Healthy Living

By Haven Logan

Nuts About Nuts

            For most of my life when I thought of nuts it was those salted peanuts in a bowl that I never could stop eating at parties. Knowing that they were irresistible and very fattening, I did my best to avoid nuts all together. In recent years that has completely changed. Nuts have become part of my daily diet. I’m proud to say that “I’m nuts about nuts.”

            The first reason to consider incorporating nuts into your daily diet is that they provide multiple health benefits.  Nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) which have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Four large studies including the Nurses’ Health Study, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Adventist Health Study, and the Physicians’ Health Study all found nut consumption to be linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Researchers combining the results of these four studies found that subjects who ate nuts at least four times a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts. Each additional serving of nuts per week was associated with an average 8.3% reduced risk of coronary heart disease (British Journal of Nutrition).

            The second reason to include nuts in your diet is that they are absolutely delicious. Nuts can be enjoyed at every meal of the day and in between meals. Get adventurous! Try some walnuts and raisins on your oatmeal at breakfast. At lunch sprinkle crushed pistachios on your salad. Spread almond butter on a stalk of celery for your mid-afternoon snack. At dinner top your pasta with roasted pine nuts. Try a different type of nut every week to see which ones you like best.

So how do you deal with the high caloric content of nuts? Here is the perfect place to practice what I call “Conscious Indulgence” or the combining of nutritional knowledge with enjoying the pleasure of food. As a general guideline you can estimate that three tablespoons of nuts contain 180 calories, some types more and some less. Because they are so dense in calories and so hard to resist, my policy is never to eat nuts out of the container. I keep a measuring spoon close by and always measure out the amount that I am going to eat.

I enjoy nuts as a snack, primarily.  Nothing could be more convenient for between-meal “munchies” than having a small bag of almonds with you. They make an amazingly satisfying snack which research has shown to lessen after-meal surges in blood sugar and insulin. If you practice “Conscious Indulgence,” nuts can actually help with weight loss by providing concentrated protein and fat that takes the edge off hunger. If  you want roasted nuts rather than raw nuts look for those which have been “dry roasted” or roast your own at home to avoid cooking oil.  Read the label to make sure there are no hidden ingredients such as corn syrup or other additives.

Selection and storage of nuts is important so that they do not become rancid. Nuts in their shells have the longest shelf life. Those sold in hermetically sealed containers will last longer than those sold in bulk containers since they are less exposed to heat and air. If you do buy nuts from bulk bins make sure that the bins are well sealed and that there is a rapid turnover of the contents. Once at home, to prolong freshness place them in the refrigerator or in the freezer if you will be keeping them for many months.

For a special treat try this recipe for Teriyaki Almonds:

2 cups almonds

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place nuts in a 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in oil, ginger, salt, garlic and onion powder. Add heated almonds. Toss to coat nuts. Return nuts to baking pan. Bake 10 minutes longer, turning once. Cool and store in an airtight container.

For more information about specific types of nuts go to The World’s Healthiest Foods website at: www.whfoods.com.

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