Selenium Rich Vegetarian Foods in India: 30 Foods Ranked (IFCT 2017)
Wheat atta, dals, seeds and paneer come up when vegetarians look for selenium. This guide ranks 30 foods by selenium per 100 g using Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements) of the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), then shows what a serving we chose holds. It ranks the selenium in the food, not how much the body absorbs, which IFCT does not report.
The short answer
By IFCT 2017, garden cress seeds have the most selenium of the 30 foods here at 54.41 µg per 100 g, then whole wheat flour (atta) at 53.12 µg, chana dal at 50.97 µg and moong dal at 50.14 µg. Dry peas, masoor dal and whole wheat have 50.07, 49.50 and 47.76 µg. Brown rice has 2.26 µg, raw milled rice 1.01 µg and whole cow milk 0.95 µg. Our reading: dals and wheat are high per 100 g and are eaten in larger amounts than seeds, so look at the serving table too, and note that many fruits and vegetables have no selenium number at all.
30 foods ranked by selenium per 100 g
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 5 row (minerals and trace elements), the Selenium (SE) column in µg per 100 g edible portion as listed in the book, mean values as printed, with the number of regions IFCT measured. This is a selection of 30 common vegetarian foods, ranked using only rows measured in 5 or 6 regions, not every row in the book. Seeds, nuts, grains and pulses are dry or raw; milk is as sold. Where IFCT lists several varieties we use one row and name it.
| Food (IFCT row) | Selenium µg | Regions |
|---|---|---|
| Garden cress seeds (halim) (H008) | 54.41 | 5 |
| Wheat flour, atta (A019) | 53.12 | 6 |
| Bengal gram, dal (chana dal) (B001) | 50.97 | 6 |
| Green gram, dal (moong dal) (B010) | 50.14 | 6 |
| Peas, dry (B017) | 50.07 | 6 |
| Lentil dal (masoor dal) (B013) | 49.50 | 6 |
| Wheat, whole (A020) | 47.76 | 6 |
| Linseeds (H014) | 46.87 | 6 |
| Khoa (L004) | 44.97 | 6 |
| Bengal gram, whole (whole chana) (B002) | 41.23 | 6 |
| Lentil, whole, brown (whole masoor) (B014) | 33.14 | 6 |
| Bajra (A003) | 30.40 | 6 |
| Black gram, whole (whole urad) (B004) | 27.98 | 6 |
| Gingelly seeds, white (white sesame, til) (H011) | 26.74 | 5 |
| Jowar (A005) | 26.29 | 6 |
| Black gram, dal (urad dal) (B003) | 23.99 | 6 |
| Green gram, whole (whole moong) (B011) | 23.32 | 6 |
| Paneer (L003) | 23.14 | 6 |
| Soybean, brown (B024) | 19.00 | 6 |
| Gingelly seeds, black (black sesame, til) (H009) | 15.70 | 6 |
| Red gram, whole (whole toor) (B022) | 15.41 | 6 |
| Ragi (A010) | 15.30 | 5 |
| Red gram, dal (toor dal) (B021) | 14.36 | 6 |
| Rajmah, brown (B019) | 12.70 | 6 |
| Pistachio nuts (H018) | 10.46 | 6 |
| Walnut (H021) | 6.53 | 6 |
| Almond (H001) | 3.61 | 6 |
| Rice, raw, brown (A013) | 2.26 | 6 |
| Rice, raw, milled (A015) | 1.01 | 6 |
| Milk, whole, cow (L002) | 0.95 | 6 |
Examples of rows measured in 5 or 6 regions that are left out: niger seeds, gray (H016, 153.64 µg, 5 regions); omum (G029, 87.04 µg, 6 regions); mustard seeds (H013, 71.47 µg, 6 regions); raw poultry egg, whole (M001, 40.44 µg, 6 regions); boiled poultry egg, whole (M004, 46.12 µg, 6 regions); beet greens (C009, 47.75 µg, 6 regions); radish leaves (C031, 33.05 µg, 6 regions); samai (A016, 40.41 µg, 6 regions); horse gram (B012, 29.49 µg, 6 regions); dry coconut kernel (H006, 25.25 µg, 6 regions). Niger seeds, omum and mustard seeds are eaten in grams, so they are left out like spices, and eggs are left out because this is a vegetarian list. Rows measured in fewer than 5 regions are also left out: lentil, whole, yellowish (B015, 56.28 µg, 2 regions); brown sesame (H010, 52.64 µg, 4 regions). This is a selection, not every row.
Many fruit and vegetable rows have no selenium number in IFCT 2017, so they are not ranked: ripe robusta banana (E012), ladies finger (D056), raw mango (D057), ripe tomato (D075), knol-khol (D053), sunflower seeds (H020), cane jaggery (I001) and coconut water (K002). A blank is not a zero.
Selenium in a serving, with weights we chose
IFCT lists foods per 100 g, so a serving needs a weight, and each weight below is ours. Each figure is the value per 100 g times the weight, divided by 100, to the nearest 0.01 µg. Pulses and grains are the dry or raw weight, not cooked.
| Serving (weight is ours) | Selenium µg |
|---|---|
| 40 g whole wheat flour (atta) (A019) | 21.25 |
| 30 g chana dal, dry (B001) | 15.29 |
| 30 g moong dal, dry (B010) | 15.04 |
| 30 g whole chana, dry (B002) | 12.37 |
| 30 g toor dal, dry (B021) | 4.31 |
| 50 g paneer (L003) | 11.57 |
| 10 g linseeds (H014) | 4.69 |
| 20 g pistachio nuts (H018) | 2.09 |
| 30 g raw brown rice (A013) | 0.68 |
| 30 g raw milled rice (A015) | 0.30 |
| 200 g whole cow milk (L002) | 1.90 |
What the numbers say
- Wheat atta, chana dal, moong dal, dry peas and masoor dal lead the everyday foods. Atta 53.12, chana dal 50.97, moong dal 50.14, dry peas 50.07 and masoor dal 49.50 µg per 100 g, so 40 g of atta holds about 21.25 µg and 30 g of chana dal about 15.29 µg.
