Nuts and health
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Feb 5, 2019
- 3 min read
A Word of Caution
Food allergies affect 5% to 10% of people. Peanuts (which are legumes, like beans and peas), and tree nuts, like pecans and almonds, are common triggers. If you have a severe allergy, even something that has touched nuts can cause swelling, vomiting, and diarrhoea. It could even inflame your throat and make it hard to breathe or talk. This is a potentially deadly condition called anaphylactic shock.
Weight Control
Nuts are high in protein and fiber and you should not eliminate nuts from your diet. In addition nuts help your body to burn more energy. Don’t overdo just watch portion size.
The Good Fat
Nuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids that stabilize your blood sugar and insulin, the hormone that regulates it.
Packed With Nutrients
Nuts are good source of vitamins like Vitamins E and B6, folic acid, niacin, magnesium, zinc, copper, and potassium. Read food label and exclude choices with added salt, sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy fats that could do more harm than good.
Antioxidants Aplenty
Nuts are loaded with minerals like selenium and manganese, vitamins C and E, as well as flavonoids, phenols, polyphenols, and other substances that act as antioxidant and protect cells from oxidative stress. Nuts are good for heart and protect against colon cancer.
Keep Cholesterol in Check
Having too much cholesterol can harden your arteries and lead to stroke and heart disease. Almonds, walnuts, and other tree nuts seem to lower it when it gets too high. Your body makes most of your cholesterol, but you get some of it from the food you eat. Luckily, nuts have little or none of the stuff.
Prevent and Control Type 2 Diabetes
They help in weight control as well blood sugar stabilization. In addition they keep the lining of your blood vessels (endothelium) stretchy and healthy, which prevents heart problems linked to diabetes.
Heart Disease
People who eat more nuts, or butters made from them, are less likely to get it. About 28 grams, or 2 tablespoons, two more times a week, seems to be enough to help.
Magnesium
Nuts like cashews, almonds, and peanuts are rich in magnesium which is important for your nerves, muscles, bones, blood sugar, blood pressure, and even your genetic material
Almond Butter
It is a great source of B7, also called biotin which is vital to help your body process the fat, sugar, and protein you eat. It also helps keep your blood sugar stable and your skin healthy.
Brazil nut Butter
These nuts are an excellent source of selenium, which keeps your thyroid gland running, helps your body make genetic material (DNA), and boosts your immune system. In addition it is rich in antioxidant.
Cashew Butter
It is a great source of copper, which your body needs to nourish tissues and blood, and produce energy. It may also have antioxidant properties that protect your cells against damage.
Walnut Butter
Plant source of healthy omega-3They provide the body with (ALA), which acts as a building block for other types of omega-3s. The butter isn’t always easy to find in stores, but you can whip up a batch at home in a food processor.
How to Avoid Mold
Nuts sometimes get mold that can transfer to the butters they make. One mold makes aflatoxin, which may be a cause of liver cancer. But the FDA has rules and tests that make this far less common. And it’s really more of a problem in warm, humid climates outside the U.S. But if you make nut butters, store nuts in a cool, dry place and toss any moldy, shriveled, or discolored ones. Storing nuts in the freezer can also help stop spoilage.
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