If ever there was a natural food that you could frequently eat as a snack and enjoy – it’s nuts. Each one packs a lot of vitamins and minerals. They not only taste good, but they can also boost your health and increase your longevity.
Researchers are discovering more and more benefits in nuts than have been realized. This is likely why the reports resulted in increased demand for nuts at stores everywhere.
Nuts contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and it is this combination that can improve your health. They include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and more, which helps protect you from hypertension in the arteries, insulin resistance, and demineralization of your bones.
When it comes to heart health, nuts are again a winner. Even though they contain fats (up to 80 percent), when eaten in moderation, the ingredients in nuts can help to lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol, reduce inflammation, make it less likely that you will have a heart attack, and reduce your risk of blood clots. Both vitamin E and L-arginine in the nuts will help maintain the flexibility of your arteries.
Eating the fats found in nuts is not something you need to be concerned about if you worry about gaining weight. When eating about one ounce of nuts a day – about a handful – you will likely discover that it reduces your hunger because of the protein and fiber. Studies have also shown that people that regularly consume nuts do not experience weight gain when compared to others that do not eat them.
Another reason that you are apt to live longer is that it reduces your risk of dying early from several diseases. Researchers found that those who ate nuts daily were 20 percent less likely to die of heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. One study, conducted in 2013, concluded that more than four million people may have died prematurely because their nut intake was less than 20 grams per day (30 grams is recommended).
Studies have also revealed that the more often you eat nuts, the greater the longevity benefit. Eating nuts even just once a week reduces your risk of dying from any cause by 11 percent. It gradually reduces the risk even more – up to 20 percent – if you eat nuts at least once a day.
Some nuts will provide different benefits, which means you may want to select the kind you need at the moment – or throughout the day. Walnuts, for instance, will help with brain function by increasing memory, focus, and sleep. They also provide omega-3 fatty acids. Pine nuts will reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Macadamia nuts contain thiamin and manganese – which helps your nervous system and maintains strong bones. Pistachios have been shown to boost performance in the bedroom for men – after three weeks of daily consumption.
If you are wondering whether to eat raw or roasted nuts, you may want to choose the roasted variety. Roasting nuts seems to increase the benefits of antioxidants.
The type of nuts you eat may not matter much because all nuts contain fiber, good fats, vitamins, other nutrients, and antioxidants. Two of the best are walnuts and almonds. When buying nuts, avoid the salted variety – they are better for you. Making nuts a regular part of your diet will increase your longevity and boost your health at the same time.
