What foods contain copper? Top Copper Foods

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

As you know, copper is an indispensable trace element that provides a fairly large number of physiological processes taking place in the body. Having a properly formulated diet that includes all the minerals and vitamins the body needs, you can not resort to the use of nutritional supplements. Of course, for this you need to have an idea of what products contain copper. In this article, we will tell you about it.

Popular Copper Products

You can name a huge amount of food containing copper. First, we list the most popular copper-rich foods:

• Liver. Incredibly useful for eating, contains a large amount of the substance we need. A huge plus is the fact that this applies not only to pork or beef liver. This also applies to cod liver. The daily norm of copper for the body, necessary to maintain the quality work of all organs, contains only a small piece of the product, the weight of which is approximately100-150 grams.
• Krupa. Copper is found in products related to cereals: in cereals, in wholemeal flour. In general, absolutely any cereals include this trace element. Also, products rich in copper include pumpkin or sunflower seeds, sesame seeds. But most of all this microelement is in germinated wheat.
• Vegetables and fruits. People who are seriously interested in the question of what foods contain copper should in no case lose sight of its sources such as fruits and vegetables. While not all of them are rich sources of copper, fruits such as apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, and beets should not be ignored.

Copper in foods we rarely eat

• Seafood. We all know from school time that sea water contains many minerals. And copper is no exception. Due to this, the inhabitants of the seas and oceans are also copper-rich human foods. But creatures such as oysters, shrimp, as well as squid and lobsters are priority in the ratio of the amount of active copper to the body weight of the object. Due to the significant difference in the price categories of products containing copper, seafood is excluded from the diet by many Russians due to the high cost.
• Nuts and beans. Nuts contain a fairly large amount of the active microelement, which we are talking about today. However, they are a very high-calorie product, the absorption of which in large quantitiescan lead to undesirable results, in particular to weight gain. Therefore, nuts can be left as an additional option for replenishing copper in the body. But eating peas or beans will have a much better effect on your body if your goal is to replenish the missing supply of copper with the help of legumes.
• Cocoa. For some reason, this wonderful product has remained underestimated these days. Products containing copper are both cocoa itself and chocolate made from it, chocolate pastes, etc.
• Yeast. Naturally, just eating yeast for food is a problematic process. But such a substance containing some B vitamins, as well as copper itself, would be an incredible omission not to be eaten. Probably, the prospect of adding yeast to kvass or baking will please you just as much as the opportunity for beer lovers to find an excuse for their addiction. However, despite such benefits of yeast, you should not get too carried away with them, as they also contain substances that negatively affect the human body.

Don't limit your diet to any one of the above foods. It is better to restore the lack of copper in the body, using all these groups.

However, it is also important to know what exactly is dangerous for the body, excess and lack of copper and how they manifest themselves.

Causes of copper deficiency

In adults, this complication is rare, but for children, especially those born prematurely, the disadvantage of thistrace element can be fatal.

The main causes of copper deficiency include:

• hereditary deficiency of specialized enzymes;
• feeding children under the age of one year with cow's milk;
• lack of protein.

Symptoms of copper deficiency

Symptoms of copper deficiency include:

• hair loss;
• appearance of a rash;
• depression;
• violation of the color pigmentation of the skin.

If a person has some of the above signs, it is recommended to immediately increase the amount of a trace element called copper that enters the body. In food, their properties need to learn to understand. What needs to be remembered? First of all, what products contain copper. And if possible, consume them in significant quantities.

Consequences of prolonged lack of copper in the body

If we postpone the issue of eliminating the shortage of copper on the back burner, the consequences may be as follows:

• diseases of the immune system;
• development of atherosclerosis;
• appearance of early osteoporosis;
• development of various lung diseases;
• occurrence of vascular disorders;
• development of various hereditary diseases.

Causes of excess copper in the body

In some cases, certain diseases can affect the increase in copper levels inbody. These include:

• various kidney diseases;
• chronic bronchial diseases;
• myocardial infarctions;
• mental illness (schizophrenia and others);
• the effects of large amounts of alcohol on the body.

One way or another, you should not allow an excess of copper in the body.

Daily Value of Copper

The average human body experiences the following need for copper:

• Adult - 1-2 mg/day.
• For lactating and pregnant women - 2-3 mg/day.
• Children 1 to 3 years - 1 mg/day.
• Children 4 to 6 years old - 1.5 mg/day.
• Children 7 to 12 years old - 2 mg/day.
• Children 12 to 18 years old - 2.5 mg/day.

Exceptions are adults with reduced immunity, suffering from various inflammatory diseases, as well as having excessive physical exertion on the body, drinking significant amounts of alcohol or smoking. Such adults should be aware of what foods are high in copper and choose their diet, focusing on them.

In closing

So, you have found out what foods contain copper, and now you can adjust your diet so that it includes the required amount of this trace element. In conclusion, it should be said that such an important microelement as copper is involved in various processes in the body. However, the main role of copper is to participate in the process of hematopoiesis. Without her thisthe process is unable to continue. Therefore, a lack of copper will affect not only your appearance, but also such much more important indicators as well-being and he alth.

Based on all of the above, you can evaluate the importance of having the right amount of copper in the body and decide whether you need to change your diet. And if so, this article, which told you in detail about which foods contain copper, will help you with this.