Amazing Health Benefits of Nuts - Food and Health

Health Benefits of Nuts

The health benefits of nuts during the last decade or two the general importance and held the influence of nuts in our diets grown this is like the response to the growing body of research demonstrating that many potential benefits of having them as a regular staple in your diet the purpose of this article is just a broadly cover the benefits of the food group as a whole each nut obviously has some potential individual benefits for example almonds are high in calcium however I will not spend much time focusing on individual nuts during this presentation the purpose of this particular article is just to get a broad sense of the many reasons to be consuming them so the first thing is what is it that makes nuts healthy some of the metabolically active products and nuts that may confer health benefits includes mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids which are the good dietary fats omega-3 fatty acids and those are typically found in animal products but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources various vitamins including vitamin E and folate fiber antioxidants plant sterols arginine minerals including magnesium and copper and certainly other bioactive compounds we've yet to identify prior studies have found that increased nut intake is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and in one study consuming 5 ounces of nuts per week reduced the risk of death due to heart disease by 35% which is pretty impressive reduced risk of cardiovascular disease cancer mortality respiratory disease mortality risk of diabetes improved blood sugar control reduced bad cholesterol

The LDL cholesterol reduced risk of blood clots and clogged arteries weight loss and healthy weight maintenance improved cognition and reduction in risk and progression of Alzheimer's disease nuts are very dense with calories and fat 80% of which are the healthy fats certainly some nuts are more energy dense than others for example one ounce of macadamia nuts and pecans have more than 200 calories this is in contrast to almonds cashews pistachios and peanuts which are in the 160 calorie range per 1 ounce serving as an example using the nutrition facts for almonds which includes 162 calories 14 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein and one ounce which is equal to 28 grams keep in mind that one ounce of peanuts is not a lot it's basically a handful so as a healthy as nuts are remember that calories matter and these are very calorie dense as an example of how much you should consume the American Heart Association recommends four servings of unsalted nuts per week select most things nuts and moderation confer many health benefits nut oils are processed to maintain their consistency and as a result lose some of their nutritional content including the fiber found in whole nuts but they still contain the healthy fats omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E while nut oil is listed as the highest in omega-3 fatty acids and so dietitians are still going to recommend something like extra virgin olive oil for most things but these are relatively equivalent and there is still place for nut oils in your meals...