Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health

So many people think eating healthy means they need to cut some foods, especially desserts, out of their diet.  But I am a big advocate of adding healthier foods to your diet.  I like my desserts and I am not cutting them out of my diet.  But I also have a very healthy diet.  One can add some very simple healthy habits to their day and start to eat healthier.  One very easy way to eat healthier is to add a handful of nuts to your day.  Why a handful?  Because you don’t want to eat the entire can and a handful provides a lot of nutrients without piling on the calories.  I always tell the students in my class that Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day for good health. What is so healthy about eating some nuts every day?

 

• Healthy fats – yes, nuts have fat in them.  But the different fats in nuts are heart healthy fats.  Nuts provide the good omega-3 fats but are low in the saturated fats that are linked to heart disease.  In fact, the Mayo Clinic notes: “Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for your heart.” Some ways nuts help your heart:

• Lowers your bad LDL cholesterol – this is the cholesterol that can build up in your arteries
• Lowers inflammation risk that is linked to heart disease
• Reduces your risk of developing blood clots
• Fiber – so many Americans have diets low in fiber.  Nuts are a good source of fiber.  Fiber is also good for your heart as fiber helps lower cholesterol.  And fiber may help prevent Type 2 diabetes as it helps you fill full.
• Type 2 diabetes – nuts won’t raise your blood sugar levels.  A study of 117 people with type 2 diabetes looked at study participants eating 2 ounces of nuts or a healthy muffin.  After 3 months, those who ate the nuts had better blood glucose levels and less LDL cholesterol. 
• Vitamin E – good for many things but one is helping keep your arteries free of the plaque build up that can lead to blocked arteries and heart disease or a heart attack.
  
• Protein – although not a complete protein, nuts are a good source of protein.
  
• Magnesium – Like fiber, many Americans have diets low in the mineral, magnesium. Almonds, cashews and peanuts are especially rich in magnesium.  Peanut butter is also a good source of magnesium. 
  
• Weight – some people think nuts are fattening.  However, studies have found that eating nuts is not linked with weight gain.   Maybe because the fiber in the nuts helps us to fill full.  Others even say, the “crunch” in nuts gives us a feeling of fullness. 

Which nuts are the healthiest?  All can contribute to your health. If you enjoy mixed nuts, have a handful of those. If you enjoy peanuts, then eat peanuts.  I always liked almonds, until I broke a tooth eating them so I now eat walnuts or peanuts.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your morning cereal or on some yogurt.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your salad.  For some great ideas of how to add walnuts to your day and some recipes using walnuts, visit walnuts.org. 

Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health.

 Sources:  fats , study , arteries, Magnesium , Weight , walnuts.org , walnuts.org  Image sources:  Mixed nuts , Handful of nuts , crisp

Apple Walnut Crisp  (adapted from recipe on walnuts.org)

•  4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
•  2 Tablespoons brown sugar 
  
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
•  ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch baking pan with canola or sunflower oil.  Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir until apples are completely and evenly coated.  Pour apple filling into prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.  Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until crumbles form.  Spoon topping mix on top of apple mixture evenly distributed.  Bake 45 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and juices begin to thin.  Serve warm over ice cream, yogurt or on its own.