Go Nuts!

These tiny morsels are a powerhouse of a food, providing a good source of our key macronutrients: protein, fibre and healthy fats. 

We shouldn’t be scared of eating fat.  What matters is that we eat the right kind of fat.  Reducing your intake of some types of fats (saturated fats) reduces the risk of several chronic diseases, but other types of fats (mono and polyunsaturated fats) are essential to our health and wellbeing. 

Nuts are considered to be a heart-healthy food that can help lower cholesterol levels when consumed as part of a balanced diet.  They contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which can reduce LDL cholesterol, and are low in saturated fat. Nuts are high in fibre, which helps lower cholesterol by binding to it, preventing its absorption into the bloodstream. Nuts are rich in antioxidants like vitamin E, which protect cells from oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are linked to heart disease.  They are also high in magnesium and potassium which support healthy blood pressure and heart health.

They are a nutritious snack that we should be reaching for most days.  A portion is 25-30g portion, this fills the palm of your hand.

Here is an example of the three macronutrients found in cashew nuts and walnuts.

Sainsbury So Organic 30g	Cashew Nuts	Walnuts
Fats	14.7g	20.6g
Saturates	2.4g	2.3g
Monounsaturates	9.2g	3.2g
Polyunsaturates	2.5g	14g
Protein	6.1g	4.4g
Fibre	1.5g	2.1g

There are so many different varieties: walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamias, pecans and more.  We should aim to eat a variety to get the full range of benefits as each contain a different profile of vitamins and phytonutrients.  Ideally eat nuts raw or roasted, avoid salted, sweetened or flavoured which may have unnecessary additives.

A few nutty facts:

• Brazil nuts - high in the essential trace mineral selenium which is needed for one of the body’s key antioxidant enzymes which helps reduce oxidative damage.

• Walnuts – high in omega-3 fatty acids, other nuts are a good source of omega-6 fatty acids

• Peanuts and pine nuts – peanuts are not true tree nuts, they are legumes. Pine nuts are botanically different from nuts, being seeds from pine cones.  Both have similar properties to nuts, both nutritionally and in a culinary context, so are generally grouped together.

The easiest way to include them is as a snack. Try and keep a container with you, in the office or in the car to avoid reaching for other sugary or salty snacks. However if you don’t like them raw or want to have alternative ways to include them in your daily diet try the following:

• Add them as a topper to yoghurt or fruit

• Include in homemade granola or add to low-sugar shop bought granola

• Add chopped peanuts, cashews or walnuts as a savoury topper to lentil bolognaise, curries or Asian style salads, or soups

• Add to salads

• Blend soaked nuts in smoothies

• Add different nuts to pesto sauces

• Soak cashews or pistachios and blend with Greek yoghurt and freeze in moulds as a healthy ice-cream

• Soak cashew nuts and blend with the soaking liquid to add a creaminess to pasta sauces, curries and soups.

  
  

And don’t forget the endless possibilities with peanut butter or other nut butters. My current favourite is to include it in a Thai curry or as a peanut and soy drizzle over roasted broccoli.