I’m sure if you started researching whether or not eating nuts as part of your regular diet is healthy or not, you’d find some conflicting information. But, there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that it’s healthy to eat nuts. They provide a lot of nutrients that our body needs and they taste good! There are some things you’ll want to know about first though to really get the benefits.
Curious about different types of nuts and what they can do for you? Keep reading!
Benefits Provided by Different Types of Nuts
Not all nuts are created equal. A lot of them do contain the same types of nutrients, but in varying amounts. Different types provide different benefits. Let’s take a look at some different varieties.
Cashews
Cashew nuts are a good source of copper, magnesium, and manganese. This means that they help provide you with what your body needs for energy production, keeping your brain healthy, fighting off illness, and keeping your bones strong. It’s also been shown that daily cashew consumption can help lower LDL and lower the risk of heart disease.
Almonds
Almonds can reduce blood sugar levels, blood pressure and LDL levels. They are high in protein, magnesium, and vitamin E. They also, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help protect you from heart disease. Almonds promote good eye, skin, and brain health as well. You may be able to absorb more of the beneficial nutrients by eating them without the skin.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts contain Vitamin E, thiamin, magnesium, copper, and manganese. They also contain decent amounts of vitamin B6, folate, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. These nuts protect from cell damage, which can lower your risk of cancer, premature aging, and heart disease. It’s been found that a lot of the nutrients come from the skin, so it’s best to consume them with the skin still on.
Pecans
Pecans are a good source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, zinc, and phosphorus.. They promote brain health, heart health, can reduce cholesterol levels, and help with blood sugar regulation.
Walnuts
Walnuts can help promote good brain health, heart health, digestion, and improve your mood. They have alpha-linolenic and linoleic acids, which may have anti-inflammatory effects that keep blood vessels healthy, and have a positive effect on blood lipids. A study showed that they can reduce triglycerides and a protein linked to cardiovascular disease. Walnuts have been called one of the healthiest nuts because of the potent health benefits they provide.
Brazil Nuts
Eating Brazil nuts may reduce inflammation, support brain function, improve your thyroid function and heart health. They protect against cell damage and infections.. Ellagic acid and selenium in the nuts have a mood-boosting effect on your brain. Brazil nuts can help reduce anxiety and depression as well as help you get better quality sleep. They are said to provide an almost immediate effect. To avoid consuming too much selenium, limit your intake to one to three Brazil nuts per day.
Pistachios
They are loaded with antioxidants and help reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Pistachios are good for eye health and may reduce the risk of anemia (high amount of B6). They’re also fairly low in calories. It is recommended that you drink plenty of water if you’re consuming pistachios, as they might cause stomach irritation otherwise.
Peanuts
Ok, so peanuts are not actually nuts. They are legumes, but they have a lot of the same properties and benefits that nuts do. They provide niacin, folates, thiamin and pantothenic acid. Peanuts also contain copper, manganese, iron, and magnesium. As you can see, they have a lot of the same vitamins and minerals that nuts have. This means that they can protect your heart, prevent gallstones, lower cholesterol, boost immunity. They also promote skin health as well as boost your mood and lower your risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
What Else You Should Know About Why It’s Healthy To Eat Nuts
All of the above nuts and the legume (peanuts) provide a good plant based source of protein and fiber.
Protein is the building block that our bodies need to stay healthy and strong. Protein is even more essential if you’re trying to build muscle mass. It’s just not possible without sufficient protein.
Fiber helps to maintain regularity and healthy digestion while also acting as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are food for the good gut bacteria. Not only does the fiber benefit our gut microbiome, it helps us feel full longer. When we feel full longer, we snack less and have an easier time losing excess fat.
There’s a common misconception that eating nuts is bad for you because they contain a lot of fat. The truth is that, yes they might have a higher ratio of fat, but they are high in healthy fats. We need fat as part of a healthy diet.
How To Eat Nuts For Better Health
You don’t have to eat a ton of nuts to get the benefits they provide. For most of them, it’s recommended that you eat no more than 1-2 ounces per day, especially if your goal is weight loss. As I mentioned above, no more than 3 brazil nuts per day, to avoid excess selenium.
It’s also important to be aware of the different ways nuts are prepared. When you’re buying them at the store, be sure to read the labels. Many are loaded with extra salt, sugar, and other harmful oils. Generally, the healthiest way to eat nuts is either raw or roasted without salt. With or without the skin will depend on type of nut (almonds without skin and hazelnuts with it).
It’s less healthy to eat nuts that are covered in salt, sugar, and oils because of the harm those things can do to our bodies, but also because these things tend to make us want to overeat. There can be too much of a good thing!
It’s also important to remember that nuts alone will not lead to good health. They are part of a healthy diet, but we also need to include a variety of other healthy carbs, fats, and and proteins for optimal health. So, while it’s healthy to eat nuts, it doesn’t completely cancel out all of the unhealthy choices you might make.
You can eat them alone as a delicious snack or sprinkle some in when eating salads, stir-fry’s, or oatmeal.
Obviously, if you are allergic to any nuts, it’s not beneficial for you to consume them.
Do you currently include nuts as part of your diet?
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