Danielle Moore
Phosphate, or phosphorus, occurs naturally in almost all foods. The need can therefore be easily covered through nutrition – a medical deficiency is rare. These top 5 phosphate foods are particularly high in them.
Phosphate, the salt of the mineral phosphorus, is found in almost all foods. And that’s just as well. In the body, the salts take on important functions: they are involved in energy metabolism and, together with calcium, contribute to the strength of the bones. This is also the reason why children and young people have a higher phosphorus requirement than adults: 10 to 19-year-olds need 1250 micrograms of phosphorus per day, while adults need far less at 700 micrograms. A phosphorus deficiency often occurs during a diet. Especially when you should rely on these five foods:
1. Wheat Bran: The best phosphate-rich food
Wheat bran is the food with the highest phosphate content: 100 grams of the food contains 1,240 milligrams. Wheat bran is produced during flour production: when the finished flour is sieved off, the residue from the husks remains. Wheat bran is also considered a good source of fiber and has excellent swelling properties, which is why it is also used to treat constipation. Wheat bran can be used in many ways: sprinkled over muesli, stirred into yogurt or quark, or as an ingredient in baked goods.
2. Nuts: The phosphate food with a bite
Nuts are also among the foods with a lot of natural phosphates. A handful of nuts as a snack now and then makes sense. Brazil nuts contain a particularly large amount of phosphate. They come to 674 milligrams per 100 grams. But walnuts (410 milligrams/100 grams) and hazelnuts (333 milligrams/100 grams) are also at the forefront.
3. Legumes: A round of phosphates, please!
Legumes are small phosphate bombs. Whether it’s beans, peas, or lentils – it’s worth repeating grandmother’s stew recipes again and again. Soybeans have the highest natural phosphate content with 570 milligrams per 100 grams. White beans have 473 milligrams per 100 grams, lentils 412 milligrams per 100 grams, and 100 grams of peas contain 378 milligrams of phosphate.
4. Cheese: phosphate on bread
If you like cheese, you don’t have to worry about your phosphate levels. Few other foods contain as much as most cheeses. Emmentaler is the leader with 748 milligrams of phosphate per 100 grams. It is followed by Edam and Tilsiter (each around 550 milligrams/100 grams), Gouda (443 milligrams/100 grams), and mozzarella (428 milligrams/100 grams). By the way: Processed cheese also contains a lot of phosphates. However, this is not natural but artificially added phosphate.
5. Fish: Salmon & Co. as a source of phosphate
You can use your next holiday at the sea to eat fish more often. Because in everyday life in Germany it is far too seldom on the table. Some varieties are very good phosphate suppliers. These include pollock with 300 milligrams per 100 grams, salmon with 266 milligrams/per 100 grams, sardines with 258 milligrams/per 100 grams, and herring with 250 milligrams/per 100 grams. Also contain trout, mackerel, eel, carp, and redfish more than 200 milligrams of phosphate per 100 grams, and are very healthy food.
