Top 10 Foods High In Selenium

The first time I talked about Herbalife with a colleague almost three years ago, he had his doubts.  He tried asking as many questions about the Formula 1 Shake possible, which I answered easily.  He pointed out Selenium and how it was so important during the presentation, and he was convinced.  1 scoop of Herbalife Formula 1 healthy meal contains 20% of the DV.  However, as time went on, I didn’t know how beneficial it was until yesterday.

I recently started teaching a brilliant student from the top university here in Thailand who’s studying nutrition and toxicology, and with her vast areas of study in terms of Goitre Thyroid that slammed the northern region of Thailand, to small sectors of Nakhon Si Thammarat (south of Thailand) being flooded with Arsenic in their soil due to heavy flooding, I was enthralled. It was a considerable challenge from a future doctor and it was impressive how she stated so many case studies that I had no clue about.  With her area of expertise brings a ton of new blogs coming out over the next couple of weeks.

With that being said, let’s check how detrimental a Selenium deficiency can be to the human body….

Selenium deficiency symptoms include:

• Thyroid dysfunction
• Weakened immune system
• Infertility in men and women
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Increased risk of cancer

Selenium is basically a trace mineral that works in conjunction with Vitamin E that helps relieve the body of oxidative damage.

Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants.

Selenium also helps recycle Vitamin C and helps with cellular protection.  With it already being a powerful antioxidant, eating foods that contain it could relieve stress off the liver and kidney.

1) Brazil nuts
1 oz (6-8 nuts): 544 mcg (over 100% DV)

2) Yellowfin tuna
3 oz: 92 mcg (over 100% DV)

3) Halibut, cooked
3 oz: 47mcg (67% DV)

4) Sardines, canned
3 oz: 45mcg (64% DV)

5) Grass-fed beef
3 oz: 33 mcg (47% DV)

6) Turkey, boneless
3 oz: 31 mcg (44% DV)

7) Beef liver
3 oz: 28 mcg (40% DV)

8) Chicken
3 oz: 22 mcg (31% DV)

9) Egg
1 large, 15 mcg (21% DV)

10) Spinach
1 cup: 11 mcg (16% DV)

Cancer prevention
There is a strong correlation between levels of selenium in the blood and a reduced risk of several types of cancer. Selenium may help with DNA repair or may prevent cancer cells from replicating.

Since selenium is a powerful antioxidant, foods high in selenium may also prevent cancer by reducing free radicals in the body. The benefit of cancer prevention is seen from eating selenium rich foods, not taking a selenium supplement.

Heart Health
Selenium rich foods prevent oxidative damage to the body’s cells reducing inflammation and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. People with low levels of serum selenium have been shown to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This effect has been seen for people with diets high in selenium, not for those who take selenium supplements. – Dr. Axe

Being able to buy chicken in about every country, and eggs, makes it simple for us to get our DV of selenium.  There aren’t any peculiar foods on the list, so I do suggest everyone to start making sure you get your daily requirement of this wonderful vitamin.