- Dals differ. Chana dal 50.97 µg against 14.36 µg for toor dal and 23.99 µg for urad dal; whole chana has 41.23 µg.
- Rice and milk are low per 100 g. Brown rice 2.26 µg and raw milled rice 1.01 µg, against 53.12 µg for atta; whole cow milk 0.95 µg, so 200 g holds about 1.90 µg, and paneer has 23.14 µg per 100 g.
- Nuts are mixed. Pistachio nuts 10.46 µg, walnut 6.53 µg and almond 3.61 µg per 100 g.
For other minerals ranked from the same table, see zinc-rich vegetarian foods and magnesium-rich vegetarian foods; for protein in the same dals, see which dal has the most protein; for nuts, see the dry fruits and nuts nutrition chart; for a vitamin ranked from another table of the same book, see vitamin B6-rich vegetarian foods.
What the requirement tables say
This page quotes no selenium requirement. The ICMR-NIN 2020 brief note on nutrient requirements for Indians names selenium among the nutrients its committee reviewed (PDF page 3), but its Table 3 (males) and Table 4 (females) on PDF page 6 list no selenium value, and we did not find a primary figure to quote. Whether you get enough is a question for a doctor or registered dietitian.
What this page leaves out
- Absorption and cooking: IFCT 2017 reports the selenium in the raw or dry food, not how much the body takes up or what is left after cooking, and we did not read a source that gives this for Indian foods.
- Foods with no selenium number in IFCT, and cooked, packaged or processed foods with no IFCT row.
- Soil and region: the book prints a mean across samples, and the spread can be wide (see the last FAQ).
- Rows measured in fewer than 5 regions, eggs, fish and meat, and the other nutrients in the same table.
- How much selenium to eat or take, an upper limit, and whether you have enough: only a doctor or registered dietitian can tell you that.
A note on health
This article is general educational content, not medical advice. It does not say that any food prevents or treats any condition. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, follow a restricted diet, take medicines or supplements or have been told a nutrient is high or low, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your own situation before changing your diet.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Which vegetarian foods have the most selenium?
In IFCT 2017 Table 5, per 100 g, garden cress seeds (H008) have the most selenium of the 30 foods here at 54.41 µg, then whole wheat flour (atta, A019) 53.12 µg, chana dal (B001) 50.97 µg, moong dal (B010) 50.14 µg, dry peas (B017) 50.07 µg and masoor dal (B013) 49.50 µg. This is a selection, not every row.
How much selenium is in atta, dal and rice?
Per 100 g, IFCT 2017 lists whole wheat flour (atta) at 53.12 µg, chana dal at 50.97 µg, toor dal at 14.36 µg, brown rice at 2.26 µg and raw milled rice at 1.01 µg. By our arithmetic, 40 g of atta holds about 21.25 µg and 30 g of dry chana dal about 15.29 µg. This page does not say whether that is enough for anyone.
Does this page say how much selenium I need?
No. The ICMR-NIN 2020 brief note on nutrient requirements for Indians names selenium among the nutrients its committee reviewed (PDF page 3), but its Tables 3 and 4 (PDF page 6) list no selenium value, so this page quotes none and does not say whether you are getting enough. If you take supplements or medicines, or have a medical condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian.
Why are banana, ladies finger and tomato not on the list?
IFCT 2017 leaves the selenium cell blank for many fruit and vegetable rows, including ripe robusta banana (E012), ladies finger (D056), raw mango (D057), ripe tomato (D075), knol-khol (D053), sunflower seeds (H020), cane jaggery (I001) and coconut water (K002). A blank is not a zero: the book gives no number, so these foods cannot be ranked.
Is the selenium in the same food the same everywhere in India?
IFCT 2017 prints a mean with a standard deviation across the samples. For whole wheat flour (atta, A019) it prints 53.12 ± 5.47 µg per 100 g, for chana dal (B001) 50.97 ± 22.01 and for whole chana (B002) 41.23 ± 11.67, so the spread between samples can be large. This page ranks the printed means only and cannot tell you the value in the food you buy.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements), Selenium (SE, µg) column, per 100 g edible portion, rows opened and read from the rendered PDF pages on 24 Oct 2026: A003, A005, A010, A013, A015 (PDF page 152); A019, A020, B001, B002, B003, B004, B010, B011, B013, B014 (PDF page 154); B017, B019, B021, B022, B024 (PDF page 156); H001, H008, H009, H011, H014 (PDF page 180); H018, H021 (PDF page 182); L002, L003, L004 (PDF page 184).
- ICMR-NIN, Nutrient Requirements for Indians 2020, brief note, PDF pages 3 and 6.
The serving weights and the serving figures are NYUS's own arithmetic, and every sentence starting "Our reading" is NYUS opinion, not from a study. Names in brackets are our matching to the IFCT row names.