Are you looking for delicious, alternative nutrition options to replace those highly processed sugars and hydrogenated fatty snacks? Then look no further than nuts or seeds. Most people don’t even consider them and avoid nuts or seeds altogether because of their high fat and calorie content. While it’s true that they’re rich in both, if you avoid them from your diet for these reasons alone, you’ll be missing out on a host of other important nutrients.
Depending on the variety, nuts and seeds are quite nutritious foods. Scientific studies of nutritional research have found that people who regularly eat 1 to 3 ounces of nuts have a lower risk of developing heart disease and cancer and reduce the severity of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
These foods are healthy snacks, and while they are nutritious, some people may find it difficult not to overindulge. As with any other diet choice, healthy or unhealthy, moderation is key.
However, there is a way to further improve the nutritional aspect of consumption. Try eating them dry roasted. Avoid most commercially processed brands, which are coated in several unhealthy varieties of processed polyunsaturated fats like cottonseed, canola, and soybean oils, and coated in nutrient-poor processed salt.
While not everyone has that convenience in their own backyard, Amish community grocery stores are a great source for finding many different types of fresh, raw nuts and seeds. Roasting them reduces the nutritional value somewhat, but you can do this at home fairly easily and you’ll have a much healthier snack product afterwards. Brush the nuts or seeds with some coconut oil, sprinkle with sea salt, bake in the oven and store in an airtight container.
Nuts and seeds are high in mostly monounsaturated fat and to a lesser extent in polyunsaturated fat. They are also good sources of antioxidant vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
If you decide to add them to your existing diet for health-conscious reasons, don’t think of them as a cure-all for bad eating habits. Think of them as a therapeutic replacement tool to eliminate processed fatty meat snacks, other fried foods, and sugary treats from your diet. Nuts and seeds can help you with weight problems because they contain high levels of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. In combination with a full glass of water, they provide a “full” feeling of satiety.
Most nuts and seeds are high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals help control blood pressure, while their naturally high fiber content helps protect against colon cancer.
As an example of the nutritional powerhouse found in nuts and seeds, below is a listing of the contents of specific types of nuts and seeds for your reference. One hundred grams is approximately a 3.5 ounce serving.
Seeds: Pumpkin-100g of pumpkin seeds contain 29g of protein, 11.2mg of iron and 1144mg of phosphorus. Sesame – 100 g sesame seeds contain 26.4 g protein, 12.6 mg vitamin B-3, 7.8 mg iron, 131 mg calcium and 10.3 mg zinc. Sunflower – 100g of sunflower seeds are an excellent source of potassium and magnesium and contain 24g of protein, 7.1mg of iron and 120mg of calcium. Flaxseed – 100g of flaxseed contains 431mg of magnesium, 831mg of potassium and 112g of folic acid, not to mention their high omega-3 content.
Nuts: Almonds – 100g of almonds contain 16.9g protein, 4.2mg iron, 250mg calcium, 20mg vitamin E, 3.1mg zinc and 0.92mg vitamin B-2. Cashews – 100g of cashews contain 17.2g of protein, 60 micrograms of vitamin A and 3.8mg of iron. Peanuts – 100g of peanuts contain 2.3g of protein, 2mg of iron and 3mg of zinc. Pecans – 100g pecans contain 9.2g protein, a very high fat content of 71.2g (of which 60 percent is monounsaturated and 30 percent is polyunsaturated), 130 micrograms of vitamin A (also very high), 2.4 g of iron and 73 mg calcium.
And while each of the food sources listed above definitely contain more nutrient content, nutritional research is discovering and identifying more unique and natural nutritional substances in all of our plant-based foods every day.
One thing is for sure, we all live in one of the most interesting generations right now. For the first time in history, man’s curiosity has led him to seriously investigate the path of perfect nutrition that nature intended for all of us.
What is learned today about consuming beneficial plant foods in their truest and unadulterated forms will help future generations wipe out many of the modern diseases that now plague most modern cultures. While this one aspect alone is not the complete answer to all the health problems of modern society, these new nutritional discoveries being discovered today will definitely help more people live healthier and happier lives of mind, body and spirit tomorrow.
Thanks to Brenda Skidmore
