Brazil nuts - benefits and harms, photo

Chemical composition and calorie content

contains in optimal concentration the bioactive compounds necessary for the human body :

• polyunsaturated fatty acids (fruits do not contain harmful cholesterol);
• fiber, which ensures the normal functioning of the digestive system;
• mineral elements (sodium, zinc, iron, selenium , calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese);
• vitamins C (ascorbic acid), E (tocopherol), group B (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9).

Brazil nuts are a highly nutritious product . Women on a diet should take into account that its calorie content is 650 kcal per 100 g. That is, one nut contains approximately 50 kcal. Therefore, Bertoletia fruits are good as a snack, but consuming them in large portions is highly not recommended.

It is enough to eat a couple of nuts so that the proteins and fiber dull the feeling of hunger, but excessive consumption due to excess calories and bioactive substances can harm both your figure and health.

Properties of Brazil nuts for the female body

Thanks to its high content of vitamins and selenium, Brazil nuts support the functioning of the female reproductive and endocrine systems, promote a healthy pregnancy , and prevent the development of intrauterine pathologies in the fetus.

NOTE! Bertholetia fruit is a product with high antioxidant properties. It contains substances that neutralize free radicals, reducing the likelihood of developing cancer.

Another important property of Brazil nuts for women is maintaining youth and beauty. Tocopherol, present in high concentrations, makes hair strong and shiny, skin soft and elastic, and nail plates strong.

Vitamin E is fat-soluble, so when consumed in nuts that are saturated with fat, it is easily absorbed in the digestive tract.

The main property of Brazil nuts for the health of the vascular system is its ability to lower the concentration of bad cholesterol in the blood. The nut contains exclusively polyunsaturated acids, which normalize the ratio between “bad” and “good” cholesterol in the human body. Thanks to this, it not only maintains the health of the circulatory system, but also accelerates weight loss, which is especially important for women.

Benefits of walnuts

Walnut is perhaps the most famous and popular of all. Its place of growth is the Caucasus; it is cultivated in the Crimea, Central Asia, and also in Moldova. Interestingly, not only nut kernels are useful, but also the peel and even the leaves. Both young and already ripe fruits are suitable for consumption.

Why is walnut so popular? This is due to the wide range of beneficial properties that this product has. The tannins contained in it in large quantities help cope with skin diseases and relieve inflammation of the gums. Since ancient times, walnuts have contributed to the healing of wounds, alleviated burns, disinfected, and even used to cope with parasites. For diseases of the thyroid gland, it is very useful to use partitions, because they contain very useful iodine. These nuts are indicated for people suffering from diabetes, and all because of their low sugar and starch content.

By the way, these are the healthiest nuts for those people who want to cope with high cholesterol levels in the blood. Their use will not only prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques, but will also help cleanse the blood of existing ones.

The walnut, which even resembles the human brain in appearance, seems to hint at the fact that it helps improve mental activity. This is true: it is highly recommended for people with intellectual work.

And the complex of trace elements and minerals contained in it strengthens the human body during epidemics and after illness. The calorie content of a walnut does not exceed 680 kcal.

Benefit

Brazil nut benefits and harm for women:

• due to the high concentration of selenium and vitamins, it reduces the likelihood of breast cancer;
• normalizes hormonal conditions, delays the onset of menopause;
• helps get rid of infertility (as an effective addition to drug therapy);
• thanks to fatty acids and tocopherol, maintains clean, smooth and healthy skin;
• saturates hair follicles with zinc and selenium, stimulates hair growth, reduces hair loss;
• provides the body with amino acids, which is important for athletic women who maintain their figure and build muscle mass;
• perfectly satisfies hunger, gives the body a sufficient amount of energy;
• slows down the aging process;
• reduces the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis (cholesterol plaques) and pathologies of the heart muscle;
• prevents the appearance of cataracts and joint pathologies in old age;
• thanks to the complex effects of selenium and tocopherol, it weakens the manifestations of hypothyroidism - insufficient functionality of the thyroid gland;
• supports the immune system;
• provides bone tissue with magnesium and calcium, prevents the development of osteoporosis (decreased bone density) during menopause.

bring great benefits during pregnancy . Selenium present in the composition prevents the occurrence of mutations in embryonic tissues. B vitamins prevent pathological processes during pregnancy, and mineral elements and bioactive compounds support the immune system of a pregnant woman . The main thing is to observe moderation in consumption, otherwise an excess of substances will harm the fetus developing in the womb.

During the lactation period, Brazil nuts make breast milk more nutritious. But be used with extreme caution, as it may be an allergen for infants.
A nursing mother should not eat more than 2 nuts per day. It is advisable to consume raw nuts between meals. If the baby shows signs of an allergic reaction, the product must be excluded from the diet.

