It's fall! It's Autumn! The leaves are changing, the winds are cooler and the harvest is on! So much of our world changes in color, season, and mood, but there is also the coming change of illness that is swept in on the cold winds. There's much to enjoy and much to be wary of, though we try to practice as much prevention as possible. Washing our hands with soap and water, keeping on layers to stay warm, breathing in the cool fresh air, and sanitizing surfaces as much as is possible. We do have school age children where illnesses often thrive. I've considered lysoling them right before they walk through the door, but that's sometimes frowned upon. The other option is to do our best with our cleanliness and health. Vitamins are crucial in our health to nourish our bodies and minds as well as support our immune system through the changing seasons. And, luckily, are easily accessible through delicious fall dishes! Sign up for our Newsletter and take a peak through our recipe section for some great ideas!
One particular vitamin to know is Zinc!
No, not the chunk of metal... Well, yes that one, buuuuuut more of the edible version.
I have fallen in love in this vitamin particularly in the fall and winter seasons to help prevent and support the body during sickness. From colds, flus, pneumonia, and, believe it or not, covid. There are fascinating studies that found taking zinc while having pneumonia complications with covid improved the chances for mortality rates, which translates to keeping more people alive. And that in itself is an incredibly fortunate find. It also showed in cutting the duration time of illnesses - added brownie points! If we have to be sick, I'll eat my way through zinc to be sick for less days. Anyone else with me?
There are plenty of foods that contain zinc and with the right balance you can quickly get your daily intake. Shitake Mushrooms (1.9 mg cooked), Green Peas (1.9 mg cooked), Spinach ( 1.4 mg cooked), lima beans (1.3 mg cooked), Asparagus (1.1 mg cooked, Broccoli (0.7mg cooked), Okra (0.7 mg cooked), sweet corn (0.7 mg cooked). Some of my favorites for fall would be pumpkin seeds that have 2.2 mg, Acorn squash baked has 0.13 mg, and of course pomegranates that have 0.4 mg per 100 grams! There are also plenty of fruits like avocados, blackberries, raspberries, guavas, cantaloupes, apricots, peaches, kiwifruit, and blueberries. Some of these are harder to find for reasonable prices in fall, so vegetables are often an easier choice budget and market wise. We'll be releasing our favorite recipes for Fall, and most of them contain zinc loaded dishes like Ashlee's Acorn Squash Soup! Delicious!
Though fruits and vegetables aren't the only source! If you're an avid carnivore you likely are already eating your daily fill of zinc through the many meats you enjoy. Red meats like beef, lamp and pork often have 4.79 mg of zinc in every 100 mg. Chicken has 2.13 mg of zinc. Different breeds of fish can have 2 to 4 mg. The kicker for coastal fans? Oysters! One oyster contains 5.5 mg of zinc. Lobster follows with 4.74 mg. Common crabs though can keep the competition from 4 mg up to the King crab barring 6.75 mg! Sea fish for the win! But for those of us that are not beach side, we can still eat our steaks and get our zinc too!
There is also the option of taking it over the counter as a pill or powder. Either way the following is the maximum daily amounts to take. The funny thing about zinc is taking too much can be counterintuitive. Too much zinc can lessen the effects of support it offers the body as well as cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, gastric distress, vomiting, and loss of appetite. So be careful to only take as much as you need, no more. Please also speak to your doctor if you are taking medications or have medical conditions sensitive to vitamins if you choose to take a vitamin as a supplement. I found guidance from National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements with a number of references and the studies themselves proving the amounts if you're interested in reading them more thoroughly. I found them really fascinating but then again, statistics are magic to me. Here's their link : https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/#en1
Be sure to take the right dosage, always talk to your doctor with concerns, and enjoy plenty of fall veggies! It's the little things that help keep us healthy. We hope you feel well all through the season, we wish you all the zinc, and as always we're here for Fall!