Chromium Supplements: What is the best source?

Chromium Supplements: What is the best source?

by Peter D Vizard

Do you know how much chromium your body needs in your daily diet? Generally, a healthy adult needs about 25 to 30 micrograms per day. As you age, your chromium needs may increase. Pregnant and breast feeding women needs about 30 micrograms of chromium daily. As a rule, your chromium needs are based upon your age, health, weight, and body size.

The next question most health-conscious people ask is how to obtain the necessary amount of this essential mineral. There are many different foods that contain chromium, but the amount is unfortunately small. These foods include meat, poultry, seafood, whole grains, dairy products, some herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables. For example, consider this list of chromium-containing foods:

There are many different foods that contain chromium. Unfortunately, the chromium amount found in these foods is quite small, approximately 2 microgram per serving. Examples of foods rich in chromium include vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, spices and whole grain products. if you do not want to lose more chromium than usual, then you should stay away from foods that contain high amounts of sugar. These foods are known to deplete the chromium reserve in your body. To give you and idea how much chromium is contained in these foods, check the list below.

- cup of broccoli = 11 mcgs
- 1 cup of orange juice = 2 mcgs
- 2 slices of whole grain bread = 2 mcgs
- 3 oz of turkey breast = 2 mcgs
- 1 tsp of dried garlic = 3 mcgs
- 1 tblsp of dried basil = 2 mcgs
- 1 cup of mashed potatoes = 3 mcgs
- 5 oz of red wine = 1 to 13 mcgs
- 1 medium-sized banana = 1 mcgs
- cup of green beans = 1 mcgs

Of course, you will have to make sure that the amount of chromium you consume is ideal for your age, weight and body size. Health experts believe that chromium requirement increases as you grow older. Females who are pregnant or lactating would require about 30mcg of chromium daily. For adults, the recommended daily requirement is between 25 to 35 mcg.

Since it is difficult to gauge whether you have more than sufficient levels of chromium in the body, you might need to consider taking chromium supplements. They are available in various forms and you should first seek the approval of your doctor before taking these chromium supplements. Once you received the approval of your doctor, you can buy chromium supplements from most pharmacies and health stores. For more convenience, you can check out those offered by online stores. You can enjoy great discounts as well as free delivery. Just make sure that you purchase these chromium supplements from reliable sellers so you can avoid being a victim to fraud.

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Posted in health on Oct 3rd, 2008, 1:38 am by Peter D Vizard   

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