Harm and contraindications

A contraindication to consuming Brazil nuts is a tendency to food allergies. Signs of an allergic reaction:

• diarrhea;
• gagging;
• stomach ache;
• breathing problems;
• redness of the skin, itchy rash.

When deciding to include an exotic fruit in your diet , you need to take into account that there are restrictions on the daily dosage of the product. To prevent the nut from causing harm instead of benefit, you should not eat more than 3 grains per day. The optimal amount of selenium for the female body is contained in 2 nucleoli.

If the recommended dosage is exceeded, there is a high risk of selenium poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning:

• profuse vomiting;
• confusion;
• yellowing of the whites of the eyeballs;
• smell of garlic in the mouth.

IMPORTANT! Excess selenium seriously affects the liver. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately contact a medical institution to prescribe therapy.

How to choose a quality Brazil nut?

It is impossible to visually determine the quality of unshelled Brazil nuts. But you can find out the degree of freshness of the product by simply shaking the fruit pod. If you can hear the fruits floundering inside it, then this is a sure sign that they have lost their freshness and have dried out.

It is easier to understand how fresh a peeled nut is. A high-quality fruit is heavy, juicy and elastic when pressed. Has a characteristic nutty aroma. If the nuts are light and have lost their smell, then their shelf life has expired.

Brazil nut | 5-6$ per kg

The nut grows in Venezuela, Brazil, and Peru. From the name you might think that the Brazil nut grows only in Brazil, but this is not so - the fruits can be found in other countries of Latin America in those areas where it is warm and humid, but not everywhere, but where they feel at ease.

The collection point for export is carried out in wild Brazilian, Colombian, Venezuelan territories.

Due to the fact that they grow on tall trees, they are difficult to get. The fruit tastes like pine nuts and has unusual properties.

Beneficial properties: relieves stress, normalizes cholesterol levels, helps with kidney diseases, has anti-inflammatory properties, activates brain function (due to the record content of vitamins), eliminates the possibility of premature aging.

Calorie content per 100 g: 659 kcal.

Features of the use of nuts

Brazil nuts are used in cooking, cosmetology, and even in watchmaking and artistic crafts. The fruits are consumed both fresh and thermally processed. Manufacturers of cosmetics and hygiene products use nut extract as an effective component for skin and hair care.

Walnut oil is an excellent lubricant for watch mechanisms, helping the watch to work for a long time and without failures. And artists use oil to work with oil paints. The created paintings do not lose the richness and naturalness of colors for decades, even centuries.

In cooking

Bertoletia fruit kernels are tasty both in dishes and on their own. They taste similar to pine nuts or raw cashews. In cooking, crushed fruits, which have a rich nutty aroma, are added to baked goods, ice cream, salads, savory sauces, first courses, chocolate products, hot meat dishes and cold appetizers.

The nuts are fried with salt and spices and taken with you as a snack when traveling. They are crushed with dried fruits and added to cheese snacks. And nut oil is used as a salad dressing, an ingredient in dessert baked goods and main courses.

Both on their own and as part of dishes, Brazil nuts are consumed in limited quantities , and this is important not only for preventing an allergic reaction. The nucleoli of Bertholetia contain a small amount of radium - a radioactive element, which in minimal quantities is not dangerous, but if ingested in excess, it can cause harm to health. Therefore, the optimal daily portion for an adult is 2 kernels.

FACT! The hard shell of the Brazilian fruit contains aflatoxins - toxic compounds that can provoke the development of liver cancer. Therefore, the product is imported to European countries with restrictions: only fruits from which the shell has been removed can be exported.

In cosmetology

In cosmetology, Brazil nut is one of the most used components for cosmetics and care products. An aromatic oil extract, saturated with tocopherol and amino acids, is added to creams and masks, shampoos and balms, and shower gels.

What are the benefits of Brazil nuts for women's skin :

• maintains its firmness, elasticity and softness;
• accelerates the healing of injuries;
• has a regenerating effect;
• moisturizes epidermal tissue;
• inhibits skin aging processes.

The Brazilian fruit is no less effective in terms of benefits for the hair. Hair follicles receive enough nutrition, hairs are saturated with moisture, acquire softness, beauty, and health.

For various diseases

Brazil nut is not recognized as a medicinal product. But since it contains a large number of useful compounds, it can be used as an addition to the main therapy for various diseases. Below are the pathologies for which Brazil nut , its beneficial properties and contraindications for women .

