Minerals, including selenium and zinc, are generally more bioavailable in animal foods because they are not chelated by phytic acid and oxalates.

“selenium is another good thing you know if you look at selenium and plant foods you will say Oh Brazil nuts and I'm like well I hope you live in Brazil you know because we got Brazilians in Ecuador but you know how hard a Brazil nut is to open there's one animal there's one animal in the Amazon that can open the Brazil nut and it's this rat with these freaking fangs that's the only thing that can open them dude obviously humans using tools but it's like these are what I'm getting is this is a difficult food to eat a significant amount of it all non occurs in parts of the world right like evolutionarily if you depend on plant foods you will become nutrient deficient within your local ecosystem”

“you can get it from some plant foods but I think you're going to be much better off getting it from animal foods because oxalate and phytic acid can cause selenium and many of the minerals and plant foods to not be absorbed”

“selenium also more bioavailable in animal foods any of the minerals are going to be more bioavailable in animal foods because they are not chelated by phytic acid and oxalates”

“selenium I think again animal foods are clearly the best bioavailable sources some might say but wait Paul what about Brazil nuts and I think that Brazil nuts are not going to be very bioavailable in their selenium because they're a nut they're going to contain ftic acid and other things that make it problematic and there are two different types of selenium selenocystine and selenomethionine selenomethionine is the form found in Brazil nuts and selenocysteine is the form found in animal foods and I believe there is significant amount of ends to suggest that selenocysteine is superior to seleno aine”