Curb carbohydrate cravings with chromium

If you have been struggling to lose weight, you know that you need all the extra help you can get… especially if you are a carb-oholic.

If chips call out to you, crackers and pasta are your downfalls, or you can’t imagine a day without bread, that little extra push you need to avoid these pound-packing choices is easier to find than you might think.

Instead of heading to your doctor’s office for a prescription diet drug that can cause dizziness, dry mouth, insomnia, constipation, or even worse… potentially fatal high blood pressure, you can add in a simple mineral to take control of your cravings.

What specific mineral am I talking about? Chromium.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral found in many of our foods. Yet, thanks to pollution, pesticide sprays and other environmental factors, you might actually be deficient in it.

And a chromium deficiency could be causing you to crave carbohydrates even more, making it impossible to ignore those desires for just one more bite — and leaving you to carry around those extra unwanted pounds.

You see, chromium is vital to controlling cravings because of the positive effect it has on blood sugar…

When you eat a carb-laden meal, like that morning donut, the carbohydrates in it are broken down into sugar that moves directly into your bloodstream. How your body converts this sugar, and if it is able to keep your levels stable, determines how strong your cravings are.

Level blood sugar and decreased appetite

Studies have found that taking chromium can actually decrease your cravings for certain foods, especially carbohydrates. This benefit comes from the improved blood sugar control and decreased appetite you get with adding chromium to your diet.

Taking this mineral helps to moderate absorption and improve the way your body utilizes the foods you eat. In fact, one study showed that just 400 mcg of chromium prior to a carb-filled meal reduced blood sugar levels by 23%.

And, another study found that overweight women who took chromium had a decreased appetite and were able to better control the amount of food they ate. In other words, taking chromium made them feel full so they ate less.

Safe supplementation rules

Studies on chromium for weight loss in healthy adults have used dosages ranging from 200 mcg to 1,000 mcg per day and getting the chromium you need to help control your cravings and drop the extra pounds is actually very easy.

Chromium supplements are readily available and the best choices are GTF chromium or chromium chelate. If you’re taking a daily multi-vitamin, chances are you are probably getting some chromium already. But all multi-vitamins don’t include minerals, so check the label to be sure.

There are also a number of foods that have good amounts of chromium, including calf’s liver, broccoli, barley, and oats. Of course to make sure these foods contain what they should, seek your meat from a local farm if possible and choose organically grown vegetables.

One of the most nutritious ways to add chromium to your diet is through brewer’s yeast. Just two ounces of brewer’s yeast will give you 50-60 mcg of chromium. Even better, since brewer’s yeast is a nutritional powerhouse, helping with digestion, immune and nervous system function, enhancing energy, and even giving you healthier hair, skin, and nails, you get a lot of bang for your buck when you take it.

You can get brewer’s yeast in capsules or as a powder to sprinkle on your food. Mixing it into soups or using it to season popcorn are great ways to incorporate it into your everyday diet.

Chromium is a mineral that your body already needs. Why not use it to help overcome those carb cravings, lose the extra weight and get healthier now.

Sources:

1. http://www.rxlist.com/weight_loss_medications-page2/drugs-condition.htm

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16184071

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15310739

4. http://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=21666