The benefits of the nut are noticeable in cases of alopecia - excessive hair loss in both women and men . For the fair sex, this is a painful problem, most often associated with hormonal imbalances, poor quality nutrition, unfavorable environmental conditions, bad habits, and stress factors. Brazil nut helps fight baldness due to its high content:

• mineral elements (zinc, iron, selenium) necessary to nourish the root bulbs;
• amino acids and fatty acids that make hair elastic and prevent breakage;
• ascorbic acid and tocopherol, which nourish the hair roots and support the health of the scalp.

Brazil nut is a product useful for obesity. Despite its calorie content, it can be included in the diet because it is rich in protein, vitamins, and fiber. These substances:

• clean the intestinal tract;
• suppress the feeling of hunger;
• normalize digestive function;
• stimulate metabolism;
• remove waste from the digestive tract;
• return cholesterol and blood sugar levels to normal.

But the nut helps in getting rid of extra pounds only with moderate consumption, following a diet and regular physical activity.

Brazilian fruits are also useful for women suffering from diabetes. Thiamine (B1) contained in grains blocks the reaction of glycolysis (the combination of lipid and protein molecules), resulting in a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood. Regular inclusion of Brazil nuts in a diabetic diet reduces the likelihood of:

• development of eye pathologies;
• retinopathy (dystrophy of the retina due to impaired blood circulation in it);
• deterioration of the condition of the renal vessels;
• kidney failure;
• damage to nerve tissue;
• diabetic neuropathy (degenerative damage to peripheral nerves).

The Brazilian fruit contains a large amount of magnesium, which takes sugar molecules from the pancreas, therefore important for diabetics. With magnesium deficiency, diabetes is complicated by vascular, cardiac, and eye pathologies.

Brazil nut helps suppress the manifestations of the acute phase of herpes, which is activated due to stress, hormonal disorders, and weakened immunity. With regular use of the product, the functioning of the endocrine system is normalized, hormonal imbalance ceases, and as a result, the viral disease returns to the remission stage.

The pronounced antioxidant effect of the nut allows it to be used as a preventative against cancer. Selenium prevents oxidative reactions from occurring, and as a result, cells do not mutate. Regular inclusion of Brazil tree grains in the diet reduces the risk of colon, lung, and breast cancer. Patients with hormone-dependent malignant neoplasms are recommended to consume the fruits to maintain the functionality of the endocrine system.

Nuts to boost immunity: recipes

In folk medicine, there are a huge number of recipes that describe how to take a mixture of nuts for immunity. Many formulations include additional ingredients that are of great importance in maintaining the human defense system.

Useful mixtures are kept in glass containers in the refrigerator. The presence of honey and lemon allows you to extend the shelf life to 3-4 months.

Adults can take the prepared formulations 1-2 tablespoons per day. For children, it is recommended to reduce this amount to 2 teaspoons.

With aloe

Honey, lemon, nuts are one of the most beneficial mixtures for the immune system. Aloe adds even greater value to the composition.

First you need to prepare aloe juice. To do this, cut off several fleshy lower leaves from a plant that is at least 3 years old and wash them with water. Then the cut parts are twisted using a meat grinder or crushed in a blender. The resulting pulp is wrapped in several layers of gauze and squeezed into a glass container.

The pulp can also be used for consumption. The washed leaves are peeled from the shell with a sharp knife. The remainder is used to prepare mixtures. Juice and gel (the inner contents of the leaves) in their pure form can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.

To prepare a general strengthening mixture, take 200 g of honey, hazelnuts (can be replaced with almonds) and aloe juice. Nuts are crushed using a meat grinder or blender. Grind lemon along with the peel is also added there. Mix the remaining ingredients and bring to a homogeneous state.

Energy mix

Another proven recipe for immunity with nuts is prepared with the addition of dried fruits, which are very beneficial for the human body. All of them have a positive effect on the digestive system.

Besides:

• dried apricots improve heart function and stimulate hematopoiesis;
• prunes have a tonic effect on soft tissues;
• raisins have a sedative effect, promote protein metabolism, and reduce swelling.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of each type of dried fruit and nuts (you can use a mixture) and 2 large lemons. The ingredients are crushed using available means and mixed thoroughly. If desired, you can squeeze the juice out of the lemons, but do not use the pulp. Add 150 g of liquid honey (or more to taste) to the resulting mass and mix again.

Vitamin jam

Cranberry is another product, like walnuts, that is indispensable for the immune system.

Mash 300 g of fresh or defrosted berries a little with a spoon. Place in a thick-walled pan. Add 300 g of nut kernels, 2 large hard green apples, cut into cubes, 400 g of sugar and half a glass of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and remove from heat.

