Brazil nuts, produced by trees in the Amazon rain forest of South Africa, are nutritional powerhouses that contain 190 calories per ounce, which is about six nuts. If you incorporate Brazil nuts into your diet by using them to replace other high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, expect to see improvements in both your digestion and your health.
Selenium and Health
One ounce of Brazil nuts contains 544 micrograms of selenium, which provides you with around 780 percent of your daily recommended intake, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Selenium helps your body produce antioxidant enzymes that help protect your body from damage and disease caused by free radicals. Common diseases known to benefit from higher selenium levels in the blood include cancer, heart disease, HIV and arthritis. Do not eat too many Brazil nuts in one day, however, because excess levels of selenium in the blood may cause hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, garlic breath odor, mild nerve damage and irritability. While selenium toxicity is very rare, consult your physician if you experience any combination of these symptoms.
Potassium and Health
Every organ, tissue and cell in your body relies on potassium to function properly. Potassium helps keep you healthy by keeping nerve impulses traveling consistently through your heart, building muscle, promoting normal body growth, helping to regulate the acid-base balance in your body, aiding in the synthesis of proteins from amino acids and assisting in the metabolism of carbohydrates. The failure to consume adequate amounts of potassium may result in abnormal heart rhythms, the breakdown of muscle fibers, fatigue, constipation, muscle weakness, muscle cramps or paralysis. Brazil nuts provide you with 187 mg of potassium, equaling 4 percent of the 4,700 mg of potassium needed each day to keep your body health.
Dietary Fiber, Digestion and Health
If you have trouble with high cholesterol, controlling your blood sugar, maintaining your weight or having regular bowel movements, the 2 g of fiber in Brazil nuts may help. In the "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend consuming 14 g of fiber for every 1,000 calories you take in each day. Always eat Brazil nuts in place of other calories, not as an addition to your diet. Consuming too many calories decreases the effectiveness of increased fiber intake.
Magnesium and Health
Six Brazil nuts provide you with about 25 percent of the daily recommended intake of magnesium. Men need 400 mg of magnesium each day, while women only need 310 mg, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium maintains your steady heart rate, supports your immune system, promotes strong bones and keeps your nerves and muscles functioning properly. Your bone stores of magnesium typically protect you from experiencing symptoms of magnesium deficiency. If you have absorption problems due to gastrointestinal disease, however, you may not absorb enough magnesium, causing your blood levels drop too low.
References
- International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation: Brazil Nuts
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Selenium
- MedlinePlus: Potassium in the Diet
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Hypokalemia
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Health Diet; Mayo Clinic staff; November 2009
- "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"; U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; December 2010
