Do I have a zinc deficiency?
Zinc was not recognized as essential to humans
until the 1970s, though we knew plants needed
it to grow.
So we know it is needed now.
How do I know if I need more of it or if I’m
getting enough?
Zinc deficiency is found in a lot of foods
modern industrial society mostly avoids like
pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, liver, spinach,
beans and peas.
If not eating peas, spinach and liver was
enough to make you sick with a vitamin deficiency,
it wouldn’t be ten percent estimated to
have this deficiency, it would be more like
everyone but Amish and avid bodybuilders.
You can get it in red meat, too, but so many
vegetarians and vegans avoid that that they
get iron deficiency, so you know they probably
lack zinc too.
You can guess that you are short on zinc if
you’ve lost your appetite.
So could the smell of the liver that they
say is the cure for your fatigue and bad mood.
Moodiness is a symptom of zinc deficiency
too.
Oh, and vegetarians are at particular risk
for zinc deficiency because the phytic acid
in grains actually reduces its absorption.
That means spinach on my sandwich is not going
to solve the problem.
I’ve heard that zinc deficiency rises when
you have your period, which is why women crave
chocolate, since chocolate contains zinc.
If chocolate was such a cure-all, it would
be prescribed by the pound to the female half
of the species.
In reality, a small steak or multi-vitamin
would be enough each day.
I’ve heard there are medical disorders that
can accelerate zinc loss or health problems
that make it worse.
You can have a blood plasma test for zinc
levels, but it is not as readily transported
in the blood as say iron.
A better test is the oral taste test.
The only zinc I can think of in my home is
on the batteries, and I do not want to taste
that.
It is a ten second oral taste test that can
see if you can taste the strip; if you’re
short on zinc, your sense of taste and smell
are diminished.
What else can you do to get more zinc?
Soak beans and seeds for several hours before
cooking to improve its bio-availability, or
let the seeds sprout before you eat them.
I never thought I’d say this, but I’d
prefer the spinach over the sprouts.
You need somewhere from ten to twenty milligrams
a day.
What if I don’t get enough?
You’re at greater risk of immune system
problems, though vitamins like A and C have
more impact.
You’re more likely to get diarrhea, hair
loss, mental slowness, acne, ulcers and slower
wound healing.
Popeye should have advertised that instead
of the muscle growth for eating spinach.
But before you assume that zinc deficiency
is the cause, start taking multivitamins until
the doctor can do the taste test.
