Due to their super-nutritious properties and bright taste, nuts can become both an ideal snack and a highlight of a complex dish. We will tell you what are the main benefits of the 10 most popular nuts? And how to cook them?
Nuts are amazing. They are delicious and filling, suitable for any type of diet – from vegan to keto, they can be added to a wide variety of dishes or eaten separately as a nutritious snack. All nuts are excellent sources of healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, Vitamins C, and minerals. Still, they differ in composition and in their most important properties. It’s time to find out what is special about each of the popular nuts and put together your own perfect mix.
Cashew
A favorite for plant-based and vegan alike, protein-rich cashews can be used to make amazing cream cheese and other dairy products. These nuts are also perfect for Asian dishes such as salads, curries, fried noodles and rice.
Cashews are very high in copper (more than a third of the daily value in a handful of nuts) – they provide powerful antioxidant protection and help the absorption of many important vitamins and minerals. It also contains a lot of magnesium (Why is Magnesium good for bones? and the nervous system) and iron (saturates the body with oxygen).
Walnut
These nuts are 65% fat, and they are completely healthy. Walnuts Nutrition Facts are high in the essential omega-3 fatty acid (only more in fish and chia seeds), which reduces the risk of developing Cardiovascular Disease and inflammation.
It is not for nothing that walnut resembles a brain in shape. Thanks to the large amount of polyphenols, vitamin E and all the same omega-3 in the composition, these nuts can improve memory, concentration and reduce anxiety. So 13 Reasons to Eat Walnuts Every day! Health Benefits of Walnuts
Peanut
In fact, these are not nuts, but real beans. Therefore, peanuts, like any legume, are very high in protein and low in carbohydrates. This means that peanut butter without added sugar is quite a healthy and nutritious filling for a sandwich and an addition to your favorite dishes (vegans often use it as a thick sauce).
Peanuts are rich in B vitamins, which we often do not receive. For example, vitamin B1 improves brain function, B3 lowers blood pressure and regulates the nervous system, and B9 (folic acid) promotes normal cell growth and division.
Cedar
Do not overdo it with pine nuts – they are quite fatty and high-calorie, but they serve as an excellent finishing touch to salads, pastas, cereals and other dishes. If you eat them regularly, but slightly, you can reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
Cedar is rich in magnesium and phosphorus, which strengthen bones, as well as zinc, a mineral that plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system. Finally, cedar wood is high in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that protects the body at the cellular level.
Almond
Ideal nuts for those looking to improve the functioning of the digestive system and balance the weight. Firstly, almonds can improve the state of micro flora and increase the growth of beneficial bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Secondly, this nut contains a lot – but not too much – fat (mostly healthy unsaturated ones), enough protein and little sugar.
Almonds make delicious and nutritious milk, cheese and butter. And almond shavings perfectly complement desserts and salads with fruits. But people with kidney and gallbladder diseases should eat almonds with caution: they contain a lot of oxalates, which can aggravate the pathology of these organs.
Hazelnut
Like other nuts, hazelnuts lower the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, and also reduce the risk of developing inflammatory processes in the body and improve the tone of blood vessels.
Hazelnuts are high in biotin (a catalyst vitamin that helps the body release energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates), B vitamins and a record amount of magnesium for nuts – 50 grams of hazelnuts contain about 85% of the daily value of this important mineral, which improves our thinking abilities and normalizes sleep.
Brazilian nut
These incredibly nutritious “creamy” nuts are actually the seeds of one of the largest trees in the Amazonian tropics. They are the richest source of selenium (its deficiency is more common in plant-based people) – this mineral works as a strong antioxidant and boosts immunity.
Research confirms that regular consumption of small servings of Brazil nuts (up to 50 grams) can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, improve lipid metabolism and lower levels of oxidative stress (a condition in which our body is slowly destroyed at the cellular level).
Pistachios
Lowest calorie nuts. Pistachios contain a lot of fiber useful for the intestinal microflora and essential amino acids – the main building block of our body. Thanks to this composition, these nuts saturate quickly and for a long time and therefore are an ideal snack.
The main thing is to choose unsalted pistachios, otherwise there is a risk of getting carried away and greatly exceeding the daily sodium intake (and this is fraught not only with edema, but also with health problems).
Macadamia
The main beneficial properties of these exotic nuts are associated with improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system, strengthening blood vessels and lowering cholesterol levels. The reason for this is the prevailing healthy unsaturated fats in macadamia. One curious study found that a diet rich in these nuts has the same health benefits as the American Heart Association’s Special Healing Diet.
Macadamia is an important element of the paleo and keto diet, it can be a full-fledged snack by itself, and in a chopped form it can be a dressing for soups, poke and grilled dishes.
Pecan
Ideal dessert nuts – traditionally associated with sweet pastries and really complement them perfectly. But pecans themselves are very low in sugar, but high in healthy fats and protein.
Pecan is rich in antioxidants (all the same vitamin E and polyphenols), calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc – in general, it contains a full set of “nut benefits”. You can sprinkle pecans on ice cream and creamy desserts, bake muffins and brownies with them, add to cream soups and oven-baked meat or vegetables.
