Food Of The Month

by Donald R. Davis, Ph.D.

BRAZIL NUTS are the seeds of giant trees in the Amazon rainforest. Their pollination is so specialized that Brazil nuts have not been successfully farmed. Income from harvesting and shelling supports tens of thousands of native families and protects nut areas from deforestation.

Selenium is extraordinarily high, averaging 14 RDAs per oz. (about 7 nuts) in nuts bought in the shell (shown here) and about 1.4 RDAs if pre-shelled. The difference derives from the two products having different geographic origins. Brazil nuts are also good sources of magnesium, phosphorus, boron, copper, linoleic acid, vitamin E, and thiamin.

The length of each bar shows the amount of one nutrient. If a bar extends out to the inner circle, the food has enough of that nutrient to match the calories it contains. The numbers show nutrient amounts in RDAs per serving shown. The pie charts show the sources of calories (left) and the types of fat (right).