Vegetarian foods high in Zinc (Canadian (CNF))

Your body needs zinc daily for immune cells to work, wounds to close, and DNA to copy itself during cell division. This Daily Value is a target, not a ceiling: most people benefit from meeting it, and your label's percentage tells you how much one serving contributes to that goal.

Zinc concentrates in animal muscle and shellfish, then in seeds, legumes, and whole grains. The ranking below shows raw concentration per 100 g, but bioavailability matters; compounds in plants can bind zinc and reduce how much your body absorbs, so a plant-based food may look higher on this table than it performs in practice.

On a vegetarian or vegan diet, legumes and seeds become your primary sources, but phytates in these foods bind zinc and lower absorption. Fortified cereals and nutritional yeast provide an alternative route. Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting legumes and grains can reduce phytate content and improve zinc uptake, though they do not eliminate it.

FDA daily value: 11 mg

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Showing 1–50 of 3,496 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
1 Beverages, high protein powder Beverages 18.75 mg 170%
2 Grains, wheat germ, toasted, plain Cereals, Grains and Pasta 16.67 mg 152%
3 Instant breakfast, powder, chocolate, sugar-free, with artificial sweetener Beverages 15.40 mg 140%
4 Cereal, ready to eat, Honey Nut O's, Selection Breakfast cereals 14.05 mg 128%
5 Beverage mix, chocolate flavour, powder, no added sugar Beverages 13.64 mg 124%
6 Cereal, ready to eat, Toasted Oats, Selection Breakfast cereals 13.46 mg 122%
7 Seeds, cottonseed meal, partially defatted Nuts and Seeds 12.32 mg 112%
8 Grains, wheat germ, crude Cereals, Grains and Pasta 12.29 mg 112%
9 Agave, dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 12.10 mg 110%
10 Seeds, cottonseed flour, partially defatted Nuts and Seeds 11.69 mg 106%
11 Seeds, cottonseed flour, low fat Nuts and Seeds 11.61 mg 106%
12 Seeds, sesame flour, partially defatted Nuts and Seeds 10.70 mg 97%
13 Seeds, sesame flour, high-fat Nuts and Seeds 10.67 mg 97%
14 Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, unroasted kernels Nuts and Seeds 10.45 mg 95%
15 Seeds, pumpkin and squash seeds, whole, roasted, salted Nuts and Seeds 10.30 mg 94%
16 Seeds, pumpkin and squash seeds, whole, roasted Nuts and Seeds 10.30 mg 94%
17 Seeds, watermelon seed kernels, dried Nuts and Seeds 10.24 mg 93%
18 Seeds, sesame meal, partially defatted Nuts and Seeds 10.23 mg 93%
19 Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, shelled Nuts and Seeds 10.23 mg 93%
20 Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, shelled, with salt Nuts and Seeds 10.23 mg 93%
21 Seeds, sesame flour, low fat Nuts and Seeds 10.00 mg 91%
22 Leavening agent, yeast, baker's, compressed Baked Products 9.97 mg 91%
23 Sweets, baking chocolate, unsweetened, square Sweets 9.63 mg 88%
24 Beans, hyacinth, raw Legumes and Legume Products 9.30 mg 85%
25 Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled Nuts and Seeds 9.10 mg 83%
26 Spices, chervil, dried Spices and Herbs 8.80 mg 80%
27 Beverage, whey protein isolate, powder Beverages 8.72 mg 79%
28 Instant breakfast, powder, chocolate Beverages 8.55 mg 78%
29 Leavening agent, yeast, baker's, active, dry Baked Products 7.94 mg 72%
30 Spices, poppy seed Spices and Herbs 7.90 mg 72%
31 Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried Nuts and Seeds 7.81 mg 71%
32 Egg, chicken, yolk, dried Dairy and Egg Products 7.73 mg 70%
33 Mushroom, shiitake, dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 7.66 mg 70%
34 Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted Nuts and Seeds 7.64 mg 69%
35 Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, salted Nuts and Seeds 7.64 mg 69%
36 Cereal, ready to eat, Crispy Rice, Compliments Breakfast cereals 7.54 mg 69%
37 Jew's ear (cloud or wood ear, pepeao), dried Vegetables and Vegetable Products 7.52 mg 68%
38 Spices, cardamom, ground Spices and Herbs 7.47 mg 68%
39 Seeds, sesame butter, from whole seed, paste Nuts and Seeds 7.29 mg 66%
40 Grains, wheat bran, crude Cereals, Grains and Pasta 7.27 mg 66%
41 Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted Nuts and Seeds 7.16 mg 65%
42 Spices, basil, dried Spices and Herbs 7.10 mg 65%
43 Meal replacement (cereal), ready to eat, Vector, Kellogg's Breakfast cereals 7.04 mg 64%
44 Spices, celery seed Spices and Herbs 6.93 mg 63%
45 Sweets, cocoa, powder, unsweetened Sweets 6.81 mg 62%
46 Seeds, sesame seed kernels, dried, shelled Nuts and Seeds 6.73 mg 61%
47 Hot chocolate, cocoa, high fat or breakfast, plain, mix, powder Sweets 6.70 mg 61%
48 Hot chocolate, cocoa, high fat or breakfast, processed with alkali, mix, powder Sweets 6.70 mg 61%
49 Peanuts, Virginia, oil-roasted Legumes and Legume Products 6.62 mg 60%
50 Peanuts, Virginia, oil-roasted, salted Legumes and Legume Products 6.62 mg 60%

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