Zinc – The Enzymatic Mineral!

Zinc is incredibly important for everyone, but can be particularly tricky for new vegans, along with other nutrients that need careful attention paying to them when turning vegan. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc, which is needed for proper growth and healing amongst other things. Here, I’ll discuss the myriad uses of zinc in the body, how much zinc you need each day, signs of deficiency, the connection between zinc and mental health (PMT in particular!), and the things that prevent proper zinc absorption (particularly in vegan diets). If you’re looking for excellent vegan sources of zinc then point your browser here.


When turning vegan the switch to purely plant sources of zinc can sometimes leave people a little short on this vital mineral. If you were already vegetarian then you may have a little advantage over your fellow vegans who went straight from an omnivore diet to a vegan one. The reason for this is that your intestinal absorption mechanisms take a little while to catch up and get better at absorbing plant sources of zinc. So, initially it’s a good idea to either take a zinc supplement or make sure that you have lots of zinc-rich foods in your new vegan diet. This is also a good idea anyway!

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