Nuts – bursting with vitamins and minerals

Nuts and seeds….they may be small, but they burst with loads of vitamins and minerals!

These are one of the best natural sources of vitamins and minerals in one small package.

All nuts and seeds are best purchased whole, in their natural casing.
Once seeds/nuts are broken/milled/grounded they start to lose their nutritional value so please always purchase nuts and seed whole.

Once you have milled them (blitzed in a food processor or thermomix) the best place to store is in the fridge in a glass jar and used within a few days.
Just think of an apple – once you pierce the skin it will start to go brown, same with seeds and nuts.

Be aware buying almond meal already packaged, from the time it is milled, packaged, distributed and stored on a shelf in plastic packaging under bright artificial lights all day – the nutritional value is very very poor. If you want high nutritional value, I’d mill it yourself.

Nuts are great to use in baking, crushed over salads, sprinkled in stirfrys added to smoothies and smoothie bowls, they are a great extra addition to your meals.
They are also great for a snack, but you must be aware of those handfuls that add extra calories. How easy is it for you to add 500 extra calories to your day when you are in a trance just eating one nut after another.

I have listed the benefits of each nut below with some of the content extracted out of Fat for Fuel written by Dr Joseph Mercola

Cacao:

Cacao can be purchased as nibs, powdered, or butter.

Raw cacao powder has nearly 4 times the antioxidants of regular dark chocolate, making it one of the most concentrated sources of antioxidants available.

In addition, it contains protein, calcium, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, magnesium, sulphur, and more than 380 phytochemicals.

 

Black sesame:

Traditional Chinese medicine classic text the Compendium of Materia Medica, written during the Ming Dynasty, says,

“Taking Black sesame seeds can heal all the chronic illness after 100 days, improve skin tone on body and face after one year, reverse grey hair after two years, and regrowth teeth after 3 years”.

Black sesame seeds have more calcium per gram than any other food and excellent source of magnesium, copper, and zinc, making them one of nature’s multivitamins.

They are also rich in lignans, a type of plant compound rich in polyphenols and insoluble fibre.

Once ingested, lignans are converted into week forms of oestrogen that help regulate hormones balance in the body, and can potentially help reduce the risk of hormone associated cancers (breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate).

There is research suggesting that postmenopausal women who have a high intake of dietary lignans have a 17% lower risk of breast cancer compared with those with a low impact.

 

Flax seeds:

Flax seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fats, in the form of the anti-inflammatory alpha-linolenic acid.

Flaxseeds provide substantially more lignans than black sesame seeds – approximately 10 times the amount.

Flax seeds are an excellent source of fibre, both soluble and insoluble.

Chia seeds:

Chia seeds are my favourite and are a quick and easy to use source of protein, healthy omega-3 fats, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, all rolled into one tiny package.

Although they have similar health benefits to flaxseed, chia seeds don’t have to be ground prior to consumption, and they don’t go rancid as quickly either, (they last up to 2 years with no refrigeration, courtesy of the high levels of antioxidants they contain).

Just one tablespoon of chia seeds contains about 5 g of fibre.

So many ways to utilize chia seeds, but many of my crew love them as a chia pudding.
I always use them in smoothies and all my baking – even my boys know I add them to all their treats.

Sunflower seeds:

Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin D, copper, b vitamins, manganese, selenium,  phosphorus, and magnesium.

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that protects cell membranes and cholesterol from free radical damage, giving it powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Pumpkin seeds:

Pumpkin seeds have a wide variety of nutrients ranging from magnesium and manganese to copper, protein, and zinc, pumpkin seeds are nutritional powerhouse is wrapped up in a very small package.

Magnesium for dissipate in the creation of ATP, the synthesis of RNA and DNA, the pumping of your heart, proper bone and tooth formation, relaxation of your blood vessels, and proper power functions. Magnesium has been shown to benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke.
Pumpkin seeds also contain high levels of phytosterols and free-radical scavenging antioxidants. They are also high in fibre.

