RE: Re: Selenium - in brazil nuts ?

[Guest guest]

Where did you read they contain little selenium?

Pretty much all Brazil nuts sold in the US are from South America and in

richer soils so I haven't heard that being a problem. The shelled ones only

contain 1/10 the amount of the ones in shells so you want to get the ones in

shells which have 100 mcg per nut. From what I have read, that is for the

ones sold in America so regardless of the source that 100 mcg seems to be

standard.

I guess if you want to make sure, you can contact sources and ask where they

ship from. I know a common store brand which I bought their nuts in the

shell but the shelled ones from Trader Joes actually tasted better so I eat

both...just more if shelled. You can get organic ones from Peru that I know

have the higher selenium amounts. Google " organic Peru Brazil nuts " and I

bet you can find a source.

They must have about what is estimated because I can tell the difference and

don't have to supplement with selenium anymore. I still need thyroid meds

though.

Cheri

Re: Selenium - in brazil nuts ?

--- At 02:08 PM 12/9/2007, Cheri wrote:

>

>[...] Also, since eating the brazil nuts the selenium seems

>to be helping my conversion too but I still need more.

I've read that most brazil nuts contain little selenium. If the

soil they are grown in has very little selenium, so will they.

But they will look and taste like the ones rich in selenium.

There's no good way to know if brazil nuts contain selenium.

It's cheaper to grow brazil nuts in low-selenium soil areas,

and these cheaper brazil nuts are now the most common.

Does anyone know of any specific brands of brazil nuts that

are advertised -- and certified -- to contain selenium ?

Bill

---

[Guest guest]

Bill,

Also, the nuts are grown from trees which are very old and from natural

forests. A tree takes about 15 years before it even produces them and

usually will continue for 150 years producing nuts but the tree itself can

last for 500+ years. So, there isn't really a soil issue and the producers

are decades old. The real problem is over harvesting and not doing

sustainable harvesting so that when the trees no longer produce (and with

the destruction of the rain forests) the supply lessens.

Are you sure you info isn't for another type of nut? I haven't heard of

anyone growing brazil nuts cheaply in low-selenium areas. I have only heard

of them grown in the forests of South America.

Cheri

Re: Selenium - in brazil nuts ?

--- At 02:08 PM 12/9/2007, Cheri wrote:

>

>[...] Also, since eating the brazil nuts the selenium seems

>to be helping my conversion too but I still need more.

I've read that most brazil nuts contain little selenium. If the

soil they are grown in has very little selenium, so will they.

But they will look and taste like the ones rich in selenium.

There's no good way to know if brazil nuts contain selenium.

It's cheaper to grow brazil nuts in low-selenium soil areas,

and these cheaper brazil nuts are now the most common.

Does anyone know of any specific brands of brazil nuts that

are advertised -- and certified -- to contain selenium ?

Bill

.

[Guest guest]

Bill,

Well, who is Black and what is his source for his info? It looks like

just a comment on a blog without any reference and at least two of his

claims are blatantly false. First, that Central America has no selenium in

their soil. Some areas have depleted and some have excess depending on what

has been put into and taken out of the environment. The other claim that the

nuts are grown in Central America makes no sense since they are native to

Amazon forest regions and that is South America, not Central. Two entirely

different regions. 100% of the US exports come from only 3 countries,

Bolivia, Brazil and Peru in that order. I could find nothing in Googling

that says there are crops in Central America...the climate wouldn't even be

conducive to the trees.

Maybe he just doesn't know his geography, lol. I know the selenium amount

can vary by country and region, but the international trade from South

America tested at 10 mcg for shelled and 100 mcg for unshelled as averages

of the US market.

There are trees within the same species in Central America, but they don't

produce the edible nuts that we know as " brazil nuts " . I guess if you still

are in doubt you can always contact the company supplying them in your area.

I personally grind them up and they get kind of oily and sweet and I add

them to my meals as well as make cookies from them. It's been fun.

A quick Google and I found this:

" Around 20,000 tons of Brazil nuts are harvested each year, of which Bolivia

accounts for about 50%, Brazil 40% and Peru 10% (2000 estimates).[2] In

1980, annual production was around 40,000 tons per year from Brazil alone,

and in 1970 Brazil harvested a reported 104,487 tons of nuts.[3] "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_nut Boliva outpaced Brazil as an

exporter years ago. http://www.answers.com/topic/brazil-nut?cat=health

" Nut production- Around 20,000 tons of Brazil nuts are harvested each year,

of which Bolivia accounts for about 50%, Brazil 40% and Peru 10% (2000

estimates).[2] In 1980, annual production was around 40,000 tons per year

from Brazil alone, and in 1970 Brazil harvested a reported 104,487 tons of

nuts.[3] "

Effects of harvesting

Brazil nuts for international trade come entirely from wild collection

rather than from plantations. This has been advanced as a model for

generating income from a tropical forest without destroying it. The nuts are

gathered by migrant workers known as castanheiros.

Cheri-

--- At 06:25 PM 12/9/2007, Cheri wrote:

>

>Are you sure you info isn't for another type of nut? I haven't heard of

anyone growing brazil nuts cheaply in low-selenium areas. I have only heard

of them grown in the forests of South America.

I read that in recent years, more and more brazil nuts are

being grown in Central America, on selenium-poor soils.

For example, from:

<http://diabetes.pocket-book.com/2007/03/16/inflammation-nation-gist>

" ...selenium is only found in Brazil nuts from Brazil, which has selenium

in the soil. Brazil nuts grown in Central America, which has no selenium in

the soil, have no selenium concentration. "

So, if you get nuts grown-in Brazil, they should be high in

selenium. But if you buy them from a retail reseller, there's

no telling where they were actually grown, unless the packaging,

or shipping container actually says: " Product of Brazil " .

Bill

.