Deficiency symptoms of selenium may present as:
- Discoloured fingernails
- Hair loss
- Brain fog
- Always being tired, often extreme fatigue
- Very low immune system
- Miscarriage
- Hypothyroidism
Selenium is an essential trace mineral which is vital to good health and energy. Our soils are particularly poor in selenium, so it’s something you might want to take daily as I do. Selenium is necessary for the creation of glutathione, your body’s most powerful detoxifier, and it has been shown to be anti-carcinogenic. Instead of a long piece of prose here, I’m going to give this to you in bullet points for a change. It helps with the symptoms mentioned above so I won’t repeat them, but it also:
- Reduces cancer risk
- Reduces cardiovascular risk
- Improves male fertility
- Is very important for proper thyroid function
- Boosts immunity
- Reduces asthma symptoms
- Helps to correct adrenal dysfunction
- Enhances blood flow to the heart
- Reduces the side effects of chemotherapy
There really are many more wonderful things it does, but to avoid this being too long I’ll stop here. So how much should you take? I suggest under 400mcg a day so I take 200mcg. You’ll want to know food sources too – so here are some good ones:
- Brazil nuts (best source) have about 50mcg per nut! 2 a day will see you right.
- Seafood
- Crimini and shiitake mushrooms
- Pasture-fed chicken and turkey
- Grass-fed beef
- Pastured eggs
More isn’t better when it comes to supplementing – 200mcg is enough. It’s unlikely you will overdose from food alone, so enjoy all your selenium-rich foods.
