Common foods high in chromium are meat, fruits, potatoes, and chocolate. Also, orange juice, red wine, beer, coffee, and tea contribute to the daily chromium intake.
How much chromium do I need a day?
The recommended daily dose of chromium is 25 mcg and 35 mcg for women and men, respectively. Children and elderly people need lower dosages of chromium. Only lactating women need higher doses of 45 mcg per day.
Vegan foods high in chromium
Actually, there are many foods containing chromium. Whole wheat bread, potato, banana, avocado, tomato, chocolate, beer and red wine are the best natural sources of chromium.[1]
| food | mcg/serving | food | mcg/serving |
| chocolate, dark | 14.3 | apple | 1.4 |
| leek | 5.2 | green beans | 1.1 |
| kiwi | 5.1 | banana | 1 |
| broccoli | 4.4 | carrots | 1 |
| Brewr’s yeast | 3.3 | bread, whole wheat | 1 |
| potato | 3 | tomato | 0.9 |
| radish | 2.6 | peanut butter | 0.6 |
| avocado | 1.9 | rice | 0.6 |
| lettuce | 1.8 | beetroot | 0.6 |
| tomato juice | 1.5 | peas | 0.4 |
| strawberries | 1.5 | orange | 0.4 |
| pear | 1.5 | spaghetti | 0.3 |
Plants are the richest foods in chromium.
Also, despite their low concentrations of chromium, red wine, beer, coffee, and green tea significantly contribute to the daily intake. We tend to consume large amounts of these beverages.
| food | mcg/serving |
| grape juice | 7.5 |
| grapefruit juice | 2.9 |
| red wine | 2.5 |
| orange juice | 2.2 |
| beer | 0.3 |
| green tea | 0.2 |
| coffee | 0.1 |
Animal foods high in chromium
On the contrary, only a few animal-derived foods are good dietary sources of chromium. In fact, only meat is high in chromium. Dairy and eggs contain low amounts of chromium.
| food | mcg/100g |
| pork | 4.2 |
| ham | 3.6 |
| cottage cheese | 2.9 |
| beef | 2 |
| turkey | 1.7 |
| American cheese | 0.8 |
| chicken | 0.5 |
| yogurt | 0.3 |
| egg | 0.3 |
Keep in mind that food processing, such as grinding, may increase the content of chromium of food. Stainless-steel equipment may leach chromium into food.
Can I get enough chromium from food?
In most cases, healthy people who follow a well-balanced diet don’t need chromium supplements. In fact, chromium deficiency is rare.
Actually, many foods contain chromium. In the standard American diet, meat and fruits are the main dietary sources of chromium. But, whole grain products, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, spices, brewer’s yeast, beer, and wine also help meet our daily needs.
It’s estimated that we get about 20-100 mcg of chromium a day from food. A whole food plant-based diet provides much higher amounts of chromium, as compared to modern Western diets.[2,3]
Also, chromium is good for weight loss.
Can I get too much chromium from food?
There hasn’t been established a maximum safe daily dose of chromium. Certainly, we can’t get too much chromium from food.
In addition, even extremely high chromium doses of 1,000 mcg from supplements are considered safe. But, you better take supplements containing up to 200 mcg of chromium.
Moreover, the absorption rate of chromium from supplements and foods is similar. Most supplements contain chromium picolinate. This form has the highest absorption rate. It’s nearly 1.2%.
Always consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
