Nuts are a popular food. They are both delicious and convenient and suitable for all diets.
Despite its high fat content, nuts still provide impressive benefits for health (and weight).
What is nuts?
As for nature, nuts are considered fruit. However, unlike most fruits, they are not sweet and contain a lot of fat.
Nuts have a hard, inedible outer shell, and we often have to separate newly eaten shells inside.
Thankfully, the available shell splitters are widely sold in the market so you don't have to waste much effort.
Below is a list of some of the most consumed nuts:
Although peanuts are pea's tree like peas and beans, but these nuts are often considered a kind of nuts because they have nutritious and nutritious properties.
Here are 8 top health benefits of nuts.
1. Nuts are a source of many nutrients
Nuts have a high nutritional content. In 28 grams of mixed nuts contain :
- Calories: 173
- The protein: 5 grams
- Fat: 16 grams (including 9 grams of monounsaturated fat).
- Carb: 6 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin E: 12% RDI
- Magie: 16% RDI
- Phosphorus: 13% RDI
- Copper: 23% RDI
- Mangan: 26% RDI
- Selenium: 56% RDI
Some nuts have a higher nutrient content than others. For example, only one Brazilian nut could provide more than 100% of RDI selenium .
Carb content in nuts is very diverse. Chestnuts, macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts contain less than 2 grams of easily digestible carb per serving, while cashews contain nearly 8 grams of easily digestible carb in each serving.
However, nuts are still generally the same Suitable food with low-carb diets (diet low in cabon hydrate).
Conclude: Nuts are high in fat but low in carb, and are a good source of nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium and selenium.
2. Nuts are rich in antioxidants
Nuts are rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants help control free radicals, which are unstable molecules created during metabolism. The production of free radicals increases when the body is exposed to sunlight, stress, environmental pollution and other causes.
Although free radicals benefit the immune response, if too much free radicals can cause cells to be damaged. When the level of free radicals is too high, the body will be in a state of condition leading to increased risk of illness .
Plant-based antioxidants such as polyphenols found in nuts can counteract oxidative imbalance by neutralizing free radicals so that they do not damage cells.
ORAC is a test that evaluates food's ability to resist free radicals. A study shows the ORAC results of higher walnuts of fish .
Research has shown that antioxidants in walnuts and almonds can protect weak-textured fats in cells that are not oxidized .
One study gave 13 people walnuts, almonds and a control meal three different times. Both nuts have higher polyphenol results and significantly less oxidative damage than control meals .
Another study showed that after two to eight hours of digging consumption, the oxidized LDL cholesterol level of the participants was reduced to 26-33%, a major risk factor for heart disease .
However, studies in the elderly and people with metabolic syndrome have shown that walnuts and cashews have no major impact on antioxidant capacity, although some signs have improved .
Conclude: Nuts contain antioxidants called polyphenols that help protect cells and LDL cholesterol from being destroyed.
3. Nuts that support weight loss
Although nuts are considered to be high in calories, research shows that this food can help weight loss .
A large study called PREDIMED investigated the effects of Mediterranean diet.
Analyzing data from a subgroup of the study showed that those who were assigned to eat nuts had an average reduction of 2 inches (5 cm) of waistline, significantly lower than those assigned to eat oil. olive .
Almonds have been shown to have more weight loss effects than weight gain in controlled studies. One study found pistachios are also beneficial for weight loss .
In a study of overweight women, compared to the control group, those who ate almonds lost nearly three times as much weight and significantly reduced waist size .
Moreover, although the calorie content in nuts is quite high, studies have shown that our bodies do not absorb everything. This is because part of the fat is trapped in the fiber walls of the granule during digestion .
For example, nutrition information on a package of almonds indicates that 28 g of almonds contain 160-170 calories, but the body will only absorb about 129 calories .
Similarly, compared to previous research findings, recent studies have found that the body can absorb less than 21% of calories from walnuts and less than 5% of calories. from pistachio .
Conclude: Nuts have been shown to support weight loss instead of weight gain. Some studies have found that the body does not absorb all the calories in nuts.
4. Nuts are capable of reducing cholesterol and triglycerides
Nuts have a strong impact on cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Pistachio has been shown to reduce the amount of triglyceride and diabetes triglycerides. In a 12-week study, obese people who eat triglycerides with triglyceride levels were nearly 33% lower than the control group .
The cholesterol reduction ability of nuts is thought to be partly due to the high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Easy almonds and nuts can reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, while increasing the level of beneficial HDL cholesterol. One study found that crushed, sliced or whole-grain chestnuts had similar effects on cholesterol .
Another study found that the levels of all cholesterol except HDL of a group of women with metabolic syndrome were significantly reduced after eating 30 grams of mixed walnuts, peanuts and pine nuts every day in 6 weeks .
Some studies have shown that macadamia can reduce cholesterol. Other research has shown that adding macadamia to a reasonable-fat diet reduces cholesterol as much as a low-fat diet .
Conclude: Nuts can help reduce total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and general fat, and increase HDL cholesterol.
5. Nuts are beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes is a common disease with the number of people getting up to hundreds of millions.
The state of metabolic syndrome is closely related to type 2 diabetes.
An interesting thing is that nuts can be one of the best foods for people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
The first reason is because this food contains less carbs and does not make blood sugar spike. Replace the food containing many carb by nuts will help lower blood sugar.
Studies show that eating nuts may also reduce oxidative imbalance, hypotension and other health signs in people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome .
In a 12-week controlled study, people with metabolic syndrome were eating 25 grams of pistachio twice a day, resulting in an average 9% reduction in fasting blood sugar levels .
In addition, the group eating pistachios with blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP-a sign of inflammation leading to heart disease) was significantly reduced compared to the control group.
However, the evidence presented is inconsistent and not all studies find benefits from eating nuts for people with metabolic syndrome .
Conclude: Some studies have shown that blood sugar, blood pressure and other health signs have improved when adding nuts to the diet of people with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
6. Nuts help reduce inflammation
Nuts have Very strong anti-inflammatory properties .
However, chronic inflammation (prolonged) can damage organs and increase the risk of diseases. Research shows that eating nuts may reduce inflammation and promote healthy aging .
In the large study of the Mediterranean diet called PREDIMED, participants were given a supplementary regimen, and as a result, the CRP index decreased by 35% and the signs of inflammation called. interleukin 6 (IL-6) is reduced by 90% .
Some nuts have been shown to fight inflammation in healthy people and those with serious diseases. These are pistachios, Brazilian nuts, walnuts and almonds .
However, a study of almonds in healthy adults showed that, although some signs of inflammation were reduced, there was no significant difference between the almond and control groups in general .
Conclude: Research shows that nuts can help reduce inflammation, especially in people with diabetes, kidney disease and other serious health conditions.
7. Nuts contain high fiber content
Fiber offers many health benefits.
Although the body cannot digest fiber, the bacteria that live in the colon can.
Many types of fiber work like prebiotic or "food" for intestinal bacteria.
The intestinal bacteria will then ferment the fiber and turn it into useful short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).
SCFA offers great benefits such as improving intestinal health, reducing the risk of diabetes and obesity .
In addition, fiber helps the body feel full and reduces the calorie intake from meals.
One study found that increasing fiber intake from 18 to 36 grams per day can reduce up to 130 calories absorbed by the body .
The following are the highest fiber content in 28 grams:
- Almond: 5 grams
- Pistachio: 9 grams
- Chestnut : 9 grams
- Pecan pecans: 9 grams
- Peanut: 6 grams
- Macadamia seeds: 4 grams
- Brazil nuts: 1 gram
Conclude: Nuts contain high fiber content, can reduce the risk of disease, maintain satiety, reduce calorie intake and improve intestinal health.
8. Nuts can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
Nuts are good for cardiovascular health.
Some studies show that this food helps reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke because they can improve cholesterol levels, LDL particle size as well as arterial function and inflammation .
Studies have found that small LDL particles with dense density may increase the risk of heart disease than large LDL particles .
The PREDIMED study showed that the group of nuts consumed significantly reduced small LDL particles and increased large LDL particles. In addition, beneficial HDL cholesterol levels also increase .
In another study, people with moderate or high cholesterol were prescribed olive oil or random nuts in a high-fat meal.
Regardless of the initial cholesterol level, those in the nuts group still have better arterial function and triglyceride index when hungry is lower than the olive oil group .
Conclude: Nuts can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. This is because this food increases LDL particle size, increases HDL cholesterol, improves arterial function and has many other benefits for cardiovascular health.
Tasty, versatile and easy to find nuts
It is undeniable that almonds are extremely delicious foods.
We can enjoy almond or chopped butter and sprinkle on food.
You can use any kind of nuts to make your own favorite avocado.
Nuts are sold at grocery stores or online stores. There are many types to choose from such as salt or saltless, marinated or original, fresh or roasted.
Generally, fresh nuts or baked in an oven at temperatures below 350 ° F (175 ° C) are the best for health. Next is dried roasted nuts, but you should not eat the fried nuts Vegetable oil and oil from nuts .
Nuts can be stored at room temperature, so they are ideal snacks for long trips. However, if you want to store nuts for a long time, using a refrigerator or freezer will be better.
After all, nuts are a nutritious and delicious food that can be suitable for all diets.
Regular almonds are also a way to improve health.
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