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc.

Zinc is important to your body in many ways, including immunity, cell growth and division, sleep, and mood.
Zinc is also important for prostate health.

Psyllium seed husks:

Psyllium is a high fibre food source that is actually ground husks of the seed of the Plantago ovata plant.

It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, which have a long list of important attributes that contribute to physical health.

Taking psyllium three times a day could add as much as 18 grams of dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble)  to your diet, which brings you quite close to the recommended minimum of 50 grams per 1000 calories consumed although please understand that using psyllium is not a replacement for eating plenty of fibre in the form of vegetables.
This level of psyllium would have to work up to gradually and may not be necessary for everyone.

Caution:  if you suspect that you have a bowel obstruction or have a history of bowel adhesions, only take psyllium under appropriate medical supervision.

I love adding to all my smoothies or pancakes, for added volume and fiber in the meal.

Macadamia nuts

These are some of the most sought-after nuts in the world so therefore they are expensive.
Macadamia nuts have the highest and lowest protein and carb content of any nut.

Raw macadamia nuts also contain high amounts of vitamin B1, magnesium, and manganese.

Just one serving of macadamia nuts it’s 58% of what you need in manganese, and 23% of the recommended daily value of thiamine.

About 80% of the fats in macadamia nuts are monounsaturated, and most of those fats are the omega-9 fat, oleic acid.  This is the same fat that is also present in olive oil, so they provide many of the same benefits as olive oil. They are typically less oxidized than olive oil because the fat is intact, not extracted.

If you have pets, it’s important to note that macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs and can cause weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, tremors, and hyperthermia.

Pecans:

Pecans are a native American food supply. Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, and research has suggested that they lower LDL cholesterol and promote healthy arterial function.

Pecans are a close second to macadamia nuts on the fat and protein scale, and they also contain anti inflammatory magnesium, healthy heart oleic acid,  phenolic antioxidants, and immune boosting manganese (which is not easily obtained from your diet).

Brazil nuts:

Brazil nuts are a nutrient dense and delicious type of nut that comes from a tree in South America that bears the same name.
Brazil nuts are most notable as an excellent source of selenium, an essential mineral that may be beneficial in preventing cancer and other chronic diseases and as an antagonist to Mercury.

Brazil nuts have a high fat and low protein content, following closely behind macadamias and pecans.

They are rich in zinc, this is important even that so many people are deficient in this mineral.

Their ability to help stimulate growth and repair, improve the digestive process, boost heart health, balance hormone function, improve the immune system, lower risk of cancer, boost male fertility, help with weight loss, as in skin health, and reduce the signs of aging.

Despite their many health benefits, eating more than a few per day has downsides:  such as, you can easily see your ideal intake of selenium and that can have a negative impact on your health.

Almonds:

Almonds are technically not a nut, they’re seed.
The almond tree is in the same family as peach, apricot, and cherry trees, and like those cousins, almond trees bear fruit that have a stoney seed, or pit. The almond is that pit.

Almonds contain l-arginine  and I also good sources of potassium, that helps normalise blood pressure.

Do be careful not to over eat almonds, however,  as protein: 4 almonds contain nearly 1 gram. They are also relatively high in omega 6 fats, about 30%, so too many will distort your healthy omega 6 to omega-3 ratio. They have about 60% saturated fats and only 10% monounsaturated fats.

Soaking almonds first will help rid them of phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors they naturally contain. Enzyme inhibitors in nuts (and seeds)  help protect nut as it grows, decreasing enzyme activity and preventing premature sprouting.

But in your body, these enzymes can interfere with the function of your own digestive and metabolic enzymes.

To make soaked nuts more palatable, you can use a dehydrator to improve the texture. Or you can slowly bake/dry in a low heated oven for a few hours otherwise known as “activated nuts”.

I hope your favourite nut was listed.

Here is a consolidated list for you all:

NUTS

To your health
Kerrie