Should I cut back on Brazil Nuts?

Do Me Good

I’ve recently heard that can contribute to hair loss and high levels of radioactivity. The recommended daily dose is about 3 of them. I’ve been eating quite a lot of these every day for the last 5 years… probably 10 or more a day. Although I knew I might have been eating a lot, I thought to myself, “well they’re nuts, so how bad could they be?” and what would I be eating instead?

Is it worth cutting down on them? and say, maybe just eat more veg or yoghurt in their place? Because I really like them?

Lux23

Could you eat another kind of nut maybe?

DarkoT

I've read the same thing about bananas and radioactivity, but that turn out to be a complete rubbish. Now I don't know about brazilian nuts, but you should search from more reliable sources.

ford2600

Unless they are the Chernoybl variety I wouldn't worry.

Too many might effect your omega6/3 ratio, this guy explains it well as usual
http://sigmanutrition.com/eating-too-many-nuts/

El_Dangeroso

I've not heard the radiation thing but they are super high in selenium which is great to get a little of but not great to get too much of.

YurOK2

How can you eat 10 of them? I find them so so oily!

Why do you eat them? Do you eat them because you like them or do you eat them for some specific dietary requirement? If you eat them for a specific dietary requirement then have a look at other sources.

Do Me Good

YurOK2 wrote: »

How can you eat 10 of them? I find them so so oily!

Why do you eat them? Do you eat them because you like them or do you eat them for some specific dietary requirement? If you eat them for a specific dietary requirement then have a look at other sources.

Oily? They're dry to touch?

I eat them with panda licorice. The two taste very good together.

YurOK2

Do Me Good wrote: »

Oily? They're dry to touch?

I eat them with panda licorice. The two taste very good together.

They are dry to touch, however, they are quite oily when you bite into them. They are to me anyway.

threebagsfull

DarkoT wrote: »

I've read the same thing about bananas and radioactivity, but that turn out to be a complete rubbish. Now I don't know about brazilian nuts, but you should search from more reliable sources.

1. It didn't turn out to be rubbish - they still have natural radioactivity, but it's not that harmful apparently. Did you ready somewhere that they had a certain amount of radioactivity and that amount was then refuted or were you just reading headlines saying "they're bad for you" / "they're good for you"?

2. If you don't know about brazil nuts, why comment?

3. If you don't know the OPs sources, why recommend that they search more reliable sources?

Zillah

Almost everything is radioactive. The bricks your house are made of are radioactive. Your body is radioactive. The question you should ask is how much radiation. The answer is: so little it's not worth spending a millisecond thinking about.

A friend once warned me to not eat Brazil nuts because they're radioactive and I spent ten minutes laughing.

Speedwell

If your concern is trace amounts of radioactivity, don't eat bananas. Seriously. They use them to test Geiger counters.

No, the concern with Brazil nuts is selenium, as others have posted. A safe amount is up to four nuts a day. Really. TWO nuts a day is biologically equivalent to taking a selenium supplement.

Alf Veedersane

If you eat lots of brazil nuts and bananas you will turn into Dr Manhattan.

Best thing you can do in that eventuality is buy some pants.

Carlos Orange

According to me googling stuff on the internet you are risking Selenosis.

http://visualrecipes.com/blog/brazil-nuts-radioactive-yet-cancer-fighting/


This is a report on Selenosis caused by overdosing on a related nut.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3681114/


Then again if nothing has gone wrong after 5 years it probably isn't going to become a problem now.

Oasis1974

Try other nuts as well if its only Brazil you eat then 10 or more eat day is excessive to me. I mix Almonds/Cashews/Walnuts/Peanuts/Pecan and only have 1 Brazil nut eat day just for the Selenium. Think its 55 micro-grams is recommended for Selenium a day.

Do Me Good

psinno wrote: »

Then again if nothing has gone wrong after 5 years it probably isn't going to become a problem now.

Are you sure you pasted that pubmed link correctly, as I can't seem to get it.

Thanks

Carlos Orange

Do Me Good wrote: »

Are you sure you pasted that pubmed link correctly, as I can't seem to get it.

Both links still work fine for me if that is what you mean.

Do Me Good

psinno wrote: »

Both links still work fine for me if that is what you mean.

Ah yeah, I might try it on another PC. You see I eat the brazil nuts with panda licorice... it tastes quite good.

I've cut back about 20% on them since I've started the post. In other words, I eat some of the panda bar without the nuts. Not very nice that way!

Pawwed Rig

According to QI a pocket full of Brazil nuts would set off the radiation alarm in a nuclear power station.
Also it can be transmitted sexually so stay away from anyone with nut allergies.




I have no idea if the above is true but Stephen Fry seems to think so.