Through variety
of more than 300
nuts available to us, mother nature is providing:
◦ good quality protein,
◦ hi-fat content and
◦ more calories than in any other vegetable.
Therefore, eating
nuts in abundance is a good idea only for the people who are trying to
gain some weight. However, nuts are the main source of oil for
vegetarians/vegans as well as their most concentrated food -
moderately rich in (especially B) vitamins and rich in minerals.
Most of the time,
nuts are fruits or seeds and they succeed the blooming of the tree or
bush. They are usually hidden in a hard shell which keeps them fresh
(in the air concentrated oils in nuts easily spoil - rancidify) and
protects them from germs, birds, insects etc.
Despite the high
content of (mostly) unsaturated fats, nuts are among the most
nutritious vegetable foods, protein, fiber and energy rich.
Raw or Roasted, With Shells or Without?
The fact is that
most
nuts in Western societies are eaten roasted in oil, which makes
the fat content even higher. In addition, the additives like salt,
sugar and others do not improve the nutritious value of the nuts -
more often they will do exactly the opposite. Roasting also decreases
the content of B vitamin and minerals in nuts. So, raw nuts are the
best.
Because of the
spoilage problem with oils contained in nuts, we get the highest
quality buying nuts with shells. Unshelled nuts should be kept in
closed containers in refrigerator or frozen.
People with low
stomach acid and gallbladder problems may have troubles digesting
nuts. To process the nuts, our body needs a sufficient level of
hydrochloric acid besides fat-digesting enzymes and bile, secreted by
gallbladder and liver.
Nevertheless, a
handful of raw nuts that are good for you, eaten alone as a snack,
should be digested and assimilated by the body fairly easily.
Almonds
The soft-shelled
varieties are sweeter and are called "sweet almonds" while those in
hard shells might taste slightly bitter.
Almonds are lower in fat than
most nuts, high in linoleic acid, vitamin E, vitamins B, calcium and other minerals:
copper, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and manganese.
Almond oil is
known to be very stable and is therefore used for holding scents in
fragrant oils as well as for massage therapies.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are famous for having one of the highest content of
vitamin E among nuts. They are also rich with B vitamins, essential
oil - linoleic acid and minerals: calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron,
copper, potassium, zinc and selenium.
Walnuts
Shelled
walnuts look like human brain and are sometimes called the "brain
food" because their fatty acids and protein levels are said to nourish
our nervous system. These very balanced nuts contain vitamins A, Bs
(including biotin), C and E and similar mineral content as most other
nuts.
