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Top 10 Best Nuts for Snacking
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Everyone love nuts, but in the last 25 years or so they have gotten a bad rep because of the low fat craze that began in the early 1990s. People turned away from most nuts because of their high fat content. The saying back then was “eating fat makes you fat,” but nothing could be further from the truth.
Thank goodness all the low-fat stuff is now passé. People are beginning to realize that eating natural, healthy fats is not only OK, but essential to your diet and overall health.
Scientific evidence shows that eating about 1.5 ounces of nuts per day is a healthy part of diet that can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Of course, for everyone who loves nuts, this is fantastic news. Nuts are one of the best choices for a healthy snack as long as you don’t overdo it. Nuts are high in calories, but just about a handful of these crunchy goodies will get you all the health benefits you need. On top of that, you can eat that handful every single day! Eat them plain, add them to a salad or in your Greek yogurt or in a smoothie, nuts work well in just about anything you can imagine.
Photo credit: bigstock.com
You should note that the healthiest nuts contain two different types of fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. These are the good fats that help to lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Research shows that these healthy nuts can be helpful for the lining of the arteries, which will help lower your risk of developing blood clots that could lead to a stroke or heart attack.
You simply cannot go wrong by eating a handful of nuts as daily snack! Each type of nut contains a slightly different nutritional content, but all have tremendous health benefits. There are a few nuts that stand out from the pack as far as which is the healthiest nuts to choose.
Keep reading for the best nuts you and your family can snack on and get the most nutrition out of each and every little crunchy bite.
1. Walnuts
Hands down, no question, walnuts are tops when it comes to health benefits. This is because walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid known as ALA, or alpha-linolenic acid. Just a ¼ cup of delicious walnuts will give you a whopping 91 percent of your recommended daily allowance. Omega-3 fats give us a wide range of protection; everything from stroke, heart disease, arthritis, depression, even cancer.
Walnuts also contain melatonin, which is a hormone that helps to regulate your sleep cycles. They contain super beneficial antioxidants as well. One in particular, ellagic acid helps to support your immune system and has anti-cancer compounds. Ellagic acid can prevent carcinogens from binding to our DNA and encourages the death of cancer cells, according to recent research.
So perhaps the fountain of youth isn’t really a liquid, but rather, a nut! Walnuts come darn close to being a youthful renewing system with their ability to improve your memory, heart health, reduce inflammation, and their anti-cancer benefits!
