amounts of other nutrients, see What are the Thai daily reference amounts for each nutrient? The NHS says people should be able to get all the zinc they need from a varied and balanced diet.

Upper limits

The ODS says the upper limit was set on the basis of the amounts that have an adverse effect on the body's copper status. The NHS says high doses of zinc lower the amount of copper the body can absorb.

Who should talk to a doctor or pharmacist?

People who take regular medication

Zinc can interact with some medicines, and some medicines can affect the body's zinc. If you take medication regularly, ask a doctor or pharmacist before adding zinc.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking any dietary supplement, including zinc.

Dietary supplements are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease.