The Health Benefits of Nuts

Imagine you've just bought a packet of tomato seeds. You plant the seeds and soon have little sprouts that grow into big tomato plants.

Think of how nutritious one little seed must be to produce a plant like that. Well, nuts are even more nutritious, because they're the seeds of a tree. One Brazil nut, for example, can grow into a tree more than 150 feet tall that can live for more than 500 years.

Nutty nutrients
Here are just a few of the nutritious components of many nuts:
- potassium, a mineral that can help keep blood pressure low
- selenium, a trace mineral that's also a strong antioxidant
- saponins, plant chemicals that can help maintain normal cholesterol and blood sugar
- vitamin E, another strong antioxidant
- arginine, an amino acid that in supplement form has been used to help people with heart and circulatory problems like high blood pressure, angina, and congestive heart failure
- boron and manganese, minerals that help keep bones strong and healthy

Many people avoid nuts, saying they're high in fats, and this is true. But many of those fats are actually essential fatty acids, the "good" fats that can help prevent heart disease, reduce inflammation, and nourish brain tissue. Plus, the fat content of nuts varies. In terms of the "bad" fats-the saturated variety-the highest is the coconut (more than 90%), and the lowest are almonds and hazelnuts (5%), closely followed by pistachios and pecans (less than 10%).

Considerations and Cautions
Nuts contain oils that can go rancid if kept at room temperature for an extended period of time. You can keep them fresh longer-up to a year in some cases-by putting them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Commercial roasting sometimes uses oils that are high in saturated fats. To cut down on these, either eat nuts raw or roast them yourself with an oil that's lower in saturated fats, like canola. And keep the oven temperature low (below 200° F), because higher temperatures can destroy many of the nutrients.

Processed nuts can also be high in sodium. If you'd like to avoid this, buy unsalted nuts. You can always salt them yourself later.

Some doctors are concerned that the high arginine content of nuts may encourage the growth of the herpes (cold sore) virus in people who are susceptible to it-especially since nuts don't have much lysine, which discourages herpes. If you're prone to cold sores, you may want to limit the amount of nuts you eat.

The biggest worry about nuts, though, is their potential to cause serious-even life-threatening-allergic reactions. If you have any nut allergies at all, it's probably best to stay away from all nuts, even those you've never tried. Also, read product labels carefully. If the label says "processed in a plant that also processes nuts," it's safest to avoid that product-even if it doesn't list nuts as one of the ingredients.

How to use nuts
Nuts can be eaten raw or roasted, and you can use them in recipes. Chopped finely, they're great on pastas and vegetables, or mixed in soups and stews. They can be used as a coating for fried, baked, or broiled chicken or fish. And you can always make your own nut butter by pureeing them in a food processor.

Finally, if you're still concerned about fat, you should know that you don't need to eat a lot of nuts to take advantage of their health benefits; a handful will do the trick, and probably satisfy your appetite as well. So if you've got "the munchies," try reaching for a handful of nuts instead of that candy bar you were thinking about. They'll fill you up sooner, and you won't feel so guilty!