Health Nuts
It’s been six years since the FDA approved the packaging nutritional label “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Now, you can’t take that as a general endorsement of all nuts. The nuts that are on the approved list are almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts. Nuts are actually pretty high in their fat content, but the fat is mainly unsaturated and may help reduce ‘bad cholesterol. (LDL)
Amazingly enough, one ounce of walnuts is all that you need to get the recommended daily requirement for omega-3 fatty acids. That’s only about 7 walnuts! In my opinion it’s tough to over-dose on omega three’s so go ahead and have 8, if you like ‘em.
One ounce of almonds (about 22 nuts) provides about 35% of the RDA of vitamin E. E has been shown to help in anti-aging, and studies have been done that link vitamin E with prevention of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and low sperm count. Interesting. Nuts can help your nuts’ production. hmm.
Who knew?
Even the lowly peanut, often scoffed at by the more desirable nuts in a can of mixed, have folate and niacin, both of which are essential for good health.
And on the “don’t” side, nuts have no cholesterol and are very low in sodium. (beware of manufacturer’s who often add salt to nut mixes)
My thoughts are that raw nuts contain the most nutrition and are more tasty, so go on, grab a handful. They’re good for you!
Oh, I did also want to mention a new project I am involved with. The Get Inspired! Project is a daily posting of an interview on inspiration. I have found the process of working on the interviews and lining up people for that has been extremely lifting. Health is not just about physical health, it is also directly tied to mental health, so go check it out and let me know what you think.
