nourishment
Warning, radioactive – you should not overeat this nut
Brazil nuts grow in South America and are considered a healthy snack in this country. They contain many nutrients, but also questionable substances.
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The Brazil nut, which grows in South America, is considered to be particularly healthy. It contains many important nutrients. But because of a peculiarity when growing up, one should be careful when consuming it.
The Germans have been enjoying nuts more and more recently. The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry agrees. Accordingly, consumption per capita rose from 0.5 kilograms in 2014 to 1.8 kilograms in 2019. Peanuts, hazelnuts and walnuts are the classics, but more exotic species such as Brazil nuts are also eaten.
When we recently talked about nutrition for runners in the podcast “She runs. He runs”, we also came across the nuts from South America. Mainly because they look super healthy at first glance and contain many important nutrients such as calcium, iron and the trace element selenium. But what many do not know, Brazil nuts should only be eaten in small quantities.
Brazil nuts are special. They still grow wild in the rainforests of Bolivia or Brazil. All attempts to grow them on farms have failed. Mainly because only a few species of bees can pollinate them.
Brazil nuts contain many substances that are healthy for athletes
Many of the substances contained in Brazil nuts are very healthy. Calcium, for example, is good for building bones and teeth. Magnesium helps the muscles – athletes in particular benefit from this. This also applies to iron, which ensures good oxygen transport in the body. The nuts also contain a lot of the trace element selenium. This is required in the body for metabolic functions and helps with cell regeneration.
So far so good. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t sit down on the sofa with a bowl of Brazil nuts in the evening. Experts advise eating no more than two a day. Because, warns the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Brazil nuts contain a lot of radium. This is because of the way Brazil nuts grow. The radioactive element occurs naturally in the soil and is absorbed by plants through the roots. The Brazil nut tree now has a particularly fine network of roots and therefore absorbs an above-average amount of radium.
Best enjoyed with caution
But don’t worry: Nobody has to do without the delicious nut completely. According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, two nuts per day (about eight grams) are completely harmless to health.