Nutrition 202 – Superfoods
Nutritionists tend to talk in a lot of nutritional
terms like ‘carbs’, ‘protein’,
‘vitamins’ and ‘minerals’.
But we don’t eat vitamins and minerals
do we? We eat food! So in this current series,
I’ll be discussing those foods you hear
recommended all the time – things like
green tea, garlic, oily fish and more - explaining
just why they’re so good for you, how
much you should have and which superfoods you
should regularly include in your diet. This
month…
Nuts
Nuts are in effect seeds – concentrated
packages of goodness waiting to feed a newborn
plant as it sprouts. The word ‘nut’
comes from the same latin root as the word ‘nutrient’
– notice the similarity? - highlighting
their outstanding nutritional value.
Nuts are of course a fatty food and many avoid
them because of a mistaken belief that nuts
are fattening. Despite their relatively high
calorific content, research has shown that nuts
don’t cause weight gain. For example in
a study of 86,000 nurses, the frequent nut consumers
were actually a little thinner on average than
those who almost never consumed nuts, and eating
almonds or peanuts daily for six months resulted
in little or no increase in body weight. Nuts
appear to satisfy hunger sufficiently well to
appropriately reduce the consumption of other
food.
Why they’re good
Nuts are a good source of protein – especially
for vegetarians - as well as fibre, B vitamins,
vitamin E, and numerous minerals including calcium,
magnesium, iron, zinc and selenium.
Also, it’s now known that nuts are good
for your heart. Yes, nuts are high in fat, but
most of them contain monounsaturated fat that’s
good for the heart. In fact, eaten in moderation,
nuts can lower your risk of heart disease and
heart attack. Almonds contain plant sterols,
walnuts contain omega 6 essential fats, and
brazil nuts are loaded with selenium, features
all known to benefit heart health.
How to eat them?
Try to include a small handful of nuts in your
diet every day. Eat them with your breakfast;
or accompanying fruit snacks – helps prolong
the energy release; in salads; as nut-butters;
or as a snack on their own. But here’s
the important bit – eat them raw most
of the time. While there’s no denying
that roasted nuts are delicious, the roasting
process has damaged the fats in the nuts, and
they should be eaten only in moderation. So
the trick is eat those nuts you enjoy raw and
unsalted – almonds, walnuts, brazils,
pecans and cashews are all good candidates.
Whole nuts in the shell will remain freshest
for the longest period of time, while ground
or broken nut pieces are most prone to rancidity
and should be refrigerated. Almonds are less
prone to rancidity, while walnuts and cashews
are more so, due to their higher oil content.
The rich oil content of most nuts concentrates
pesticides, so stick with organic.
A quick word on peanuts, which are actually
legumes, related to peas and lentils, and completely
unrelated to tree-nuts. Many of the health benefits
of tree-nuts have also been shown for peanuts,
with the following caveats: buy only high quality
peanut butter made with minimal processing and
added ingredients; and always choose organic
peanuts, as they contain fewer chemical residues
and are less subject to highly toxic aflatoxins.
Did you know?
If you suffer from coldsores, nuts are not
your friend. Rich in arginine, an amino acid
that promotes coldsore flare up, they should
be avoided if you feel that tell-tale tingle
or already have a coldsore. Chocolate is also
rich in arginine, so chocolate-coated nuts are
a perfect coldsore recipe! Now you know.
Shane Heaton
Nutritionist
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