I read this and was concerned, is there any truth to this? I eat lots of Brazil nuts at times. Not often. They say just one of two a day is enough.

"The authors did, however, warn that Brazil nuts are not uniform in their selenium content and may contain much more or much less than the estimated 50 micrograms per nut. No more than one or two Brail nuts should be consumed daily to avoid excessive accumulation of selenium in tissues. (Thomson CD, Chisholm A, et al.,Am J Clin Nutr) Practical Tip: Why take expensive supplements? Enjoy just one Brazil nut each day and ensure your selenium levels remain OK."
[www.whfoods.com]

The skin (layer) that brazil nuts have can be poisoning (if I remember right from wikipedia). Not everybody absorbs nuts very well so I see no prob.

If you are worried about this then you should be tested after eating a good quantity of these nuts. I don't believe that it affects a healthy person but a person with a particular genetic trait could be affected. And remember as I always say they are very seldom RAW, and quite rancid out of season.

Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium. The shell contains aflatoxin, but we don't eat the shell.

Brazil nuts can be purchased truly raw online: [www.rawguru.com]

Something to consider: Brazil nuts are one of the few tree foods that do not favor cultivation. They grow best in wild rainforest. Harvesting the nuts for cash helps provide incentive for preserving the rainforest, and supports indigenous people who might otherwise be forced from their native habitat.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that is critical for reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, and protection against oxidative damage. It's probably pretty easy to be deficient in selenium on a raw vegan diet. For me, when I add up what I get on a nutrient calculator, I'm almost always low on selenium without a Brazil nut.

The RDA for selenium is about 55 mcg, and the upper limit is 400 mcg. One Brazil nut supplies about 95 mcg selenium, so you can eat 3 or 4 and remain below the upper limit.

Avoid selenium supplements, which may bring us over the upper limit when added to selenium in our diets.

The beneficial range for selenium is narrow. However selenium is absolutely essential.

Maybe scroll down to check out the subtitle "Selenium and Health" in this document from National Institutes of Health: [ods.od.nih.gov]

Sorry, I shouldn't have suggested 4 nuts, at least not regularly, since you'll probably have selenium from other sources too.

The first European to discover Brazil was Pedro Álvares Cabral on April 22, 1500 according to Wiki.
Where could we have gotten selenium if Alvares did not discover Brazil or are the nuts grown in other places?

Are there any other sources?
Something is not right. Maybe selenium is overrated or there are local sources.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2013 08:16PM by RawPracticalist.

Good point.

Most people get selenium from meat and cooked grains.

Lucky we live in the 21st century. This of course begs the question of whether raw vegan is the most "natural" choice.

It is for me.

My grandfather called them something awful, what they look like when they came in the shell. I cant even repeat it.

I think I know. Did Grandpa come from the South? Kind of a common term there, at least for while. Hope it's not anymore.