Health Benefits Of Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts http://goo.gl/ColMoK come from a tree that is grown in many parts of the Amazon, not just Brazil. They are large, in comparison to other nuts, and are often included in nut mixes. Just six nuts comprise a 1 ounce serving. Brazil nuts offer many nutrients, but are dense in calories and fat and are are quickly becoming one of the hottest foods for improving health and longevity.


Primary Nutrients
One ounce of Brazil nuts contains 185 calories, 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbohydrates. Brazil nuts provide 2 grams of fiber per 1 ounce serving, which is 8 percent of the recommended daily allowance, or RDA, as per U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. They provide 5 percent of the RDA for calcium and 4 percent for iron.

Beneficial Fats
Most of the fat found in Brazil nuts is the healthy unsaturated varieties which, when used in lieu of saturated fat, can help to promote heart health, says the American Heart Association. Of the 19 grams of fat in 1 ounce 41 percent is monounsaturated and 34 percent is polyunsaturated. Keep in mind that Brazil nuts still contain the highest amount of saturated fat of any nut – one serving provides 21 percent of the RDA. Stick to just one serving of nuts daily to keep your daily calorie and fat intake under control.
Brazil nuts should not be purchased in large quantities. Due to its high omega-6 fatty acid content, Brazil nuts have a tendency to become rancid easily.
Store them in the refrigerator or freezer to maintain their freshness. 
Regularly eating multiple servings of Brazil nuts may cause negative health effects. 
The CIDPUSA Foundation notes that more than 10 times the RDA of selenium can cause brittle hair and fingernails, stimulate skin rashes, affect the nervous system, make you feel fatigued and disrupt digestion causing diarrhea.

Health benefits of Brazil nuts:

• Brazil nuts are high in calories, contain good quantities of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Its kernels, in-fact, have been staple energy sources of native Amazonians even today.

• 100 g of brazil nuts provide about 656 calories. Their high caloric content chiefly comes from their fats. However, much of this fat content is mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like palmitoleic acid (16:1) and oleic acid (18:1) that helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol" levels in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet that is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids offers protection from coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.

• The nuts are also a very good source of vitamin-E; contain about 7.87 mg per 100 g (about 52% of RDA). Vitamin-E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant. It is required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucusa and skin by protecting it from harmful oxygen-free radicals.

• Brazil nuts hold exceptionally high levels of selenium. 100 g nuts provide about 1917 µg or 3485% recommended daily intake of selenium, rating them as the highest and most concentrated natural source of this mineral. Selenium is an important cofactor for anti-oxidant enzyme, glutathione-peroxidase. Just 1-2 nuts a day provides enough of this trace element. Adequate selenium in the diet help prevent coronary artery disease, liver cirrhosis, and cancers. According to a double-blind study published in the International Journal of General Medicine in 2011, selenium and vitamin E were given to 690 infertile men and 53% total improvement in sperm motility and morphology was observed.Interestingly, as a side note the study also reported pregnancy in 11% of the cases.To ensure the necessary amount of selenium in the diet, only 1-2 Brazil nuts per day are needed. Since Brazil nuts do not contain uniform amounts of selenium (it ranges between 70-90 micrograms per nut) a specific number of Brazil nuts can be given. It should also be noted that no more than 2 nuts per day should be consumed since selenium in large quantities can be toxic and even reduce testosterone levels. 

• Furthermore, just as in almonds and pine nuts, brazil nuts too are free from gluten protein. The nuts, therefore, are one of the popular ingredients in the preparation of gluten-free food formulas. These formula preparations are, in-fact, healthy alternatives in people with wheat food allergy and celiac disease.

• Additionally, these creamy nuts are an excellent source of B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin (51% of RDA per 100 g), riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and folates. Altogether, these vitamins work as co-factors for enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism inside the body.

• In addition to selenium, they hold very good levels of other minerals such as copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Copper helps prevent anemia and bone weakness (osteoporosis). Manganese is an all-important co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.