Home / Herbalist / Benefits and harms of Brazil nut

Benefits and harms of Brazil nut

As often happens, the hero of our today's conversation, called a nut, not because he is in a biological sense, but because in appearance, taste, texture and smell, it is most similar to a nut. In fact, the grain or seed from the fruit of the tree bertholletia. Brazilian walnut is not divided into halves, as his true brethren. And if you saw the fruit bertholletia live, then, most likely, would have decided that before you coconut. But it is worth it to split, and instead of the white pulp you will see large elongated grains are covered with skin. Why not come up with mother nature!

The title no prizes for guessing that Brazil nuts come from the same country. Although it grows throughout the valley of the Amazon river, in the territory of Guiana, Venezuela, Bolivia and part of Peru. This product is known since the times of the Indians; he was always appreciated for the excellent taste and high nutritional value. Folk medicine of the Aztecs has actively used the fruit bertholletia. They now play an important role in local cooking and healing.

Once on the European continent, Brazilian walnut aroused great interest and universal love. It's an incredibly tasty treat, and modern scientists were able to establish that it is also a useful food product. To all who are watching their health, wants to have a trim figure and beautiful skin, will be interesting to our today's detailed story about Brazil nuts.


Description Brazil nut

Tree bertholletia (in some sources – bertholletia), so named in honor of the great French chemist Claude Bertolli. Looks like this tree is truly monumental: to 50-60 meters tall, absolutely straight and smooth, up to three feet in circumference, and the leaves with the fruits are almost at the very top. Bertholletia grows about five hundred years, and to bring the harvest begins only in the twelfth year of life. Collect the nuts with such a giant, you know, extremely difficult, and it is not necessary: ripe fruits themselves fall to the ground. That is why the Spanish colonists, for the first time tasted the sweet, nutritious Brazil nuts, called them "the gift of the Lord from heaven."

Shell bertoletova fruit although thin, but very durable. If the fall didn't crack it, you have to try to retrieve the treat. This very successful monkeys are one of the main connoisseurs of Brazilian walnut. They are rapping the fruit on the sharp stones. By the way, that rich fauna of the Amazon region contributes to the natural spread of bertholletia. For example, the adorable agouti animals (like Guinea pigs) store Brazil nuts"rainy day", burying them in the ground. And then forget where I hid the treasure. The seeds successfully germinate, giving life to new trees. How like the history of our squirrels and acorns, is it not?

To plant Brazil nut artificially – employment is difficult, and so senseless. In the jungle with one bertholletia for the year you can withdraw up to two hundred pounds of fragrant nuts! And in "captivity", the trees do not want to bear fruit nor after twelve or fifteen years after planting. Another mystery of nature! To date, the main supplier of Brazil nuts to world market is Bolivia, but its name has remained unchanged.


Use Brazil nut

What is so remarkable about this large (5-6 cm in length) buttery nut taste like cedar?

Its amazing vitamin and mineral content. It contains:

  • Vitamins E, C and almost all of the group B;
  • 10 essential micronutrients;
  • Flavonoids;
  • 18 valuable amino acids;
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids;
  • Fiber.

Let us consider in detail how to use Brazil nuts can cover the daily requirement of the human body in minerals and vitamins.

Let's start with the vitamins (calculations are for 100 grams of nuts):

  • B1 – 51% of the daily requirement;
  • E – 25%;
  • B6 – 7%;
  • B9 – 5%;
  • B5 – 4%;
  • B2 – 3%;
  • B3 – 2%;
  • C – 1%.

Now we present data on the trace elements, also based on 100 grams of Brazil nuts:

  • Selenium – 2739% DV;
  • Phosphorus – 104%;
  • Magnesium – 94%;
  • Copper – 58%;
  • Potassium – 33%;
  • Zinc – 27%;
  • Iron – 24%;
  • Manganese – 24%;
  • Calcium 16%;
  • Sodium – 1%.

Just an incredible figure – 2739% of the daily value of selenium in just one of a handful of Brazil nuts! That is, by a pair of nuts can be guaranteed to protect against deficiency of this important trace mineral.

Why do people need selenium, and how dangerous the lack of it? Let's deal.

Selenium in Brazil nuts

Details the role of selenium in maintaining human health began to be studied in the mid-twentieth century. Just then there was speculation that this substance we just need. Earlier it was considered a potent poison! In a sense it is. There are even cases of mass poisoning of cattle grazing in wheat fields, where the soil is rich in selenium. An excess of this trace mineral can be dangerous, but the lack of it threatens no less serious consequences.

Selenium is involved in cellular reactions: no it does not produce the necessary enzymes. The human body, especially women, begin to give system failures. Fertility, that is, the ability to successfully conceiving and bearing fruit, is directly related to selenium. Deficiency of this substance greatly increases the risk of viral infections in the body of pregnant women. Also the lack of selenium leads to hormonal dysfunctions – thyroid suffers.

The trace element selenium is involved in the synthesis of several important proteins:

  • The selenium-enzyme P is produced by the endothelium of the brain. This protein protects us from stress, the harmful effect of heavy metals and peroxides. In other words, it is a powerful antioxidant that can not normally be synthesized without the participation of a sufficient number of selenium;

  • The selenium-enzyme W is produced in the muscles and responsible for their work. Without this protein occurs premature aging, the body becomes flabby, the muscles are burned due to the amount of calories, so selenium deficiency is also a direct road to obesity;

  • Iediterranean-5 deiodinase is produced in the kidneys and liver. This amino acid plays an important role in maintaining healthy hormonal levels of the person throughout his life.

Selenium, along with iodine, magnesium and cobalt is responsible for the proper maturation of oocytes. It also prevents cellular mutations and, therefore, helps deliver a healthy baby without birth defects and congenital abnormalities. A role of selenium in strengthening immunity and preventing the development of cancer diseases. This trace mineral required for the synthesis of enzymes that destroy foreign cells.

