Menu
  1. Home»
  2. Essential Nutrients»
  3. Minerals —»
  4. Selenium –»
NutriSavvy_Know_Your_Food_Options_Banner

Selenium is a key nutrient for our thyroid function, for our DNA, and for our male and female reproductive function. It is also an important antioxidant that protects us against free radicals an infections, and that has been linked to the prevention of various types of cancers. Though more studies are needed, selenium may also help prevent cognitive  decline, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes type 2.

The Office of Dietary Supplements indicates that deficiency is rare, and that the average selenium intake in people over two years old is almost twice as much as the Daily Value. Still, selenium intake highly depends on where our food is coming from. Some soil is highly depleted of selenium, so plants grown in it are not good sources. Animals fed these plants are consequently not good sources either, so eating animal-based foods does not guarantee a higher selenium intake than eating plants.

Some common health issues like poor sperm quality, ovulation irregularities, or Hashimoto’s disease (an autoimmune disease that leads to hypothyroidism) are linked to selenium deficiency. It’s a good idea to ask your doctor to check your selenium levels if you suffer from any of these conditions.

Toxicity could also be a problem that in extreme cases may lead to heart or kidney failure, so watch out for high selenium content in supplements and be very careful with Brazil nuts since just one nut gives us over three times our Daily Value!

Scroll down to try our personalized selenium needs calculator; to identify some whole-food, plant-based top selenium sources, and to learn more interesting facts about this essential mineral.

Top Whole-Food, Plant-Based Sources

Hover over each food below to see how much selenium you can get with one serving. Click on each food’s picture to visit its interactive page with a personalized calculator of all the nutrition you can get from one serving, more information about how it supports our body, tips to choose and prepare it, interesting facts, and more!

Portabella Mushrooms

Portabella Mushrooms

1 cup cooked = 48% DV

Link
Oats

Oats

1 cup dry = 42 %

Link
Brazil Nuts

Brazil Nuts

1 nut = 174 %

Link
Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake Mushrooms

1 cup cooked = 65 %

Link
Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

1/4 c dried kernels = 34 %

Link
White Mushrooms

White Mushrooms

1 c cooked = 33 %

Link
Soybeans

Soybeans

Mature 1 c cooked = 23 %

Link
Asparagus

Asparagus

1 c cooked = 20 %

Link

Selenium Personalized Calculator

See how much selenium you and your family members need, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Terminology:

  • Daily Value (DV): The recommended amount of nutrients to consume each day for individuals who are 4 years old or older.
  • Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA): The recommended amount of nutrients to consume each day according to the individual’s age, gender, and whether a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Upper Intake Level (UL): The highest amount of nutrient intake that will not pose adverse health effects on most individuals.

Important Things to Know

Hover over each of the interesting facts below to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Check out the interesting facts below! Tap on the red triangles to flip the tiles and learn more details.

With selenium, one thing is key: location, location!

Geographic location has a lot to do with the actual amounts of selenium available in the same types of foods. The amount of selenium in animals, depends on the amount of selenium in the plant-foods they ate, so it’s hard to predict exact amounts present in any food. Countries like China have a lot less selenium content in their food since the soil is not rich in this mineral. Australia, where a lot of the beef sold in the U.S. comes from, also has large areas with low selenium content. Even the U.S. has areas with low selenium content like Arizona and New Mexico.

Brazil nuts could lead to selenium toxicity.

Brazil nuts are very high in selenium. Eight nuts (1 oz) contain 544 mcg, that’s 144 mcg over the UL, or 989% of the DV! This is a plant-based food that can cause toxicity, so be sure to eat Brazil nuts in moderation. 

Low selenium levels are linked to Hashimoto’s disease.

We need selenium to produce selenoproteins, which are crucial for the conversion of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) into its active form, triiodothyronine (T3).  Thyroid disorders are prevalent in regions with low-selenium intake, and there is a link between Hashimoto’s disease and low selenium status. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that leads to hypothyroidism.

Ask your doctor about getting your selenium levels checked if you suffer from thyroid complications. Learn more.

Selenium affects fertility in men and women.

We need selenium for our thyroid function, and proper thyroid function is essential for the female reproductive system. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can prevent ovulation, disrupt the menstrual cycle, or affect fertility. Thyroid hormones also modulate our reproductive hormones, progesterone and estrogen. Learn more.

When it comes to male fertility, a study in 2023 showed that taking selenium supplements of 200 mcg/day for 6 months increases sperm concentration, motility, seminal antioxidant capacity, and can reduce sperm DNA fragmentation. Learn more.

Children on ketogenic diets may be selenium deficient.

The ketogenic diet was originally created to decrease seizures in pediatric epilepsy patients. Selenium deficiency has been identified as a serious complication that can result in impaired myocardial function, and even death. Today, it is required to get a baseline selenium levels in patients and to do follow-up screenings every 3 months while supplementing 30 mcg/day.

Long-term hemodialysis may lead to selenium deficiency.

People undergoing long-term hemodialysis are at risk of suffering from selenium deficiency because they lose more of this mineral than healthy people and they also get less through food because they lose their appetite.

Deficiency complications are similar to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) complications: cardiovascular disease, bone loss, uric acid elevation, and anemia. More studies are needed to confirm if it is selenium deficiency what causes these ESRD complications and if selenium supplementation could help. Learn more.

Comparison of Selenium Sources

You may be wondering about other potential sources of selenium, such as supplements and animal-based products. Below we make a quick and simple comparison between the three options.

Plant-Based
There are many plant-based foods that can provide good amounts of selenium, including mushrooms, whole grains, seeds and legumes.
We do have to be careful with Brazil nuts, because they are very high in selenium.
Supplements
Since we’re generally able to get enough selenium from our diet, supplementation is not recommended unless it’s needed for medical reasons.
Talk to your doctor if you suspect you are selenium deficient. Supplementation may aid in certain health problems like thyroid and fertility issues.
Animal-based
When animals are fed foods grown in low-selenium geographical areas, they are also low in selenium and are therefor not good sources of this nutrient.
Eating animal-based foods is not recommended because they increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes type 2, among other complications.

References