How Many Eggs Do You Have to Eat a Day for the Zinc Your Bod Needs?
Eggs are not a good source of zinc.
Like metal and copper, zinc is an essential trace mineral, meaning your assets only needs a petite amount to stay healthy. Despite its relatively low intake requirements, however, every cell relies on the presence of zinc to function decently. The enzymes involved in immunity, wound healing, cell division and more than one hundred other processes depend on zinc. Zinc also gives structure to cells and proteins. Albeit eggs contain some zinc, they’re not a good source of the nutrient.
Recommended Intake
It’s necessary to maintain a regular zinc intake to prevent deficiency, partly because your assets doesn’t have a dedicated storage system for the mineral. The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine sets the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, guidelines for zinc, which vary by age and gender. The RDA for zinc for healthy fellows of all ages is eleven milligrams per day, while healthy women of all ages need eight milligrams a day. Because zinc is essential for decent growth and development, pregnant women require eleven milligrams of zinc each day.
Zinc in Eggs
Much of an egg’s vitamin and mineral content, including most of its zinc, resides in its yolk. The exact amount of zinc in a particular egg, however, depends on its size and what the producing chicken was fed. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a raw jumbo-sized egg contains upwards of 0.81 milligrams of zinc, while a large, hard-boiled egg has just 0.52 milligrams of zinc. Guys and pregnant women would have to eat about twenty one large hard-boiled eggs a day — or more than 1,600 calories worth of eggs — to meet the RDA for zinc. Non-pregnant women would have to consume about fifteen large hard-boiled eggs, or almost 1,200 calories worth of eggs.
Considerations
Almost all dietary guidelines recommend meeting daily energy requirements with a multiplicity of nutrient-dense foods. Getting most of your calories from just one type of food significantly increases the likelihood of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Eggs, for example, don’t supply any vitamin C or dietary fiber. Eggs are a significant source of dietary cholesterol, however, providing about one hundred eighty five milligrams of cholesterol per large egg. Previous guidelines suggested that healthy individuals should limit their egg consumption to no more than three per week. Research indicates, however, that saturated fat affects blood cholesterol levels to a greater extent than dietary cholesterol. The American Heart Association therefore recommends that healthy people keep their egg intake to no more than one per day, and their total daily intake of dietary cholesterol below three hundred milligrams. Individuals with high cholesterol levels should limit their egg consumption to no more than one per week.
Other Sources
Oysters are by far the best source of zinc — a 3-ounce serving supplies seventy four milligrams, according to USDA data. Beef, seafood, pork and dark-meat poultry are also high in zinc, as are dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and milk. Many foods of plant origin also contain significant amounts of zinc, including dried beans and peas, lentils, nuts and entire grains. Some box cereals are also fortified with the mineral. Your assets absorbs zinc from animal products more readily, largely because these foods also contain amino acids that promote zinc absorption. Phytic acid, a natural compound found in entire grains, legumes and nuts, ties to zinc and reduces its rate of absorption. For this reason, vegans are more likely to be deficient in zinc than vegetarians who also consume some dairy products.
References (Five)
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Zinc
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Foods List
- Wellness Foods A to Z; Sheldon Margen, M.D., et al.
- American Dietetic Association Finish Food and Nutrition Guide; Roberta Larson Duyff, M.S., R.D.
About the Author
Based just outside Chicago, Meg Campbell has worked in the fitness industry since 1997. She’s been writing health-related articles since 2010, focusing primarily on diet and nutrition. Campbell divides her time inbetween her hometown and Buenos Aires, Argentina.