Awww, Nuts!
I am not generally a nut person unless it is in a nut butter or mixed with dried fruit (and chocolate). That being said, I recognize the benefits of nuts as a whole food. Especially raw nuts. They grow on trees, and my feeling is that if it is edible and grows on trees it is meant to be eaten in its raw form as much as possible.
1. Almonds - If you have been reading my blog for the past few months, you know I am very anti cow's milk. Because of that, one of the top questions I am asked is "Where do you get your calcium?" Besides the fact that you can get calcium from broccoli, I am happy to report that over the weekend I had at least a serving of almonds, which gives me 25% of calcium for the day. Coconut milk and Almond milk are also rich in calcium. Kale is also rich in calcium and I use it regularly in my green smoothies. Besides all of that, almonds are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and other micronutrients such as selenium. *Mental note - get kale growing outside!
2. Walnuts - These strange little things actually may increase our brain function. They contain 16 disease fighting polyphenols, which is like speaking Greek, right? Polyphenols are basically the good things that reduce inflammation and make our hearts healthier and happier. It's the reason why they claim wine is good for you. Skip the wine, eat the walnuts. Besides, they even LOOK like brains.
3. Pecans - A great source of 20 essential vitamins and minerals, pecans also significantly lower cholesterol. I don't mean in pies, people. Chop up some pecans or walnuts or almonds even to put in your oatmeal in the morning for a nutty feast.
Note: Two additional healthy nuts are Brazil nuts and Cedar Nuts. They are both rich in heart healthy nutrients, and Cedar Nuts have 70% of the daily essential amino acids. Brazil nuts can help with the prevention of breast cancer. Nuts are a great snack and easy to take with you. It is hard to overeat them because they are such a dense food!
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