The Importance of Nuts in Our Daily Diet
Unfortunately, the low-fat diet craze has taken a toll on Americans’ intake of nuts, which are, admittedly, high in fat. But as research continues to show the importance of “good” fats in the diet – fats that are not just optional but essential – nuts are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. And it’s for a good reason. Nuts are an important part of a healthy diet, and here are some reasons why.
1. Part of a healthy diet
You may have heard that the Mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest in the world – but did you know that the Mediterranean diet includes a lot of nuts? Almonds and walnuts are often used in Mediterranean cooking, where they contribute all kinds of nutrients. Almonds, for example, are high in magnesium and calcium as well as healthy fats, and walnuts have been implicated in cardiovascular and brain health.
2. Essential fatty acids
Because nuts boast a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids, they provide benefits to the cardiovascular system, such as lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. These fats also combat inflammation, and are instrumental in enhancing brain health. In fact, increased consumption of essential fatty acids such as Omega-3s and Omega-6s (many nuts, such as walnuts, have both) can combat depression and other mood disorders.
3. Cancer prevention
Walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts seem to have an affinity for destroying free radicals, which are “waste” products of cellular respiration. Free radicals are implicated as causal factors in cancer, and nuts can help destroy these cancer-causing cells.
4. Full of nutrients
Nuts are high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, and the aforementioned fatty acids. They are a nutrient-dense food, which means you don’t have to eat a great deal of them to obtain their nutritional benefits. The exception to the high-fat rule is the chestnut, which is naturally low in fat.
5. Cardiovascular health
As mentioned above, the good fats in nuts help lower cholesterol. But nuts also contain arginine, an amino acid that precedes the production of nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels, thus preventing high blood pressure and artherosclerosis (thickening of artery walls due to plaque build-up).
Eating a small handful of nuts each day is a healthy addition to your diet, especially a Mediterranean diet. Choose a variety of nuts to get the most nutritional benefit, eating several different types of nuts each week. Because some nuts, especially peanuts, tend to be heavily sprayed with insecticides and fungicides, stick with raw, organic nuts that have been properly protected from heat, light, and air. (Heat destroys the beneficial fats.) Shelling raw nuts yourself is the best option.
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Tags: fatty acids and nuts, healthy, nuts