To avoid selenium deficiency, do not necessarily buy in a pharmacy vitamin-mineral complexes, which many starts Allergy. Enough to eat: regularly eat fish, seafood and nuts. Asagain, one of them is Brazilian and today we're talking about. It is the most generous source of selenium, which can only offer us nature.

Use Brazil nuts for women

As we have said, contained in Brazil nuts selenium plays a vital role in maintaining female reproductive function, ensures the correct course of pregnancy, protects the unborn baby from pathologies, protects the thyroid gland. But every girl is not only an expectant mother. It is primarily the woman who wants to stay young and beautiful for as long as possible. Than she can help Brazil nut?

The antioxidants included in it, fighting free radicals, and thus prolong our lives. In zakislenna the body develop serious illness, including cancer. This terrible word is afraid of any woman. But if you eat right and lead a healthy lifestyle, we can at least be confident that you did everything you could to protect yourself from cancer.

Vitamin E, which so many in Brazil nuts, it is very necessary to women it is often called the vitamin of beauty and youth. Shiny hair, supple skin and strong nails is impossible without adequate amounts of vitamin E, because it refers to fat-soluble, get it from Brazil nuts is very convenient – there were up to 60% fat!

By the way, the high fat content of these nuts may not be a reason to abandon their use by those who want to lose weight. Fat Brazilian walnut is almost entirely polyunsaturated fatty acids. Getting in the female body, they reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol and increases level of "good". Of course, should not be too pampered Brazil nuts: two or three things a day is enough for beneficial effects, and just enough to disrupt the schedule of weight loss.

Other useful properties of Brazil nut

For help to the Brazilian walnut can address not only women who wish to prolong their youth and men who care about their men's health. Regular consumption of these nuts increases the potency and improves sperm quality. It's one of the reasons why the native Latin Americans so loving and prolific in Brazil and Bolivia, you can often find families where the young wife gives birth to his kidssixty the spouse.

Like macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts are very popular in cosmetology. Its healing and aromatic oil is often added to creams for the face and body, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and restorative masks for hair. The effect is remarkable: the Brazil nut oil leaves skin and hair soft, healthy and beautiful. It perfectly nourishes with vitamins and moisturizes and prevents moisture loss.

But back to the food. Brazilian walnut is worth to introduce it into your diet, because this unique product has a number of useful features:

  • Boosts immunity, thanks to the participation of selenium in the synthesis of macrophages, immunoglobulins and white blood cells;
  • Improves digestion and cleanses the intestines with fiber;
  • Neutralizes heavy metals, particularly arsenic;
  • Protects the integrity of the cells, preventing the genetic mutations;
  • Fights free radicals, preventing premature aging and development of chronic diseases.
  • Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, protecting against atherosclerosis and diabetes;

  • Lengthens the reproductive period, for both women and men;
  • Prevents cancer and helps to fight those who are already sick.

Harm Brazil nut

Even such a useful product has a number of disadvantages and contraindications for use. More precisely – to abuse. But about all under the order. Here is a list of reasons that Brazil nuts can be harmful:

  • Allergy is the most common problem. Not only Brazilian, and all nuts basically, many people have a severe Allergy. So if you yourself have noted negative reactions, for example, peanut, Brazil nut taste with great caution;

  • The aflatoxin – in the skin of Brazil nuts contains a natural poison that in large amounts can destroy the liver, cause cirrhosis or cancer. Sanitary-and-epidemiologic legislation of some countries forbids the import of unshelled Brazil nuts. However, such a harsh measure is unnecessary: first, it is unlikely that someone would eat this hard, is absolutely tasteless skin, and secondly, it would need to chew every day for six months to have a pronounced impact;
  • Radium –several years ago, around the Brazil nut sparked an international scandal. American scientists have found in him a dangerous element and urged the world to abandon the purchase. The incident has rather political significance than medical. In fact, the root system of any plant absorbs substances from the soil both beneficial and harmful. Imagine a fifty-meter tree bertholletia: its strong root system over the years will suck from the earth anything. The concentration of radium in Brazil nuts is so tiny that talking about harm here too;
  • Excess selenium – it can develop in humans from eating Brazil nuts. The main symptoms are nausea, vomiting, confusion, redness of the skin, a strange breath, like garlic, shortness of breath, in severe cases, pneumonia and liver failure. This dangerous condition occurs only if long time to use 5 mg of selenium per day, i.e. eat a packet of Brazil nuts.

If you follow the recommendations of doctors, and every day there are 2-3 nuts, it will bring the body only benefits and no harm.


Calorie Brazil nut

Brazil nuts are a lot of oil – up to 60% of the total weight. Therefore, the energy value it very high:

682 kcal per 100 grams

But it does not contain cholesterol, and polyunsaturated fatty acids are beneficial to the state of our blood vessels, skin, hair and nails. The most important fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K can be absorbed in the absence of fat. And Brazil nuts are an excellent source of valuable natural oils.


How to store Brazil nuts?

Buying in store Brazil nuts in the raw form, be sure to shake them: if they rattle inside the shell, so the nuts are shriveled, old and stale. To understand the quality of peeled Brazil nuts much easier. They should be heavy, fleshy and elastic, and have a bright, distinctive flavor. If the nuts are almost weightless and do not smell anything in front of you a defective product.

Home Brazil nuts are best stored in sealed glass dishes or porcelain vase. A small supply of nuts can be wrapped in a plastic bag and put in the fridge, but remember – they instantly absorb the odors of other products. So if you put the Brazil nuts next to the sausage, don't be surprised then they are a strange scent.

In a dark, cool and dry place Brazil nuts stored for a long time – up to two years.