Plant Based Diet Zinc. Legumes A half-cup of chickpeas has 13 mg of zinc and a half-cup of kidney beans has 09 mg. If you are counting calories which I dont often deem necessary you should know that a cup of pumpkin seeds contains 264 calories.
Zinc can of course be found in plant sources such as legumes and grains but they must be consumed in greater quantities. There are 3 macronutrients necessary for life. Vegetarians and vegans are at risk for zinc deficiency as the most abundant sources of zinc tend to be animal proteins.
These include whole grains wheat germ tofu sprouted breads legumes nuts and seeds.
Protein increases zinc absorption. In lighter diets generally and in heavily plant-based diets in particular zinc is sharply reduced relative to copper 12 protein is curtailed and fat is provided scantily at best. Oatmeal makes for a good start to the day. When cooking beans and lentils choose the dry form and soak them in water for 8 hours before cooking to reduce naturally occurring phytates.
