Nutz!

I am seeing a little bit of trend here. Yesterday we talked about eggs, and today we are talking about nuts. Both super foods, but more so, they are both what I call genesis foods. They both grow into something else if not eaten. Eggs turn to chickens, and nuts turn to trees and plants. Nuts, much like eggs, contain vast amounts of concentrated complex nutrients to be able to ‘seed’ life. They’re amazing foods.

I keep a huge selection of nuts and seeds around the house because just like hard boiled eggs, nuts are a great go to snack. Plus there are some really good Paleo/Primal recipes for nuts that really boost their ‘snack-ability’ factor, my favorite is my Almond Crackle. My friends call it Almond Crack. I will admit, it’s a little addicting. Also, I use nut butters a lot when I cook. Here is my Paleo/Primal Asian Coleslaw recipe that uses almond butter.

So why are nuts so good for us?

1)   Eating nuts help you control your weight. In multiple medical studies results have shown that tree nut consumption had a strong inverse relationship to obesity and metabolic syndrome, most likely a result of the high fiber content and nutrient density that offsets the caloric intake.

2)   Eating nuts helps reduce your risk for heart disease. In a Adventist Health Study it was found that people who ate nuts more than 5 times a week and a 40% lower rate of heart disease than their counterpart who did not consume nuts.

3)   Eating walnuts regularly has been shown to reduce overall blood cholesterol levels.

4)   Nuts are a great source of plant-based protein. The high quality amino acids that nuts offer are the building blocks for our own protein building, and at 6g of protein in 1oz of almonds, they are a great way to curb your hunger.

5)   Nuts, especially walnuts have high levels of omega-e fatty acids, and we all know how important those are for brain health and memory.

6)   Eating nuts as a snack or with your meal helps to normalize your blood sugar levels.  The healthy protein and fats contained in nuts help slow down the rate at which sugar molecules enter your blood stream.

7)   The essential fats found in nuts help to regulate hormone levels. These fats are needed by the endocrine gland to produce healthy amounts of hormones that affect every aspect of our body.

8)   Eating nuts helps your digestive tract. The fats and fiber found in nuts aid and lubricate the digestive system to keep things ‘moving along’.

9)   Nuts help you live longer. In a massive study done by the New England Journal of Medicine, those who ate a handful of nuts a day were 20% less likely to die of any cause over a 30 year period than those who did not eat them.

10) Eating nuts helps you stay full longer. People who snack on a handful of nuts have a tendency to eat less calories throughout the day and feel satiated longer than those that snack on carbohydrate laden snacks.

So obviously nuts are good for you. Taste great. And add variety to your life. Eat them raw. Toast them in the oven. Turn them into butters. Add them to your next smoothie, just get a handful in every day and you will be on your way to a healthier you.