Nutrition

Some simple facts about nuts ...

1. If you are overweight,  smoke, never get off the sofa and eat five fast–food meals a week, there is one thing you could do to improve your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease without even taking your right hand off the remote. Eat a handful of nuts about five times a week. This simple act will reduce your chance of getting a heart attack by at least 15 percent and possibly as much as 51 percent. That’s how powerful nuts are.

2. Walnuts are the flagship nut in the Superfood category.  However, all nuts and seeds are significant contributors to your good health. They are, after all, nature’s nurseries.  A nut or seed is basically a storage device that contains all the highly concentrated proteins, calories and nutrients that a plant embryo will require to flourish.

3. Walnuts are the surprising Superfood. Surprising because most people think nuts belong in the avoid category because they’re fatty. But the power of nuts is almost stunning.  I try to never go a day without eating some nuts and seeds.

4. Discover these little nutrition powerhouses. I can safely say that nuts will play an important role in maximising the human health span during this century.*

*  Superfoods Rx Steven Pratt & Kathy Matthews

Nutritional Powerhouses

The consumer needs to interpret a food label in the context of his or her lifestyle and diet and come to understand and distinguish between the health impact of saturated fat (least healthy) and unsaturated fat (most healthy). Saturated fats are mainly from animal origin (meat and dairy products), and the only plant based saturated fats of significant quantity are palm and coconut oil. Excess saturated fats cause high blood cholesterol which is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Nuts are a rich source of unsaturated fats which have the opposite effect. Research has shown that eating a handful of nuts (30gm) per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and help manage cholesterol and weight.

Walnuts are one of the few rich sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from plants. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) are in the form of Omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid) and Omega 6 (linolenic acid).  We cannot manufacture these two fats that are essential to the human body and therefore we need to look for them in food sources.  The key to EFAs is balance. The optimum balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is around 4 to 1 which is very similar to the ratio found in walnuts. They are the only nut with a significant amount of Omega 3s.

Hazelnuts are high in monounsaturated fatty acids alongside almonds, olives and avocado.  Eating only 25 gm of hazelnuts per day gives 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin E and 25 percent of vitamin B6.  Hazelnut oil contains the highest oleic acid proportions as compared to other vegetable oils.  Additionally it contains a low fatty acid proportion (<10%) (Alasalvar C. 2003), thus being more valuable than olive oil in this respect.  See  www.centerchem.com for more information.

These are the good guys in the fat family and are heart healthy. Eating nuts can be likened to remembering to attach your seatbelt when driving. So view Uncle Joe's products and get cracking!

Antioxidants

“Move over cranberries, blueberries and broccoli, there’s a new Superfood in town – nuts.  Nuts, especially pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts, have a high antioxidant capacity and are comparable, even superior, to many known superfoods."

Research Exercise

A fresh study published 11 May 2010** shows that eating nuts helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Researchers led by Dr Joan Sabate at Loma Linda University of California published findings in the American Medical Association Archives of Internal Medicine. A total of 583 men and women from seven countries were involved in the cholesterol review of people on a nut-rich diet. All of the dietary interventions were exclusively nuts -- mostly almonds and walnuts -- and ranged in duration from 3 to 8 weeks. Quantities ranged from 23 to 132 grams per day, with an average 67 grams. This led to a 5 per cent reduction in overall cholesterol levels, and a 7.4 per cent cut in levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - bad cholesterol. Regular nut consumption also led to an 8.3 per cent improvement in the ratio of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) - good cholesterol. The volunteers with high LDL levels and eating a Western diet were found to reap the biggest benefits.

Important: We hope the information provided on Uncle Joe's website is of interest, however, the data is not considered to be complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate.