Consume these foods regularly to meet your copper requirements.
Copper is an essential trace mineral that plays a significant role in the human body. It supports the metabolic processes that keep you fit and healthy. Apart from that, it is also needed for bone formation, immune system, collagen production, neuroendocrine functions, formation of red blood cells, and more. As the human body cannot produce copper naturally, you have to depend solely on your diet to meet the daily requirements. Otherwise, it may lead you to a copper deficiency which is linked to several health issues, some of which can become very critical over time. In this article, we will talk about some foods that contain a good amount of this mineral.
Mushrooms: Mushrooms are mostly popular for their rich protein content. But they also offer various essential minerals, including copper. Raw shiitake mushrooms are best for the purpose, as they contain around 0.9mg copper per 100 gram of serving. You can also consume cremini mushrooms, white button mushrooms, etc.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are another great source of copper. A 100-gram serving of cooked sweet potatoes provides 0.3mg copper to your body. For the best results, cook the potatoes with their skin on.
Dark Chocolate: A bar of unsweetened dark chocolate can benefit your health a lot more than you could ever imagine! It contains an adequate amount of copper along with iron, zinc, manganese, and many other nutrients. You can get around 1.9mg copper from 100 grams of dark chocolate.
Nuts & Seeds: Nuts and seeds are considered among the best choice in a vegan diet. They are packed with fiber, proteins, healthy fats, etc. along with a huge amount of copper. The best options are almonds, peanuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and more. For example, a 100-gram serving of whole almonds has around 1,000mcg of copper.
Beans: A powerhouse of nutrients, beans are a popular food consumed worldwide. Along with fiber and protein, they also offer a huge amount of copper to your body. For example, chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) contain 0.4mg copper per 100-gram serving. Besides, the list also includes lentils, navy beans, kidney beans, etc.
Leafy Greens: It's known to all that the leafy green vegetables are loaded with plenty of health benefits. They contain an adequate amount of fiber, calcium, folate, magnesium, and more. Moreover, some leafy greens like spinach, kale, Swiss chard also contain a good amount of copper. For example, one cup of cooked spinach can provide upto 300 mcg of copper to your body.
Apart from these, the list also includes foods like avocado, spirulina, quinoa, tofu, tomatoes, etc.
