Lifestyle

It’s Time to Think About Zinc Benefits

mushrooms and nuts in a bowl Zinc Benefitsmushrooms and nuts in a bowl Zinc Benefits

If you only think of zinc as a seasonal lozenge or a skin saver in sunscreen, open your mind to zinc’s many healthy and beautiful benefits.  

Zinc is one of those trace minerals that probably rarely crosses your mind. That’s because you only need a little, but a little goes a long way. In fact, the only times it may come to mind are when you see it listed on labels for lozenges and on bottles of mineral sunscreens, but zinc is good for a whole lot more than a runny nose or a day in the sun. Zinc benefits your body both inside and out to help you look and feel your best. Discover why zinc is a healthy and beautiful addition to your life, then learn about the foods and finds that can help you up your intake. Because there’s more to zinc than you think. 

What Do You Think…Is Zinc a Vitamin or a Mineral? 

In the alphabet of vitamins and minerals, it’s easy to stop before you reach the end. That’s because there’s so much to love about the first few essential nutrients, from vitamins A to D, but it’s worth sticking around to the very last letter because that’s where you’ll find the goodness and wellness of zinc. Zinc is an essential trace mineral. It’s considered essential because your body can’t live without it, and you need zinc in order to stay healthy. Yet as an essential nutrient, your body isn’t able to produce zinc on its own. But luckily, it doesn’t have to because you’re able to feed your zinc needs in several other ways. 

Discover Zinc Benefits From A to Zinc 

Zinc benefits your health in a lot of ways. It plays an essential role in many enzyme reactions in your body involved with everything from your immune system and cell growth, to the health of your skin, hair, nails, and more. From health to healing, zinc benefits your body in the following ways: 

  1. Keeps Your Immune System HealthyZinc does a lot of things well, but one its most vital is keeping your immune system functioning well. Zinc plays a part in the production of immune cells that helps you body stay healthy.

  2. Soothes, Smooths, and Saves Your SkinTime isn’t kind to your skin. Each passing year leaves your skin with less fullness, firmness, brightness, and smoothness. But zinc helps support your skin cells by regulating skin cell growth and turnover to help restore your youthful glow. And zinc’s anti-inflammatory powers help calm skin conditions like eczema and acne, while helping to heal wounds.

  3. Helps Your HairZinc is the best-kept beauty secret for stronger and longer hair. See, zinc plays a role in the formation of collagen and keratin, which are the basic building blocks of hair.

  4. Balances Thyroid HormonesKeeping your thyroid healthy is a balancing act. Low levels of zinc have been linked to low thyroid hormones, which can cause similar symptoms to hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss. But zinc supports healthy hormone levels to keep your thyroid hormones in balance.

Food for Thought—Foods That are Highest in Zinc 

Zinc can work wonders for your health, but do you wonder if you’re getting enough? Since your body can’t produce zinc on its own, you need to give it a helping hand by helping yourself to foods full of zinc. Some of the top sources of zinc include: 

  • Oysters 

  • Lobster and crab 

  • Beef and pork 

  • Chicken and turkey 

  • Legumes like beans, lentils, and chickpeas 

  • Nuts and seeds 

  • Dairy, such as yogurt, milk, and cheese 

  • Mushrooms and kale 

  • Fortified breakfast cereals

Consider the Best Way and Best Time to Take Zinc  

A little zinc can go long way, but having too little can lead to big trouble by causing a zinc deficiency. This is common among vegans, vegetarians, pregnant women, older individuals, and others who aren’t able to get enough zinc through food alone. Luckily, you can supplement your body’s needs with a high-quality zinc supplement. But not all vitamin and mineral supplements are created equal. When purity and potency are your priorities, you want to choose a Whole Food Vitamin or mineral supplement. It’s only natural to prefer raw supplements because they’re produced without high heat, fillers, binders, additives, and artificial ingredients to give you the nutrient in its most natural form. And the best time to take a zinc supplement is at least one hour before, or two hours after, a meal. But always speak to your health care provider before taking any supplement

  

Do you want to give Winter the cold shoulder? Keep your thyroid under control? Have long and lustrous locks? And love the skin you’re in? Think zinc! 

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