Just a handful of nuts can change our life!

Since my two pregnancies, I have incorporated a great habit of eating nuts daily. I prefer almonds and cashews, but “eating a few nuts daily, can help in weight reduction. Shedding pregnancy weight and eating healthy and full diet for breastfeeding together becomes tougher.Keeping myself and my newborn healthy got me closer to eating mixed nuts daily, raw, roasted, or spread. Nuts are a powerhouse of nutrition.The group consists of nuts such as walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan nuts, cashew, pistachio, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts and also peanut.These nuts are wholesome food and filling snacks that have numerous health benefits ranging from preventing dementia and depression to improving heart health.

I did a lot of research on nutritional facts and studies on its health benefits. Knowledge empowered me to share it with my family and friends. My blog today is the inclusion of those facts confirmed with the studies.

The fact has been established based on studies and researches. 

It’s effortless to get hooked to unhealthy snacking. There is a perception that nuts are high in calories and fat. However, new studies have reversed this hypothesis.

As per the researchers, some fats common in nuts — mono-and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids — indeed reduce cardiovascular disease risk. The FDA now allows nut producers to claim that a diet that includes 1 ounce of nuts daily can reduce your heart disease risk. According to the new study published in the “BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health” journal,

• Increased total consumption of nuts and intakes of individual types of nuts was associated with less weight gain despite being calorically dense.

• Increased daily consumption of nuts was associated with a lower risk of moderate weight gain and lower risk of developing obesity.

• Incorporating nuts as part of a healthy dietary pattern can be an effective strategy for making possible nutritional modifications for the primary prevention of obesity.

The current study presents testimony to support current dietary guidelines that emphasize the value of including nuts as part of a healthy nutritional guide to prevent gradual long-term weight gain and obesity. 

These findings are further confirmed from a 2013 study conducted by Harvard researchers. As per Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “We found that people who ate nuts every day lived longer, healthier lives than people who didn’t eat nuts,” said study co-author. 

A Study lead author Dagfinn Aune, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, explains how nuts’ nutritional value may be responsible for the positive health outcomes.

Nuts and peanuts are high in fiber, magnesium, and polyunsaturated fats – nutrients that are beneficial for cutting cardiovascular disease risk and which can reduce cholesterol levels,” Aune says.

Nuts Value-added facts:

The unsaturated fat in nuts helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

One type of unsaturated fat — omega-3 fatty acids — appears to prevent erratic heart rhythms.

There is some evidence that omega-3s in nuts keep blood from clotting.

Nuts are abundant in amino acids needed to make a molecule called nitric oxide that relaxes constricted blood vessels and eases blood flow.

Nuts help to control glucose levels and to lower insulin levels in people with prediabetes.

Nuts are rich in fat, fiber, and protein, making you feel stuffed soon, thus eliminating overeating- the biggest reason for obesity.

Nuts are rich sources of unsaturated fats and fiber, and these nutrients have protective effects against the development of gallstones.

Being rich in antioxidants and anti-carcinogenic properties such as tocopherols (vitamin E), folic acids, selenium, magnesium and phytochemicals, nuts are considered to have protective effect against cancers, especially in women.

Selenium, a mineral required in minute quantity by the body, combines with proteins to make selenoproteins, which are important antioxidant enzymes that help regulate thyroid function and play a role in immune system. A German study on European women found that low selenium status is associated with risk of goiter and multiple nodules in them.

A handful of nuts daily keeps away obesity! The American Heart Association suggests eating about four servings of unsalted nuts a week. Pick raw or dry-roasted nuts- one serving is a small handful (1.5 ounces) of whole nuts or use a tablespoon of spread. Scooped a few articles below for my readers! Enjoy.