People tend to associate nuts with peanut butter and trail mix, not as major part of one’s diet. But nuts are a healthy alternative for junk food, and they provide some life-saving health benefits. All of the nuts listed below are high in monosaturated fats. According to the Mayo Clinic, monosatruated fats are usually liquid at room temperature like olive and peanut oil, and while their unhealthy relative saturated fats like butter cause heart disease, monosaturated fats reduce heart disease by reducing cholesterol. Here are eight of the healthiest nuts that are readily available all year long. All information on almonds, peanuts, walnuts and cashews comes from Whfoods.com which is run by the George Mateljan Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping people eat healthier.
Almonds:
These nuts actually aren’t nuts at all, but seeds of the almond tree. They are seed pits found inside fruit like peach and cherry pits. The monosaturated fats and the antioxidant vitamin E found in almonds can reduce the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol in the body which causes heart disease. Almonds can also reduce the risk of diabetes. After a meal, blood sugar levels rise, and over time these rises cause diabetes. But the antioxidants found in almonds can reduce these surges to stave off diabetes.
“I like all kinds of nuts, but my favorite is almonds in trail mix,” said Freshman Matt DeDominicis.
Besides the health benefits, almonds are popular for being one of the most flavorful and readily available variety of nut.
“I love smoked almonds because they play a huge impact on my diet. They provide a lot of the nutrients I would be going without from the little amount of meat I eat daily. Plus I am lactose intolerant so almond milk is a lifesaver,” said Senior Elizabeth Panek.
Cashews: The cashew nut grows in a hard shell sticking out of the cashew apple native to northern Brazil. They contain high amounts of copper, which is a main ingredient in enzymes. Enzymes perform essential chemical processes in the body including elimination of free radicals in the bloodstream that cause heart disease.
Walnuts: Walnuts are a high calorie snack, so they need to be eaten in moderation. However, walnuts make up for their calories because they contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids, and while all three are needed in the human body, the body can only make two of them on its own. Walnuts are rich in the omega-3 that humans cannot make, called Alpha- Lipoic Acid or ALA. Walnuts also benefit the cardiovascular system by reducing platelet build-up which causes heart disease, and ALA is needed in red blood cells.
“I love chocolate covered walnuts and pistachios. I don’t eat them on a daily basis, but I should eat more nuts since they’re so healthy,” said Junior Claudia Pierre.
Peanuts: Peanuts are actually legumes like beans and peas. Legumes are a kind of dry fruit that grows inside a shell or pod, like a pea pod or peanut shell.
“I love peanut butter sometimes, but I don’t think peanuts are very healthy though,” said Freshman Kamdai Otsuka.
However, peanuts are actually very nutritious. They’re unique because they contain the anti-oxidant resveratrol which is found in red wine and grapes. This anti-oxidant is believed to be the reason the average Frenchman, who eats a lot of saturated fat but drinks a lot of wine, is more likely to live longer and have lower risk for heart disease than the average American. It has also been proven that women who eat one ounce of peanuts a day are far less likely to contract gallstones.
Pecans: According to Michael Barrett, co-founder of Naturalsociety.com, while pecans are high in fat, they make up for it in fiber. Pecans are about 70 percent fat but only one ounce of pecans contains 11 percent of the recommended amount of daily fiber. Because of this, pecans are great for relieving bowel problems like constipation and preventing problems like colon cancer and hemorrhoids. Conveniently for Americans, unlike many of the other nuts listed in this article, pecan trees are native to North America and more accessible.
Pistachios: Pistachios are originally from western Asia but have been grown in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Like almonds, they help reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body to reduce heart disease. According to Healthdiaries.com, pistachios can also help reduce the risk of diabetes because one cup contains 60 percent of the daily recommended amount of the mineral phosphorous. Phosphorous aids in glucose tolerance.
“I love almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios. I know some nuts are really healthy because they have lots of protein and omega-3’s,” said Freshman Christian Mata.
Macadamia Nuts: According to Live Strong, a site dedicated to helping people with diet and cancer issues, macadamia trees are native to Australian rain forests but grow in areas of the Pacific Islands that have lush, rainforest-like climates. Macadamia nuts have extremely high calorie count at 200 calories per ounce. Most people tend to only eat these nuts in baked goods or some other dessert-type snack, and they lose nutritional value when baked. However, when macadamia nuts are consumed raw one ounce contains ten percent of a person’s daily fiber needs.
Hazelnuts: Hazelnuts have a lot of energy packed into each little nut. One ounce of hazelnuts contains four grams of protein, five grams of carbohydrates, and 178 calories. Hazelnuts also contain a chemical called oleic acid. This chemical lowers the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol and raises the amount of healthy ADL cholesterol in the body, according to Live Strong.
