While there are many areas of
nutrition and diet rife with controversy there are certain foods that just
about any dietary approach agrees are highly beneficial. One of these foods is nuts!
Nuts come in many varieties and if
properly prepared are a good fit for any dietary approach regardless if it is
low carb, high carb, or any other variation.
Of course nuts are NOT a good idea for those with food allergies to
nuts!
In a review of 29 published studies,
scientists recently revealed that, in comparison with people who don’t eat many
nuts, those who eat just 20 grams — as little as a handful a day — lower their
risk of several serious conditions by astounding percentages:
Heart Disease – 29%
Cardiovascular Disease – 21%
Cancer – 15%
Respiratory Disease – 52%
Diabetes – 39%
Infectious Disease – 75%
The ideal amount to eat is an
average of about two dozen almonds or 15 pecan halves per day; and there was
not any increased benefit from eating more than that.
What
is a nut anyway?
As per Spice Inc.:
“A true nut, botanically speaking,
is a hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant, where
the fruit does not open to release the seed to the world. Some examples of
botanical nuts are chestnuts, hazelnuts and acorns.”
Peanuts are actually a legume.
Drupes are a type of fruit with an outer part and a single seed inside, like a
peach or cherry, but almonds, pecans and walnuts also drupes. The difference
is, the seed is eaten rather than the outside.
Culinary nuts can be fruits, seeds
or actual botanical nuts, used as a stand-alone snack or in a
recipe.
Gymnosperm and angiosperm seeds are
also nuts. Gymnosperm seeds are
unprotected by an outer shell — such as ginkgo and pine nuts. Examples of an
angiosperm are Brazil and Macadamia nuts.
The
Research is Clear: Nut Consumption can
Increase Lifespan
In a study looking at 819,000
participants from different regions, sexes and backgrounds, and with different risk
factors, nut consumption proved to reduce their disease risk in most cases. The researchers concluded:
“In 2013, an estimated 4.4 million
deaths may be attributable to a nut intake below 20 grams per day in North and
South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. These findings
support dietary recommendations to increase nut consumption to reduce chronic
disease risk and mortality.”
Nuts
– High in Beneficial Fats and Fiber
Although there is still disagreement
about whether certain fats are “good” or “bad” there is a high consensus that
the fats is nuts may improve overall health.
The exact nutrients in nuts vary
considerably. An ounce of almonds contains 3.4 grams of fiber, while cashews
have only 0.9 grams. Almonds have the most protein with 6 grams, while macadamias
have 2.2 grams.
Cashews contain 157 calories and 8.6
grams of carbohydrates, while the same amount of macadamia nuts have 204
calories and 3.9 grams of carbs; Brazil nuts have the least number of carbs at
3.5 grams.
Most of the fat in nuts is monounsaturated
fat, including omega-6s and omega-3s. Macadamia nuts have the highest amount of
monounsaturated fats — 16.7 grams — compared to 2.5 grams in walnuts, and
Brazil nuts contain the most saturated fat with 4.3 grams.
For the record the myth that eating
saturated fats is bad for you and will cause heart problems, as so many health
professionals keep saying, is not true and has been soundly disproven.
More
Benefits of Nut Consumption
People who eat a lot of nuts don’t
tend to experience significant weight gain, or weight loss, either, according
to another meta-analysis of 33 studies done in 2013.
Other studies show that eating more
nuts may decrease your risk of other chronic conditions and diseases including
high blood sugar, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Micronutrient
Content of Nuts
• Almonds are an excellent
source of vitamin E as well as riboflavin, magnesium and manganese, and are
high in fiber.
Eating a handful a day may help to improve your
health; help people who are overweight achieve their weight loss goals and lower
blood pressure; and can help people with Diabetes.
• Pistachios also contain
high amounts of fiber (3 grams per ounce), and they are also a good source of
vitamin E and magnesium. Besides helping to optimize your cholesterol, they can
help improve several aspects of heart health.
• Brazil nuts are a fantastic
source of selenium which is critical for the production of key anti-oxidants
and supports detoxification and is directly linked with 24% reduction in
cancers of all types with even more potent protection for certain cancers
including breast, colon, prostate, and thyroid cancer. In addition, as many as 1 billion people
worldwide may be deficient.
• Walnuts are a great source of omega-3
fatty acids, making them beneficial for the prevention of coronary heart
disease. They help improve blood flow, and are also linked to increased
deductive reasoning.
• Peanuts, being a legume,
may come with large amounts of extra oils that are not good for you. This is
particularly true in peanut butter, with the unnecessary addition of sugar or
worse, so always make sure your nuts and nut butters are free of these.
How
to Prepare and Eat Nuts
While nuts can help improve your
health the key is not to overeat them – you only need a small amount — say
one-third cup per day. Also, it is
important to see what is added to nuts and how they are prepared.
Try to avoid added oils which is
often the case with nuts – in most cases these decrease the benefits of the
naturally occurring fats in nuts. Added
sugars such as honey (honey roasted) also decrease the benefits.
If you like roasted vs raw the best
option is to roast them yourself, but if that is out of the question stick with
“dry-roasted” to avoid those extra added fats.
To roast your own pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the nuts on
a sheet and bake for 5 – 10 minutes then allow them to cool.
As with ALL foods organic is always
the best choice to minimize your exposure to pesticides, chemicals and other
toxins.
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