Brazil nuts are rich and creamy, and make a great snack and even seasoning – and are among the most delicious superfoods. They are high in protein, healthy fats, and selenium, a mineral that’s essential for proper immune function, and has been linked in studies to protection against chronic disease.

 

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Despite their name, Brazil nuts are found throughout the non-flooded forest regions of the Amazon region of South America including Bolivia and Peru; not just in Brazil. Other common names include para-nut, cream-nut and Castanha-do-Brasil or chestnuts of Brazil. The trees that produce Brazil nuts are some of the longest-living in the rain forest which can grow to 50 meters, or 164 feet in height. It’s estimated that Brazil nut trees have a lifespan of about 500 to 700 years.

Each mature tree will bear about 300 fruit pods per growing season. A pod is a large shelled fruit, like a coconut, which takes about 14 months to mature once pollinated. Each pod will contain anywhere from 10 to 25 Brazil nuts, each encased in its own dark brown individual shell. One Brazil tree will therefore produce between 3000 and 7500 Brazil nuts per year.
 
 

Brazil Nut Nutrition

One ounce, or 28.5 g of Brazil nuts has 186 calories, 4 g of protein, 3.5 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of fiber, 19 g of fat, 206 mg of phosphorus, 107 mg of magnesium, 187 mg of potassium, and 543 mcg of selenium. In short, you get a lot of nutrition in a reasonable amount of calories. Brazil nuts can easily be part of any weight loss, and weight maintenance program.

Nutrition highlights include:

Allergens

Like all nuts and seeds, Brazil nuts are naturally gluten free, but it’s important to be sure that there isn’t any risk for cross contamination especially if the nuts were processed in a plant that also processes peanuts or gluten-containing foods. Further, Brazil nuts must be taken into consideration if you have a ‘tree nut’ allergy.

Vitamin E

These nuts are a great source of vitamin E, providing 1.62 mg of the more commonly known form* alpha-tocopherol, and 2.23 mg of one of the lesser-known but no less important forms called gamma-tocopherol. Gamma-tocopherol is linked to lower rates of dementia and better prostate health, and is effective at lowering inflammation. Blood levels of gamma tocopherol levels are also lower in individuals who have atherosclerosis. Because each form of vitamin E has its important contribution to the body, it’s best to eat whole foods which supply a range of the different forms of vitamin E versus just getting alpha-tocopherol from supplements.

Monounsaturated Fat

Brazil nuts, like all nuts and seeds, contain relatively high amounts of fat. Fat is not a bad thing per se, so it’s important not to get too focused on absolute amounts. Higher fat foods can easily be part of any healthy weight eating plan when consumed in balance with other important food components. Remember, quality counts. Brazil nuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, which have consistently been shown to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke, by helping to improve the balance of LDL and HDL cholesterol.

Selenium

Brazil nuts are the highest natural source of the essential mineral selenium. One ounce, or 28.5 g, of Brazil nuts provides a whopping 543 mcg of this powerhouse mineral, and just one nut will contain about 95 mcg. The recommended daily intake needed to prevent a deficiency is a mere 55 mcg per day; one Brazil nut will, on average, provide 181% of your daily selenium needs.

There is much evidence from studies showing that higher intakes of selenium, amounts higher than the 55 mcg daily requirement, provide many disease-fighting properties, including lower rates of heart disease and many cancers, and may help to reduce the risk for cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, and dementia. Selenium has also been shown to boost the activity of the immune system, including in individuals with impaired immune function.

This is because selenium is used to make a powerful antioxidant enzyme called glutathione-peroxidase, which is found in every cell of your body. Just 1 to 2 nuts per day will give you ample amounts of selenium to optimize the activity of this all-important antioxidant. Selenium can be toxic with higher intakes, over 900 mcg or more per day long-term – this is not to instill a sense of worry about Brazil nuts, keeping in mind that selenium rich foods, including Brazil nuts, are consumed regularly throughout the world without any cause for concern – but rather to pay attention to combining adequate food sources with supplements, and as with any food, to not overdo.

Storage and Cooking

It’s best to store the nuts in an airtight container in a dry place, away from humidity and light. While some suggest buying only nuts that are in their shell, to keep them protected, this isn’t always feasible; moreover there isn’t any good evidence to show that shelled nuts, stored properly, are less beneficial.

Brazil nuts can be enjoyed as a snack, alone or with other nuts or dried fruit. They can be used anywhere other nuts are used: in baking, pesto, chopped and sprinkled over fruit salad, on top of a vegetable salad, stirred into a cooked cereal like oatmeal or oat bran, or atop of yogurt. Chopped Brazil nuts can also be added to cooked whole grains like teff, quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat and more. Sprinkle chopped Brazil nuts on top of cooked vegetables or give a nutritional boost to rice or tapioca pudding. Toasting the nuts adds a delicious flavor component to all of the above. Raw Brazil nuts can also be soaked overnight and allowed to sprout to maximize their digestibility and nutrient availability, and or finely ground with some of the soaking liquid into a cheese-like spread.

Learn more about the right foods to eat (and ones you should never eat).

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References

USDA Nutrient Database

 

Brazil nuts and associated health benefits: A review

Yang J. LWT – Food Science and Technology. 2009;42(10):1573–1580.



* Vitamin E is a group of 8 different forms, all of which are powerful fat-soluble antioxidants, helping to protect our cells from oxidation.

Comments 14

  1. Because of medications I am currently on, Vitamin E is off my “can do” list. I know I am feeling better since on this program and my sugar has been in the normal range, my BP has been good so I know it works. I have suggested this program to a few friends and I hope they take advantage of it.

  2. Hi, jarasool. It is possible. Because of their selenium and phytochemical content, they have been linked to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-autoimmune activity, all of which are central to chronic fatigue syndrome. There is limited direct research now, but no harm in going for it anyway.

  3. Very interesting. A while back my Mom told be that she was including Brazil nuts in her diet because she had heard something about them helping combat chronic fatigue, a condition she and I both suffer with. Any validity to this?

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