Zinc rich foods??

[LOOPS]

Hello everybody-

I was wondering which foods are the richest in zinc? I have a long problem with zinc deficiency stemming from a long bout of bulimia in the past. I take zinc tablets every now and then, but I think eating more zinc rich foods will be better - I think you assimilate zinc from food much better.

I heard seafood was good? Anything else I might not know about?

Thanks people.

Loux

[Pez]

Hi Loops,
That is interesting about recovering bulimics and zinc assimilation. Sorry I don't have any suggestions, but I am going to consider supplementing now. Do you know why this is? Also, how have you been? How has your eating been, adding more fruit, etc.? What does your current menu look like? I haven't weighed in a while, but my clothes are getting smaller, although not as fast as I'd like, lol ;) I still am trying to find that perfect balance, but it is so hard after years of not listening to my body and abusing it, however I know now that health is top priority.
Sarah

[sicpecher]

Hey! Some zinc rich/paleo foods are: oysters, beef, turkey, mustard greens,pumpkin seeds (soak them first because of enzyme-inhibitors), tuna, ginger root,leeks,sunflower seeds (soak), pecans, hazelnuts/filberts, crab, tahini...I think egg yolks have zinc too and are best if eaten raw. I have found that avoiding fruit works best for me...I also avoid nuts/seeds because of the carbs which can lead me to overeat or have cravings both of which upset the bulimia issue. Small frequent meals of meat, eggs and vegetables/vegetable juice with the pulp mixed in, and some virgin coconut oil seems to keep me pretty even and in tune with my real hunger. Hope this helps. Good luck!
(ps- sometimes I take a whole food sinc supplement just to make sure I get enough. Bulimics and alcoholics both often have vit. B/zinc problems and may find it helpful to avoid all forms of sugar including fruit so that they don't develop more vitamin/trace mineral depletion.)
-sarah

[Pez]

Hey to you! Another Sarah, cool!!! Thanks for the information. Not to hijack Loops post, but would you mind posting your meals that you normally eat? When you say small, like how much do you mean and how often? This is where I really have problems, being portion control. Since as long as I can remember I have not been able to listen to when I am full and maintain normal portion sizes. How long have you been doing paleo? What kind of effects have you seen with your health and weight, etc.?

[sicpecher]

Sarah-
I follow a raw-paleo diet...check out the book "the recipe for living without disease" if you want more info...
The author advocates raw dairy a lot but I follow his "weight loss" plan with no dairy though sometimes add more fat than he recommends for energy. Basically I eat 5-6x a day with 3-4 oz meat every 2.5-3.5 hours and add either a raw egg yolk or a few tsp virgin coconut oil (or avocado) to each meal plus in between the first 2 meals (about an hour after) I drink fresh green juice (a few stalks celery, some spinach, parsley etc.) with the pulp mixed in. If I want more I eat lots of cucumbers, lightly cooked broccoli or cauliflower (these should be cooked because they have chemicals which can affect your thyroid function but cooking nuetralizes them), red peppers and lots of mineral water/decaf green tea and regular water sometimes with lemon juice. My weight kinda takes care of itself eating this way, I have no mood swings, less irritable and I can think about things other than food. I feel energetic and my health is improving although I still haven't gotten my period back yet. I keep tweaking it too as I learn to trust my body more. Mostly I think it is important to ask yourself when you want to eat if you are truly hungry and if you are - give yourself permission to eat what you crave until you are satisfied(from the foods you have decided on)and if you aren't physically hungry then ask why you want to eat and find another way to satisfy that hunger. Calling a friend or taking a walk helps. If you still want to eat after that, go for it...Starving yourself will only backfire. When you aren't eating sugar etc. your body will tell you what it wants and when. But you have to listen or it will keep bugging you until you do.
-sarah

[LOOPS]

Hi everybody -

thanks for all your posts on this. Sarah (pez) - I supplement with zinc orotate as it does not affect copper levels as much as other types of mineral transporters. I still eat quite a substantial amount of fruit, and feel much worse if I don't. I even eat bananas when I feel like them (like yesterday), although mostly I eat them before I play tennis. I eat a lot of eggs and goats cheese, and a lot of salad. I eat broccoli with butter, and I roast huge amounts of green beans in the oven with lots of olive oil and garlic. I have been known to eat 2 huge bags of green beans in one sitting. I know this is not paleo as green beans are a no-no, but I really like them and they contain a lot of vitamin K, which I seem to need a lot of (and they help my zits). I was looking at all the veggies I really like, and it turns out vit K is strong in all of them. Also they don't make me bloated which is also a good sign they are not causing me problems.

Hi Sarah (sicpecher) wow this is getting confusing - thanks for the list. I am thinking I don't actually get much of any of those foods, but maybe the tuna is a good option (they don't sell pumpkin seeds here). Also I should try eating more beef as I tend to eat more fish at the moment.

My bulimia has very much improved since I started to eat a more wider variety of stuff (i.e. more veggies and fruit) than on Atkins; in other words I have not been sick in a very long time. This leads me to think half the battle with bulimia is the chemical imbalance in the brain, as well as other psychological factors.

PMS is still a problem for me, but I have some chinese herbs which really help with the chocolate cravings and desire to binge at this time. Mostly it is the tension which leads me to these foods. I can even overeat on healthy stuff which does worry me, but this overwhelming desire to eat a lot at this time of the month does seem to go away when my period comes thank goodness.

Well thanks again everybody. I want some cheese.

Lou

[arcticslug]

LOOPS: What herbs to you use to get rid of food cravings? I take SAM-e sometimes because I seem to get carb cravings. When I take those I only eat when hungry (most of the time). I'm still curious about what you do. I kinda suffer from somewhat disordered eating as well which is haunting me a little bit again because I'm limiting myself (cutting out carbs, dairy...)

[arcticslug]

I feel energetic and my health is improving although I still haven't gotten my period back yet. I keep tweaking it too as I learn to trust my body more. Mostly I think it is important to ask yourself when you want to eat if you are truly hungry and if you are - give yourself permission to eat what you crave until you are satisfied(from the foods you have decided on)and if you aren't physically hungry then ask why you want to eat and find another way to satisfy that hunger. Calling a friend or taking a walk helps. If you still want to eat after that, go for it...Starving yourself will only backfire. When you aren't eating sugar etc. your body will tell you what it wants and when. But you have to listen or it will keep bugging you until you do.
-sarah

I love what you have said here sicpecher. It is soooo true. Sometimes I slip into the bad habits of eating disordered thinking by not letting myself eat when I'm hungry because I want to lose weight. This ONLY ends up with me binging on ice cream and other things! I absolutely HATE doing that....it's terrible. It affects my health in so many ways. So...I am vowing to FEED myself nutrients. Concentrate on listening to my body. It really does work! Once I start feeding myself good foods when my body asks for them everything else just falls into place. It is just so tempting to want to lose weight instead of just focusing on the health aspects.

*sigh*

[LOOPS]

gello

hi arctic slug, in reply to your quest. I use a very famous formula which is generally called Xiao Yao Wan, or as my pills are called Bupleurum Calmative Compound. Bupleurum is used in detoxing of the liver/anger symptoms, and other herbs in this help to balance out hormones. I only use it in the week prior to my period as it really does the job. As soon as those ridiculous chocolate cravings hit I know it's time to take this. Last time it worked within a few hours.

As for the rest of the time, I do take calcium orotate on an empty stomach, which also oddly seems to work against any cravings.


Hope this is helpful.

Loux