Selenium Rich Foods Chart
Selenium per 100 g and per 100 kcal, ranked. Brazil nuts are in a class of their own — a single nut can pass the daily value — and soil content makes plant values vary widely.
Upper limit: 400 mcg/day for adults (National Academies). Brazil nuts average far above everything else — about 1,900 mcg per 100 g, roughly 95 mcg per nut — so a few a day can pass the limit on their own.
| Food | Per 100 g | Per 100 kcal | %DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil nuts | 1917.0 mcg | 290.9 mcg | 3485% DV |
| Sunflower seed butter | 104.4 mcg | 16.9 mcg | 190% DV |
| Mussels (cooked) | 89.6 mcg | 52.1 mcg | 163% DV |
| Canned tuna (in water) | 80.4 mcg | 69.3 mcg | 146% DV |
| Wheat germ (raw) | 79.2 mcg | 22.0 mcg | 144% DV |
| Lobster (cooked) | 73.1 mcg | 82.1 mcg | 133% DV |
| Clams (cooked) | 64.0 mcg | 43.2 mcg | 116% DV |
| Bacon (cooked) | 59.0 mcg | 10.8 mcg | 107% DV |
| Halibut (cooked) | 55.4 mcg | 49.9 mcg | 101% DV |
| Chia seeds | 55.2 mcg | 11.4 mcg | 100% DV |
| Tilapia (cooked) | 54.4 mcg | 42.5 mcg | 99% DV |
| Sunflower seeds | 53.0 mcg | 9.1 mcg | 96% DV |
| Sardines (canned, drained) | 52.7 mcg | 25.3 mcg | 96% DV |
| Squid (cooked) | 51.8 mcg | 29.6 mcg | 94% DV |
| Mackerel (cooked) | 51.6 mcg | 19.7 mcg | 94% DV |
| Anchovies (canned) | 48.1 mcg | 22.9 mcg | 88% DV |
| Oat bran (raw) | 45.2 mcg | 18.4 mcg | 82% DV |
| Pork chop (cooked) | 43.6 mcg | 22.2 mcg | 79% DV |
| Crab (cooked) | 42.9 mcg | 51.7 mcg | 78% DV |
| Corned beef (canned) | 42.9 mcg | 17.2 mcg | 78% DV |
| Salmon (cooked) | 41.4 mcg | 20.1 mcg | 75% DV |
| Oysters (cooked) | 39.5 mcg | 38.7 mcg | 72% DV |
| Whole wheat pasta (cooked) | 36.3 mcg | 24.4 mcg | 66% DV |
| Sesame seeds | 34.4 mcg | 6.0 mcg | 63% DV |
| Tahini | 34.4 mcg | 5.8 mcg | 63% DV |
| Mustard (yellow) | 34.0 mcg | 55.7 mcg | 62% DV |
| Macadamia nuts | 32.6 mcg | 4.5 mcg | 59% DV |
| Flounder (cooked) | 32.6 mcg | 37.9 mcg | 59% DV |
| Smoked salmon | 32.4 mcg | 27.7 mcg | 59% DV |
| Egg (hard-boiled) | 30.8 mcg | 19.9 mcg | 56% DV |
Common questions
How much selenium do I need per day?
The FDA daily value and adult RDA are 55 mcg; the upper limit is 400 mcg. A few Brazil nuts a day can reach the upper limit, so they are a now-and-then food, not a daily handful.
Where do these numbers come from?
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and Foundation Foods), synced per food with source entry IDs on each food page. One dataset, one per-100 g basis, per-100 kcal computed here.
Method
Values are USDA FoodData Central per-100 g figures (SR Legacy / Foundation), the same rows behind every food page on this site; per-100 kcal is computed as nutrient ÷ kcal × 100. DV = FDA daily value for adults (55 mcg for this nutrient, 21 CFR 101.9).