Nuts are important and healthy for your overall maintenance. They are very scrumptious, easy to ingest and digest. You can enjoy nuts even if you are on dieting. Although they are high in fat, still they have a lot of health benefits. They have remarkable properties.
What Actually NUTS Are?
Nuts are seed kernels that are commonly used as snacks or to add to various dishes in order to enhance their taste and richness. They are loaded with good fats and also have a bulk of calories.
Mostly, nuts have an outer rigid shell that is usually cracked in order to eat the inner kernel seed. Shell is really hard to break. Luckily, we have ready-to-eat nuts in the markets.
Here is the list of the most common nuts that you can find everywhere easily.
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Pine nuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Dried Apricots
- Pistachio
Immense Source Of Nutrients
Nuts are immensely nutritious. Here are the details of the nutritional value of one ounce(28 grams) of nut.
- Calories: 173
- Proteins: 5 grams
- Carbohydrates: 6 grams
- Fat; 6 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin E: 12% of the RDI (Reference Daily Intake)
- Magnesium: 16% of the RDI
- Copper: 23% of the RDI
Health Benefits Of Nuts
Here are some health benefits of eating nuts that would surely urge you to add them to your diet plan.
Antioxidant Powerhouse
Nuts are loaded with antioxidants. They have antioxidants named polyphenols. Polyphenols have a remarkable potential to neutralize free radicals. Neutralization of free radicals can be helpful in reducing oxidative stress, usually caused by cell damage. Oxidative stress can increase disease risk.
According to a study, Walnuts have the capability to fight free radicals as compared to fish. Research proved that walnuts help your body in the prevention of fats that can be destroyed by oxidation otherwise.
Although nuts have great power of antioxidation, studies revealed that older people or people with metabolic syndrome do not experience good results.
So if you are, struggling to lose weight and did not find a good solution yet. You should definitely visit the market to grab them of your own choice.
Helpful In Weight Loss
Nuts are found beneficial in losing weight. As they are high in calories, so many people assume that they would increase their weight. But studies have shown that if you are consuming an adequate amount, they would definitely help you out in losing your extra fat.
Many controlled studies suggest that almonds are very beneficial in losing weight. Some other research also proved the amazing results of pistachio for weight loss. Nuts are a good source of getting fiber. Fibers are a full package when it comes to health. Fibers make you feel full, so you would eat less and ultimately decrease that extra pounds.
The reason why nuts help in weight reduction, despite being rich in calories is that all the calories are not absorbed by your body. Some of that calories got trapped in the fibrous wall of the nut.
Also, Read:18 Healthy Snacks That Are Under 100 Calories: The Ultimate Guide
Beneficial In Lowering Cholesterol Levels
Nuts are remarkable to lower your cholesterol levels. Pistachios are known to have remarkable effects in lowering cholesterol levels in patients who are facing obesity and diabetes. They have a high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that may help in lowering cholesterol levels.
They have the potential to lower the levels of bad LDL cholesterol and enhance levels of HDL cholesterol which is known as good cholesterol. If you are continuously facing the issue of high cholesterol then, taking them would not regret you.
Nuts Can Reduce Inflammation
Nuts have impeccable anti-inflammatory characteristics. Inflammation basically caused when your body is combating bacteria, injury, and lethal pathogens.
Chronic inflammation is even worse, as it has the potential to damage your body organs. Long-term chronic inflammation can enhance the risk of various diseases. Some nuts have large quantities of alpha-linolenic acid(ALA), a kind of omega-3 fatty acid.
So opt for nuts, according to your taste to help your body in declining inflammation. Inflammation is notorious for causing a lot of disorders. Not only disorders, but prolonged inflammation has the potential to destroy your cells. Damaged cells can speed up aging.
Also Read: Top Protein-Rich Grains According To Food Experts
Rich Source Of Beneficial Fibers
Our body is unable to digest fiber, but the bacteria residing in our colon have a tendency to digest fiber. Most commonly fiber works as prebiotics and helps to uplift the health of your gut bacteria.
Here are the nuts that can provide maximum fibers:
- Almonds: 3.5 grams
- Pecans: 2.9 grams
- Pistachio: 2.9 grams
- Hazelnuts: 2.9 grams
- Peanuts: 2.6 grams
Nuts And Heart Health
According to researchers, people who have a chance to get a heart attack should reduce the risk. One easiest method that you may use to decline the risks of heart disease is simply by adding them to your diet.
Nuts have the following properties that promote heart health.
- Most nuts reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein(LDL) and that could play a key role in the buildup of plaques in the arteries.
- Helps to improve the health of the heart’s lining.
- Lowers the possibility of developing blockages in blood vessels named clots, blocks in arteries could lead to various diseases
- Drop levels of inflammation that are directly linked to heart
It shows that nuts could help you in improving your heart health. So that you can cherish a happy and prosperous life.
Nutrients in nuts that make heart-healthy
As we all know, nuts are loaded with proteins and fats. Despite high fat content, they have the bulk of other nutrients as well, which may aid you in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Fish is known to be a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, but you would be surprised to know the fact that nuts are also a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are very significant in maintaining heart rhythms which can cause several heart-related diseases.
Plant sterols
Some nuts also have a substance, that helps you in lowering cholesterol named plant sterol. Usually, plant sterols are mixed in orange juices in order to enhance the health benefits of them. But how amazing is it that they are already present in nuts?
Also Read: Best Anti-Aging Diet Plan: What To Eat?
Ways To Add Nuts To Your Diet
After reading a lot of health benefits of nuts consumption. Most of you must be thinking about ways to add them to your diet plans. So here is the solution to your problem.
Use Them As A Snack
Finding a good and healthy snack is a real struggle. But adding nuts to your snacks list would surely help you to minimize the struggle. Another perk of having nuts as a snack is that they are ready to eat. But as they are high in calories, so beware of the portion you consume.
Nut Milk
Nut milk is quite different from cow milk, But it has a lot of health benefits and is delicious as well. Almond milk and hazelnut milk are some common types of nut milk. Nut milk is readily available in a lot of stores.
Conclusion
The addition of nuts to your diet could prove beneficial in a lot of ways. It would surely help you in reducing weight, lowering cholesterol levels, and declining risks of heart diseases. So it would be a smart and wise choice to add to your diet chart. As long as you will eat an adequate amount, they would help you to maintain a balanced diet.