Nuts and healthy eating
Nut is the first three letters in the word “nutrition.”
And simple snacking with almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts, as well other nuts, is considered healthy eating these days.
Paula Chicoine of Parker is a nut-lover and sees the health benefits.
She started a diet heavy in almonds, walnuts, pecans and filberts (also known as hazelnuts) about six years ago.
“I read a book about intestinal health, and that got me started,” says Chicoine, 60.
“Now I have them with every meal.
“We both have fixed our cholesterol with exercise,” she says.
Nuts may help eliminate bad cholesterol, when eaten as part of a healthy diet, and also can be helpful for people battling high blood pressure or diabetes tendencies, health reports have shown.
Joanne Shearer, team leader for food and nutrition services at Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota, says more people are trying what the Chicoines have done.
“There have been many studies, and they now prove that one ounce per day, which is about a handful of nuts, will lower your chances of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent,” says Shearer.
“Thirty years ago, people were eliminating nuts from their diet, because they are fatty.
Almonds are considered the most nutritious, but even peanuts are better than an indulgent snack.
“Certain nuts contain fitochemicals that still have undiscovered benefits,” Shearer says.
“Peanuts are not as good as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and pecans, but they are certainly better than opening a bag of chips.”
John Bergin owns and operates the Bergin Fruit and Nut Co. based in St. Paul, Minn., and says as a protein source, nuts are hard to top.
His nuts are distributed in local stores.
“I used to do a presentation for third-grade students, and I had a buddy dress in a gorilla suit,” he says.
“It was a way to show the students that such a strong animal can get all the protein they need without eating meat.”
Almonds are high in Vitamin E, and pack serious long-term energy.
“Bikers and hikers know how good they are for them,” Bergin says.
“Pecans are the No. 1 antioxidant nut meat out there.”
Most nuts contain high levels of monounsaturated fats – the good fats – also found in olive and canola oils and plentiful in Mediterranean diets.
Chicoine says she feels more energetic since going to nuts as a staple.
“I started with raw nuts and would roast them at home,” she says.
“Sometimes I buy roasted because I want that tiny bit of salt.”
When it comes to salt, even peanuts are not horrible, Shearer says.
But not all nuts are created equally.
Flavored almonds, especially those infused with a smoked flavor, can have as much as 180 milligrams of salt per serving, so keep an eye on labels.
Bulk nut bins are one of the hot spots at Co-op Natural Foods, 2504 S. Duluth Ave., says employee Deb Storey.
Bergin, who sells many of his products in bulk, says like cereal boxes, buying bulk can save money and time for everyone.
“The mixes and bulk nuts we sell, one bag is about twice as much in volume as you’d get in a package or can,” he says.
Beyond almonds, Shearer says walnuts and pistachios are found to promote pliability and elasticity in blood vessels.
“Nuts really are super-foods, and the pack so much nutrition into a small package,” she says.
Talk about a health nut (The Argus Leader)
Nut is the first three letters in the word “nutrition.” And simple snacking with almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts, as well other nuts, is considered healthy eating these days.
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