Selenium
Brazil nuts are the single most extreme outlier in our entire database at 1917 µg selenium per 100 grams. The runner-up, raw mussels, sits at 90 µg and raw tuna at 80 µg. As a daily reference the EU NRV names 55 µg. One five-gram Brazil nut therefore already supplies nearly twice that reference.
The permitted statements about selenium
Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 holds, among others: "selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress", "selenium contributes to the normal function of the thyroid gland" and "selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system". We quote those wordings as the regulation holds them. Whatever stories the trade hangs around them about ageing or vitality are not in there and will not be here either.
One nut that dominates the whole list
Per 100 grams: Brazil nuts 1917 µg, raw mussels 90 µg, raw tuna 80 µg, wheat bran 77.6 µg and wholemeal pasta 70 µg. A gap of more than twentyfold between first and second place occurs nowhere else in our database. It has a concrete cause: the Brazil nut tree takes selenium from the soil, so contents depend heavily on where the nuts were grown.
55 µg a day, and why there is an upper end too
The reference intake is 55 µg per day (EU NRV). Selenium is one of the minerals with an established safe upper level, and the distance between the reference intake and that upper level is relatively small. We deliberately attach no self-calculated figure to it. The practical lesson is simple: a handful of Brazil nuts as a daily habit is something else than a couple of nuts now and then, and here that difference genuinely matters.
Where intake comes from in the Netherlands
Outside the Brazil nut, fish, shellfish, meat, eggs and wholegrain cereals supply the most. The content in grain varies with the selenium richness of the soil it grew on, and European soil is generally less selenium-rich than North American. This is one of the few places in our knowledge base where a product's origin genuinely shifts the number, which is why we mention it.
Our line on supplementing
We sell no supplements and recommend no product. With selenium that matters doubly, because the room between enough and too much is narrow. If you notice something you cannot place, or something is going on with your thyroid, that is emphatically a conversation with your GP. What we do in a programme is schedule fish twice a week; that settles selenium, iodine and omega-3 in one move.
How we compile this list
We sort every row in the DCRAFT food database on the measured value per 100 grams and take the top of that list. Rows recorded per piece, per slice or per portion do not count, because a value per piece cannot be compared with a value per 100 grams. Products listed under a brand name are left out: their composition changes outside our control, and a ranking resting on it ages without us noticing. Where several products carry precisely the same value, it comes from one shared row in our source data and we name one product from that group. We set this rule out here because a ranking without a visible selection rule is an opinion rather than a measurement.
Frequently asked questions
Which foods contain the most selenium?
Brazil nuts lead at 1917 µg per 100 grams, far above raw mussels at 90 µg and raw tuna at 80 µg.
How much selenium per day?
The European reference intake comes to 55 µg per day (EU NRV). One Brazil nut of roughly five grams already supplies nearly twice as much.
Can you get too much selenium?
A safe upper level has been established for selenium and the margin above the reference intake is relatively small. A daily handful of Brazil nuts is therefore different from a couple of nuts occasionally.
Why do selenium contents differ so much between products?
Plants take selenium from the soil, and soil richness varies by region. For grain and nuts the content therefore shifts with origin.
Sources
- DCRAFT food database — KILLER COACH ENGINE V2.3 workbook (accessed 26 August 2026)
- EU NRV — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (accessed 26 August 2026)
Please note: This is general information about nutrition, not medical advice. If you have symptoms or suspect a deficiency, discuss it with your doctor. We do not sell supplements and have no commercial interest in any brand.
Last updated: .
Written by Dennis, founder of Dcraft Of Fitness.