Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health

So many people think eating healthy means they need to cut some
foods, especially desserts, out of their diet. 
But I am a big advocate of adding healthier foods to your diet.  I like my desserts and I am not cutting them
out of my diet.  But I also have a very
healthy diet.  One can add some very
simple healthy habits to their day and start to eat healthier.  One very easy way to eat healthier is to add
a handful of nuts to your day.  Why a
handful?  Because you don’t want to eat
the entire can and a handful provides a lot of nutrients without piling on the
calories.  I always tell the students in
my class that Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day for good health. What
is so healthy about eating some nuts every day?

• Healthy fats
  – yes, nuts have fat in them.  But the different
  fats in nuts are heart healthy fats.  Nuts
  provide the good omega-3 fats but are low in the saturated fats that are linked
  to heart disease.  In fact, the Mayo
  Clinic notes: “Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for your
  heart.” Some ways nuts help your heart:

• Lowers your bad LDL cholesterol – this is the cholesterol
  that can build up in your arteries
• Lowers inflammation risk that is linked to heart
  disease
• Reduces your risk of developing blood clots
• Fiber – so many Americans have diets low
  in fiber.  Nuts are a good source of
  fiber.  Fiber is also good for your heart
  as fiber helps lower cholesterol.  And
  fiber may help prevent Type 2 diabetes as it helps you fill full.
• Type 2 diabetes – nuts won’t raise your blood
  sugar levels.  A study
  of 117 people with type 2 diabetes looked at study participants eating 2 ounces
  of nuts or a healthy muffin.  After 3
  months, those who ate the nuts had better blood glucose levels and less LDL cholesterol. 
• Vitamin E – good for many things but one is
  helping keep your arteries
  free of the plaque build up that can lead to blocked arteries and heart disease
  or a heart attack.
  
• Protein – although not a complete
  protein, nuts are a good source of protein.
  
• Magnesium
  – Like fiber, many Americans have diets low in the mineral, magnesium. Almonds,
  cashews and peanuts are especially rich in magnesium.  Peanut butter is also a good source of
  magnesium. 
  
• Weight – some
  people think nuts are fattening.  However,
  studies have found that eating nuts is not linked with weight gain.   Maybe
  because the fiber in the nuts helps us to fill full.  Others even say, the “crunch” in nuts gives
  us a feeling of fullness. 

Which nuts are the healthiest?  All can contribute to your health. If you
enjoy mixed nuts, have a handful of those. If you enjoy peanuts, then eat
peanuts.  I always liked almonds, until I
broke a tooth eating them so I now eat walnuts or peanuts.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your morning
cereal or on some yogurt.  Sprinkle some
chopped walnuts on your salad.  For some
great ideas of how to add walnuts to your day and some recipes using walnuts, visit
walnuts.org. 

Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health.

Sources:  fats
, study
, arteries,
Magnesium
, Weight ,
walnuts.org , walnuts.org  Image sources:  Mixed
nuts , Handful
of nuts , crisp

Apple
Walnut Crisp  (adapted from recipe on walnuts.org)

•  4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
•  2 Tablespoons brown sugar 
  
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
•  ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Grease an 8-inch baking pan with canola or sunflower oil.  Combine all filling ingredients in a large
bowl.  Stir until apples are completely and
evenly coated.  Pour apple filling into
prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.  Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl
and mix until crumbles form.  Spoon
topping mix on top of apple mixture evenly distributed.  Bake 45 minutes or until the top is a deep
golden brown and juices begin to thicken. 
Serve warm over ice cream, yogurt or on its own. 

 

 

 

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/enjoy-a-handful-of-nuts-a-day-for-good-health/