Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are actually seeds from the fruit of the Bertholletia excelsa tree, or to give it its common name, the Brazil nut tree. The fruit looks like a coconut husk, in that it is around the same size and hard and woody. Eight to twenty seeds are contained within, arranged like the segments of an orange.

They are well known for their high levels of the antioxidant selenium, with one or two nuts providing you with 100% of your daily requirement. Studies into selenium indicate that it may help prevent both breast and prostate cancer, but early results are inconclusive. The antioxidant also helps fight coronary artery disease and liver cirrhosis.

They are also a good source of omega-3 which the body needs to stay healthy. In addition to omega-3 fatty acid, they are an especially good source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are used by the body to lower the bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol levels. According to scientists from the Department of Psychology at the University of Wales in Swansea, a deficiency in selenium, may be associated with increased anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Brazil nuts are a great source of vitamins E, B complex vitamins, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. They are however very high in calories, so you should be careful how many you eat, as 100 grams of the nuts contains 656 calories. But the good news is that our digestive systems don't seem that well adjusted to eating nuts, and that up to a third of the cells within the nut, pass through us completely intact, which means the fats from the oils remains trapped inside the intact cells, effectively reducing the calorie content by around 30%. Even with this reduction you should still make sure you keep an eye on how many you eat.

The high calorie levels do mean that they provide a great energy boost, in a small package, fitness trainers suggest that they make a good snack both before and after exercise. Make sure though that your exercise is more than walking to the shops, we don't need a snack for that.

Brazil nuts in their husk

They do have one really negative side, they are very high in saturated fat, that is the really bad fat everybody says we should avoid. As with any food, good or bad, moderation is the key, and one or two nuts daily, gives you all the benefits with the minimum problems. Personally I have a couple with a handful of raisins each evening once I feel my dinner wearing off. This snack keeps me out of the biscuit box and makes sure I don't go to bed so hungry that I end up chewing on my pillow.


The Science:
Biological Psychiatry; David Benton & Richard Cook. 1991