Disclaimer. I am not a licensed health
practitioner. This is just another post on nutritional needs and
deficiencies that you might wish make sure you have covered in your food
storage supplies and plans. No medication or supplement, including
those available
over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.
Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes
only. It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical
care. A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should
be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.
Zinc is one of those essential trace minerals we need to be healthy and
happy. It's second only to iron in its concentration in the body. If
you don't have enough zinc in your diet, you're susceptible to a whole
host of problems, especially anything involving your immune system and
the healing of wounds. Zinc is essential for proper growth and
development during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood, and the
consequences of deficiency during this period are irreversible.
Fortunately, zinc deficiency is rare in the United States. It is most
commonly found in people with poor diets. Like in third world
countries. Zinc deficiency is a major factor in diseases worldwide with
high mortality rates attributed in part to the role zinc deficiency
plays in pneumonia and childhood diarrhea.
In addition to frequent infections and slow-healing wounds, symptoms of
zinc deficiency also include poor appetite, problems with the senses of
taste and smell, depression, irritability, lethargy, skin sores, trouble
seeing in the dark, migraines, and loss of hair. In men and boys,
impotence and hypogonadism may develop. Zinc deficiency is also found
in individuals with psychological disorders like anxiety, panic attacks,
and obsessive-compulsiveness.
Risk factors for developing a zinc deficiency include vegetarianism,
alcoholism, celiac disease, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, chronic kidney
or liver disease, pancreatic disease, diabetes, and chronic diarrhea,
old age, bariatric surgery, and limited diet.
The body does not store zinc, so you need to get enough from your diet every day. Where do you find it?
The best sources of zinc are animal proteins like beef, pork, and lamb.
Fish, not so much, but oysters are great (one oyster--100% of the
USRDA). The dark meat of chicken has more zinc than the light meat.
(No, this is not a ploy to get the white meat saved for me, but as a
self-sacrificing wife and mother, I'll encourage my husband and children
to take the drumsticks and thighs. It's the right thing to do.)
Yogurt, milk, beans, and oatmeal are also good choices. Pumpkin seeds
are actually one of the richest sources of zinc (assuming the soil they
grow in is not depleted of zinc), but they aren't high on the list of
items for preppers to store. However, it's a good thing to keep in mind
when it's time to plant those gardens.
A couple little random tips: Soaking beans in water before cooking them
makes the zinc more available to the body. Leavened grain products
have more bioavailable zinc than unleavened.
Links to related posts:
Dietary Deficiency and Consequences--Vitamin A
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B5, B6, B7
Vitamin B9
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Calcium
Iodine
Iron
Magnesium
Potassium
For further reading: (all articles accessed on 21 January 2019):
https://draxe.com/zinc-deficiency/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320393.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_deficiency
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002416.htm
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005436.pub5/full
march 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment