Foods Rich in Selenium

Selenium in an essential mineral, and the human body only requires small amounts of it to work properly. Selenium in beneficial to the body because it works with proteins to create antioxidant enzymes.

And, as many people are aware, antioxidants are wonderful to the body for many reasons. They help to stop free radicals from doing damage to the body’s cells. This, in turn, helps to prevent aging and many diseases, including cancer. It is also linked to a healthy immune system.

For these reasons, and many others, you should know exactly which foods to eat to obtain your daily recommended dosage of selenium. Below is a list of foods that contain moderate to high levels of selenium.

However, do note that the amount of selenium contained in each food is directly related to the amount of selenium that was in the soil where the food was grown. Therefore, some plants grown in one area may have higher levels of selenium than other plants grown in a different area.

1. Seafood

Many seafoods are high in selenium. Tuna fish and cod fish are particularly rich in this mineral.

2. Meat

Beef, turkey and chicken are a few meats, in particular, that contain high levels of selenium.

3. Nuts

Nuts are rich in selenium. The most selenium-rich of this category are walnuts and brazil nuts.

4. Cheeses

There are many cheeses that have high levels of selenium. Cheddar cheese and cottage cheese are some tasty ways to increase your daily selenium intake.

5. Noodles

Noodles are high in this mineral. There are many ways to include noodles into your diet; try spaghetti for dinner, for example.

6. Bread

Breads also contain selenium in healthy doses. Both white bread and wheat bread have high levels of selenium; however, whole wheat bread is always the healthiest choice.

7. Rice

Both white rice and brown rice have adequate selenium levels. Again, the brown rice is the healthier choice between the two.

8. Eggs

Eggs are a healthy way to reach your daily recommended selenium dosage. Do be careful if you are prone to high cholesterol levels, however.

9. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is another food that you can add to your diet to increase your intake of selenium. Oatmeal has even been noted to decrease cholesterol levels and improve heart health when eaten consistently.

The daily recommended dosage of selenium for the average, healthy adult is around 55 micrograms per day. This number raises to 60 micrograms for women who are pregnant and 70 micrograms for women who are lactating.

Be aware that children require much lower dosages of selenium per day, with 1 to 3 year olds needing only 20 micrograms, 4 to 8 year olds needing 30 micrograms and 9 to 13 year olds needing 40 micrograms.

Source: healthdigezt.com