The seeds of one of the largest, longest-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil nuts, feature hard outer shells that, when cracked open, each contain anywhere from 10 to 21 creamy, white seeds. While Brazil nuts provide many healthy benefits for those who consume them, they can also cause many unwanted, unhealthy side effects if too many of them are eaten at once. In this article, we’ll look at the benefits and uses of Brazil nuts, discuss three side effects of eating too many of them, and highlight the importance of balancing the amount of them you include in your diet.
Brazil Nuts Are A Healthy Food Source
A favorite of both humans and the native agouti rodents of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil nut seeds are rich sources of protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and selenium, an essential mineral the human body needs to function well but can’t produce on its own. Their health benefits include reducing the risk of heart diseases and strokes, preventing hormonal imbalances, reducing inflammation, lowering blood sugar, and boosting brain functioning to help combat neurogenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
With their firm, crunchy textures and slightly sweet, earthy tastes, Brazil nuts make popular snacks by themselves and in trail mixes. Their textures, tastes, and nutritional qualities also make good additions to sweet and savory foods, so the nuts are also used as meat substitutes in vegetarian and vegan dishes, tossed into salads, and baked into cakes and cookies.
Unwanted Weight Gain
As with most kinds of nuts, Brazil nuts are very rich in calories, so they can be a great, healthy food to help you meet your daily caloric needs. Eating too many of them a day, however, might result in you overshooting your recommended calorie intake and lead to you gaining unwanted weight. Just like with other foods, these nuts should be eaten in moderation, so health experts suggest only eating one to three medium-sized Brazil nuts a day if you’re including them in part of your diet.
Negative Physical Effects
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Health experts recommend that adults over the age of 19 get 55 micrograms (mcg) of selenium a day, pregnant adults get 60 mcg daily, and lactating adults get 70 mcg daily. Since one Brazil nut contains anywhere from 68 to 91 micrograms of selenium, eating one or two of them daily is more than enough to meet that requirement. Getting enough selenium can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, and more.
While getting too little selenium can have negative effects, getting too much a day also poses risks. The tolerable upper intake level for selenium is 400 mcg a day, and one ounce of Brazil nuts, which is equivalent to six nuts, contains 989% more selenium than the daily recommended intake. People who eat more Brazil nuts and take in more selenium than that can experience many unpleasant side effects, such as brittle hair and nails, discolored teeth, rashes, hair loss, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue.
Eating Too Many Can Be Life-Threatening
Anyone who eats more than 50 average-sized Brazil nuts, which collectively contain up to 5,000 mcg of selenium, risks contracting selenosis or selenium toxicity. Selenosis can cause severe and dangerous health problems, including breathing problems, tremors, kidney failure, heart attacks, and heart failure. While selenium is an important mineral that the human body needs, it can be dangerous in high doses, so it’s important to only eat a few Brazil nuts daily so you can gain their health benefits without being subject to severe side effects.
Final Thoughts
Whether eaten by themselves, mixed into salads, or baked into culinary treats, Brazil nuts can be tasty, healthy additions to your diet. The edible nuts provide your body with various essential nutrients and can help prevent various diseases. You shouldn’t overindulge in the yummy food, though; eating too many Brazil nuts results in overdosing on selenium and risking many side effects. Healthy diets thrive on moderation and balance, and the same holds for Brazil nuts.
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