Focus on health: Selenium

I consider myself to be a dedicated vegan. I became vegan for animals and the environment after learning the impact of climate change on both animals and human beings. I believe the choices I make about what I purchase and eat make a difference on this planet and I hope sharing my experiences helps others to explore eating more plants and less animal products. What this means is I need to stay healthy and eat a well balanced diet. For the most part, I eat intuitively and try to have variety in my meals throughout the day which provides me with all or most of what I need (I do supplement with B12, D3 and a mulitvitamin daily). To make sure I am getting what I need, I occasionally spend a few days plugging my meals into cronometer.com to see how I'm doing. Recently I learned I'm not getting enough Selenium in my diet. Selenium is a mineral which acts as an antioxidant (which means it protects cells from damage) and protects the heart and brain, supports healthy thyroid function and can boost the immune system. The good news is, increasing this important mineral in my diet was an easy fix. One to two Brazil nuts a day provide more than enough recommended daily Selenium allowance. The amount of Selenium in Brazil nuts can vary depending on the soil that they are grown in so it's always a good idea to have a variety of sources. Selenium is also found in smaller quantities of sunflower seeds, couscous, whole wheat pasta and shiitake mushrooms.