Brocooli, barley, oats, grape juice and wine, potatoes, beef, green beans, apple, tomatoes, milk and romaine lettuce are sources of chromium.

Chromium is one of the essential element which we do not need in abundance but during pregnancy the intake if this nutrient becomes necessary. In case you are deficient of this nutrient you may need to take chromium supplements for the betterment of your baby. Chromium especially trivalent chromium is very much important for the overall growth, health, digestion and other vital functions. The use of chromium supplements is little controversial but its deficiency is not affordable. So, let’s look into detail the various aspects of this element, whether it is essential or not and if essential what are the food sources that provide us with enough chromium to fulfill the needs of our body.

12 Food Sources of Chromium in Your Pregnancy Diet

Broccoli

Broccoli is a great source of chromium and even half a cup of broccoli contains around 11 mcg of chromium. It is very easy to cook, you can either roast it with some seasoning or steam before eating or make a broccoli soup or use as an addition in vegetables and meat.

Barley

Including barley in the diet can give you numerous benefits and one of it is the presence of chromium in barley. A cup of barley can provide upto 25 mcg of chromium. Moreover, there are many tasty option of including barley in your diet.

Oats

A quarter cup of oats provides 5.4 mcg of chromium to our body. Oats consists of fibres which has any benefits and the presence of chromium in it adds to its benefits. It has always been a preference for health conscious people.

Grape juice and wine

A cup of grape juice can provide you with about 8 mcg of chromium. So, enjoy the tasty grape juice and get loaded with its benefits. People who drink wine are already getting its benefits.

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Potatoes

Well! What if I say the common and favourite vegetable of many people, potatoes also contains good amount of chromium. Great, isn’t it? 3 mcg of chromium is present in a cup of mashed potatoes.

Beef

This is for you beef lovers! A three-ounce serving of beef contains about 2 mcg of chromium. So, enjoy your favourite dish with the satisfaction of such good benefits along with the tasteful delight.

Green beans

Vegetables are undoubtedly a storehouse of nutrients. Beans is one of those beneficiary vegetables. A cup of cooked beans contains 2 mcg of chromium.

Orange juice

Love orange juice? Well, then even if you don’t like it, let me tell you that it is also a good source of chromium. A cup of orange juice contains 2 mcg of chromium.

Apple

Apart from being an excellent source of vitamin C apple has many more nutrients in it, and one of it is chromium. A medium size apple contains 1 mcg of chromium. So, an apple a day can prevent your child from chromium deficiency.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes have always been a  vital part of most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. They are either chopped as a seasoning, used in form of sauce or the preparing the gravy of many dishes. It is also eaten in form of salad.A cup of tomatoes contains 1.26 mcg of chromium.

Milk

Milk is full of nutrients and it is a very necessary part of the diet of many people. One of the nutrients is chromium. A litre of breast milk contains around 1.56 mcg of chromium. The litre of cow milk contains around 0.83 mcg of chromium.

Romaine lettuce

Two cups of the romaine lettuce leaves contains 1.26 mcg of chromium. It is commonly used as a salad. There are multiple other ways wherein the leaves are used. Make sure to include it in your diet to get its benefits.

Now that you have a precise idea of the amount of chromium present in each of the food items, you can easily decide your daily requirement and the changes you need to do in your diet to get optimum amount of this element in your body. The benefits of chromium are numerous and they make it necessary for you to include it into your diet. What else? Stay Aware Stay Healthy!

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Benefits of chromium

Chromium is loaded with some vital benefits as per many studies. But the use and benefits linked with chromium have been often controversial. So, there can be many instances when these benefits cannot be considered. Here is a list of all the benefits provided by chromium.

• Chromium is a blessing for people suffering from diabetes. It reduces the level of glucose in the blood.
• It also boosts the effectiveness of insulin in the body, thus influencing the other metabolism of the body such as the digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
• It is also helpful for people suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome as it is also linked with insulin control.
• Chromium supplements also has a subsequent effect on the cholesterol level of the body.
• It checks the risks of heart diseases and psychological disorders such as depression.
• It also effective in case of Parkinson’s disease.
• Some people also use chromium in order to lose weight or to build muscles.
• It also reduces ageing related calcium deficiency.
• It is a vital element for pregnant and nursing mothers.
• It is also used by athletes to improve their performance level by increasing the energy.

Side effects of chromium

Chromium is safe for most people, but it may not work well for some people. It can cause skin irritation, dizziness, headache, feeling of nausea, mood swings and impaired thinking. If you have extra amount of chromium in your body, it can cause blood, kidney and liver disorder. These are the possible side effects of chromium. So, before you take in chromium in form of a supplement, it’s advisable to take advice from doctor.

Moreover, anything which is taken in adequate amount causes no harm. Here is a chart that will give you an insight of the adequate amount of chromium required by your body.

• Women under the age group of 19 years – 50 years require around 25 mcg of chromium daily
• Women above the age of 50 years require 20 mcg of chromium on daily basis
• Men under the age group of 19 years – 50 years require 35 mcg of chromium daily
• Men aged 50 years or older than that require 30 mcg of chromium on daily basis.
• Pregnant women need 35 mcg of chromium daily
• Breastfeeding women need 45 mcg of chromium daily

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