Nuts are great; unless you are allergic to them. If you are, Dr. Tofuhead feels sorry for you! At least, hopefully, you can eat tofu!
Now for the greatest truth about nuts: They are all GOOD.
Yes, you can read the various studies comparing walnuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, etc...but the truth is that all nuts have a fairly good amount of healthy vitamins and minerals, protein, beneficial oils, and antioxidants that are somewhat vaguely, possibly related to cancer protection.
A few nut-related facts:
1. peanuts are not a true nut. But they behave like nuts. I'm not sure what they are, but I checked with a botanist. They are not nuts, but they don't mind if you call them nuts.
2. peanuts are the most allergenic nut. More people are allergic to peanuts than any other nut, maybe because they are not "truly" a nut.
3. even the fattiest nuts (macadamia nuts) are probably on the whole more beneficial to your cholesterol than they are harmful.
SUMMARY OF NUTS
Benefits:
-All nuts are good for you so you don't need to be choosy.
-Nuts have lots of nutrients you need: protein, zinc, potassium, unsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins, and some energy-promoting carbohydrates.
-Nuts keep fairly well. They do not need to be refrigerated.
-It does not take much. For example, I just ate 1 ounce of Safeway mixed nuts. It was a small handful. I just got 10% of the protein, 10% of the fiber, and 6% of the iron I need for a whole day- in one mouthful. Awesome!!!!
-A study I poached from the UC Berkeley Wellness Newsletter demonstrated that nuts effectively reduce appetite, and that patients that eat 1-2 ounces of nuts per day eat fewer calories in a day overall, without being hungry. Apparently you can even lose weight by eating nuts.
Drawbacks:
-Nuts are not that cheap. My little can of nuts with 10 servings cost me $5. And it's generic Safeway brand. I could dust this can off in a day or two. Pistachios are on average twice as much as mixed nuts and macadamia nuts are even more expensive.
-They can get rancid. That can of Spanish peanuts your grandma got at Christmas is now rancid and will give you diarrhea.
-Hmmm. Can't think of any other drawbacks. Except that some people are allergic to them. NOTE: if you are allergic to ANY nut, don't eat ANY other nut until you have had comprehensive nut allergy testing by an allergy specialist!
QUOTE OF THE DAY (From one of my patients):
"Your waistline is your lifeline."
3 comments:
Almonds are the best.
Walnuts and pecans are cool.
Macadamias are okay.
Pinenuts are great.
Peanuts are great but I guess they aren't nuts so who cares.
One way to get around the expense is to find a food coop, where you can buy in bulk. All the nuts at our local coop are about half to two-thirds the price in the regular markets nearby.
You are indeed correct, peanuts are not nuts--they are legumes. The only true nuts are walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts and acorns of all things!.
And for your enjoyment, a botany fun fact: after a peanut's flower has been fertilized, the stalk supporting the flower (the peduncle) burrows the developing embyro underground--so peanuts are one of few fruits that mature underground!
Post a Comment