So, I’ve been trying to find chromium-rich foods as I’m taking a supplement for chromium recently due to the inability to eat sufficient foods with chromium in them to meet the RDA of 25 micrograms. The main foods from quick research with chromium were said to be broccoli and brewer’s yeast, two foods that I’m unwilling to partake in any large quantities.
Because I’d read in a few sites that walnuts were high in chromium, I searched for any online numbers for chromium in walnuts without success. I did; however, find other foods with chromium per an article at http://www.eufic.org/en/food-today/article/chromium-in-the-diet
The references cited in the article also lead to a book that looks promising for future details on chromium and other nutritional values (Food Composition and Nutrition Tables, 7th edition). I’ve ordered this book from Amazon for reference to help with proper meal planning.
Some acceptable foods that would meet my daily requirements are the following (micrograms per 100 g or 3.5 oz)
- Brazil nut (100)
- Oyster (57)
- Date, dried (29)
- Pear (27)
- Mushroom (17)
- Hazelnut (12)
- Egg yolk (6)
- Beef (3)
Another location where numbers are cited for seeds and nuts can be found at http://wholefoodcatalog.info/nutrient/chromium/nuts_and_seeds/high/ with the following (again cited as micrograms per 100 g or 3.5 oz):
- Pumpkin seed, roasted and salted (13)
- Hemp seed, dried (9)
- Almond, oil-roasted and salted (9)
- Poppy seed, dried (7)
- Peanut, dried (4)
- Sesame seed, dried (4)
- Macadamia nut, roasted and salted (2)
Based on the above, it appears that eating about 6 brazil nuts, 1 small pear or 1 and 1/4 cup of mushrooms would meet the daily chromium requirements. Because brazil nuts contain massive quantities of selenium, 6 of them would exceed the daily upper limit of selenium (400 micrograms) at 543.5 micrograms. As such, a small pear or a bit over a cup of mushrooms would be a safer option to reach over 100% of this mineral.