With cognac

This mixture is suitable for adults only. Chop and mix 250 g of various dried fruits and nuts to taste. Add the juice of one large lemon, 100 g of honey and 50 g of cognac to the mixture. Stir again.

With tinctures of hawthorn and valerian

Grind 20 almond kernels and 2 lemons, add 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger, 15 g of alcoholic tinctures of hawthorn and valerian and 200 g of honey.

How to use for children?

Children especially need to maintain their immunity, since their defense system is much weaker than that of adults. However, there are some nuances in the use of nuts and mixtures with them in childhood:

1. Doses. For a child, the norm of tasty “medicine” should be 2-3 times lower than for an adult.
2. In case of individual intolerance, frequent allergic reactions, or stomach diseases, the product should not be given.
3. If you have diabetes, it is recommended to eat nuts in very limited quantities and only with your doctor's permission.
4. You need to carefully monitor the freshness of the product: do not buy expired kernels or those that have been in the sun, and store purchased ones correctly.

In the absence of contraindications, nuts can and should be consumed in childhood.

Storage Features

For storage, the product is poured into a glass container and closed with a tight lid. The storage location should be cool and dry. A small amount of nuts that you plan to eat soon can be placed in a bag in the refrigerator. The shelf life is 2 years.

Brazilian fruits absorb surrounding odors. Therefore, they should not be placed on the shelf next to strong and specific-smelling products.

Brazil nuts, which have a positive effect on reproductive function, the condition of the skin, hair, vascular and endocrine systems, are useful for women of all ages. To prolong youth and protect against age-related diseases, it is recommended to regularly include it in the diet.

How to select and store?

How to choose the right nuts? This issue should be approached more thoroughly, considering each type of product separately.

How to choose a Brazil nut? When shaking the fruit inside the shell, no sounds should be heard. Ripe fruit should be heavy. The top shell of the shell should be smooth, without any damage. Good Brazil nut kernels should be firm, crisp, smooth in texture and brightly colored.

How to choose inshell walnuts? The shell should be wrinkled, without dents, cracks or dirt, light brown in color, and dry. When you tap two nuts, a clear, loud sound should be produced. The kernels are colored golden and should not be oily.

How to choose shelled pine nuts? The surface shell of the nucleolus should be uniform, without spots. All cores must be the same size. Also, the fruit should be moderately dry. The darkening of the tip of the nucleolus indicates that the nuts have been lying around for a very long time. If we consider an unshelled cedar nut, then it should have a black spot on it, which indicates that there is a kernel inside the shell. If there is no speck, then the inside of the nut is most likely empty.

How to choose a coconut? The outside of the shell should be uniform, that is, without cracks, dents, chips and various contaminants. If you shake the nut, there should be a loud splash of the liquid inside. After cracking, the pulp should come away from the shell normally.

How to choose nutmeg? The surface of the nut shell must not only be clean, but also dry, without any damage. A good fruit is quite dense and heavy. When the core is pierced, essential oil should flow out, which indicates the freshness of the product.

How to choose almonds? Inside the shell, the nucleoli should not stick to each other. The surface of the edible part of the product must be clean, dry, and free of mold or other contamination. In addition, a high-quality nut should not have wrinkled or dark kernels. The almond shell should not be covered with dots, cracks or scars.

So, we figured out how to choose the right nuts. Now you need to find out how to store nuts at home.

Any type of product should be stored exclusively in a dark, dry and cool room (temperature should not exceed twenty degrees Celsius). Before removing the nuts, they must be thoroughly washed from dirt and dried, and then placed in cloth bags. How long can I store nuts in shell? The shelf life depends both on the fruit itself and on the air temperature. For example, walnuts are stored for about a year at a temperature no higher than 14 degrees Celsius. Brazilians can be stored at a temperature of no more than 20 degrees for about a couple of years, and nutmeg for about nine years. Pine nuts are stored for six months at temperatures up to 18 degrees. The shelf life of coconut and chestnut is three months if the room temperature does not exceed 15 degrees. Almonds are stored for a little more than a year at a temperature of eighteen degrees, but the shelf life of peanuts at such indicators is exactly a year. Hazelnuts are stored for four years at a temperature not higher than 12 and not lower than 3 degrees.

How to store nut kernels? It is best to store shelled nuts in a glass container with a lid. The room should be sufficiently dark, cool and ventilated. Shelled nuts can also be stored in both the refrigerator and freezer.

Let's consider how long you can store shelled nuts in different places.

It is generally not advisable to store peeled coconut for long periods of time. It is advisable to consume it two days in advance if the product is stored in the refrigerator.