Nutritionally, Brazil nuts are a good source of some vitamins and minerals. A cup or 133 grams of Brazil nuts contains the vitamins thiamin (0.8 mg�55% DV) and vitamin E (7.6 mg�38% DV); minerals calcium (213 mg�21% DV), magnesium (500 mg�125% DV), phosphorus (946 mg�96% DV), copper (2.3 mg�116% DV), and manganese (1.6 mg�81%),[14] and are perhaps the richest dietary source of selenium; one ounce can contain as much as 10 times the adult USRDA (U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances), more even than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), although the amount of selenium within batches of nuts varies greatly.[15][16]
Recent research suggests that proper selenium intake is correlated with a reduced risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.[17] This has led some health commentators and nutritionists to recommend the consumption of Brazil nuts as a protective measure.[18][19] These findings are inconclusive, however; other investigations into the effects of selenium on prostate cancer were inconclusive.[20]
Brazil nuts have one of the highest concentrations of phytic acid at 2 to 6% of dry weight. (Phytic acid can prevent absorption of some nutrients, mainly iron, but is also a subject of research and possibly confers health benefits - see phytic acid article for more information.)
Nutritionally, Brazil nuts are a good source of some vitamins and minerals. A cup or 133 grams of Brazil nuts contains the vitamins thiamin (0.8 mg�55% DV) and vitamin E (7.6 mg�38% DV); minerals calcium (213 mg�21% DV), magnesium (500 mg�125% DV), phosphorus (946 mg�96% DV), copper (2.3 mg�116% DV), and manganese (1.6 mg�81%), and are perhaps the richest dietary source of selenium; one ounce can contain as much as 10 times the adult USRDA (U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances), more even than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), although the amount of selenium within batches of nuts varies greatly.
Recent research suggests that proper selenium intake is correlated with a reduced risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.This has led some health commentators and nutritionists to recommend the consumption of Brazil nuts as a protective measure. These findings are inconclusive, however; other investigations into the effects of selenium on prostate cancer were inconclusive.
Brazil nuts have one of the highest concentrations of phytic acid at 2 to 6% of dry weight. (Phytic acid can prevent absorption of some nutrients, mainly iron, but is also a subject of research and possibly confers health benefits - see phytic acid article for more information.)
Brazil nuts should be considered a super health food.
I would like to make a couple of points, first, look at the calcium to magnesium ratio... more than twice the magnesium to calcium, and that is the perfect ratio, not the other way around as in most supplements.
And what do we know about selenium? We know that cancer rates are much higher in areas where the soil is deficient in selenium.
We also know that age spots, on the hands, commonly called liver spots, are an early selenium deficiency warning... So rather than covering these spots with expensive creams, just make sure you get all your minerals, especially selenium, then all the "internal" liver spots will disappear as well.
Make certain you get your daily 250 mcg of selenium, then you won't be at risk for several cancers, as well as cardiomyopathy heart attack, which is the most severe selenium deficiency warning...
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Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)
I am a brazil nut fan..I have several bags in my freezer! But I have read its important to limit intake to 2 to 4 a day to avoid selenium toxicity. Light tuna is another great source of selenium.
I am a brazil nut fan..I have several bags in my freezer! But I have read its important to limit intake to 2 to 4 a day to avoid selenium toxicity. Light tuna is another great source of selenium.
When it comes to selenium, the problem is deficiency...not toxicity.
You could eat a handful of Brazil nuts every day for the rest of your life and not become (selenium) toxic.
Even if each nut contains 100mcg of selenium, that works out to about 1mg, which isn't even close to becomming toxic, and it's not what you take in, its what your body absorbs.
The RDA for iodine is 150mcg, which is much too low to be of any benefit, and the RDA for vitamin D is 400iu, which is another example of a supplement being much too low to be beneficial.
The RDA for selenium is 55mcg for an adult, when in fact the minimum RDA should be 250mcg, and that is nowhere near the optimal amount needed to prevent cancers, kill viruses,etc..
If your hair starts falling out in clumps, or if your nails become very brittle, and you have a garlic taste in your mouth when you haven't eaten garlic lately, cut back on your selenium, otherwise don't worry about it.
3 or 4 brazil nuts has 272 mcg, 1,000 mcg can cause side effects...if I am reading this right. Its been some time since I have looked into this..and as I mentioned I take a couple of brazil nuts now and then!
Selenium is one of the most important trace minerals and decreasing levels of selenium intake in our food is an increasing cause for concern.
Brazil nuts, in moderation, are a healthy addition to anyone's diet. If you're getting on a bit, Brazils may not suit your teeth! Walnuts and almonds are softer - and superior in nutritional value to all other nuts.
When I was a tot in the 1950's my mother would set me down with a bowl of nut, a nutcracker and pick. That passed for a fun hour back in those days. Brazil nuts were the hardest to eat, requiring both a nutcracker and a pick to enjoy.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts were the hardest to eat, requiring both a nutcracker and a pick to enjoy.
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