It may sound strange that we are promoting the consumption of copper, but it is a very important mineral for more than 12 functions that the body performs with every second that passes. This is why we wanted to highlight the main foods rich in copper to add to our diet so that we do not suffer from a deficiency.
What we eat daily may or may not nourish us, that is, it may or may not be useful for our body. This is what usually happens with ultra-processed ones, since they have a very poor nutritional profile, compared to fresh products that provide a large amount of fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc.
Why is copper so important?
Copper is an essential nutrient for our body, so much so that we need to eat it daily to produce energy, create connective tissues and blood vessels, promote brain development, activate genes, strengthen bones, child growth , maturation of white and red blood cells, transport iron, metabolize glucose and cholesterol, perform heart contractions, collaborate in skin and hair pigmentation , etc.
If we don’t consume enough copper, our health will suffer. Nor do we have to obsess, since, if we have a varied and balanced diet, we are providing all the nutrients that the body needs daily.
The daily amount of copper that an average adult needs is 900 mcg and pregnant women need 1,000 mcg, being 1,3000 mcg if they are breastfeeding.
Even so, it never hurts to know which foods are rich in each essential nutrient. That is why today we dedicate it to copper, but on our website we have all the essential nutrients for the body.
Foods with the highest amount of copper
We have already seen the main reasons why copper is beneficial for health, now it only remains to know closely the main foods that have this mineral among their nutrients.
Vegetables
Legumes are part of a good balanced diet, thanks to the contribution of soluble fiber, vitamins and minerals, and among all that comes copper. The legumes with the highest percentage of copper are chickpeas and lentils.
Both are very versatile foods that can be eaten cold, sprouted, hot, in soups, purees, as a garnish, in salads, with meat, with vegetables, etc. To be exact, chickpeas provide 0.36 mg of copper per 100 grams and a plate of lentils provides 55% of the recommended amount of copper in a day.
Seafood rich in copper
The variety of shellfish is vast, but the ones with the highest amount of copper are oysters and lobsters. It is true that they are not two seafood that are eaten very regularly, but we wanted to add them to the list so that we consider eating them more normally and not only on very special occasions.
To be more exact, 100 grams of lobster meat exceeds the amount of copper that is recommended for an average adult in a day, and oysters somewhat of the same, so much so that in that case the recommended dose is tripled with just 100 grams of oysters .
Tofu
Tofu is a very widespread food in vegan and vegetarian diets. The fact that it is so versatile increases the chances of being added to the daily diet. In this case, the tofu is not as great as the seafood.
About 100 grams of tofu provide 0.21 mg of copper , but it is still a good support for those who decide to follow a vegan diet. Copper is more present in foods of animal origin than vegetable, so we must take advantage of any option that is presented to us within our diet.
Beef liver very rich in copper
Beef liver is one of the most complete foods of animal origin for the body. It provides iron, calcium, iodine, magnesium, selenium, sodium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and copper, apart from vitamin A, group B (including B12), C. Without forgetting proteins, and as we see it is from food more complete for athletes.
For every 80 grams of beef liver, we get 1,450% of the recommended amount of copper for an average adult in one day. So there is no excuse not to start making recipes with this ingredient.
Nuts and seeds
Every time we make a food compilation, the nuts and seeds always appear and we are not surprised, since something so small is extremely powerful and beneficial for our body.
For example, almonds are one of the richest nuts in copper, so we wanted to give it a special place. On the other hand, the seeds, which are richer in copper, are sunflower seeds that provide almost 2 mg per 100 grams and sesame seeds that provide more than 4 mg per 100 grams of product.
Dried apricot
Dried apricots are a delicacy that we encourage you to try now. In fact, we are already taking a long time to not have a bag by our side while we work or study. Eating while performing a mental task has been shown to help concentration.
In 100 grams of this natural and healthy candy we find almost 40% of the daily amount of copper that an average adult needs.
Goat cheese
For those who like strong cheese, goat cheese is surely among their favorites. Well, those people are in luck because goat cheese is one of the foods of animal origin that has the highest amount of copper.
To be exact, it has almost 70% of the daily amount recommended by health authorities, so we can add this cheese to our daily diet in small proportions and combine it with other foods to complete the percentages.
Dark chocolate
Who has tried dark chocolate in powder, tablet, melted, etc. You don’t want to go back to milk chocolate or those ultra-processed chocolates that are neither chocolate nor anything, they are just a mixture of refined oils, sugar at the shovel and colorants, preservatives, stabilizers and flavor enhancers with a pinch of powdered milk that does not give you it does nothing good to our skin or to the cells of the entire body.
Dark chocolate gives us a fairly significant amount of copper, apart from other minerals and vitamins. Specifically, 100 grams of dark chocolate is just over 1 mg of copper .
