Well it’s official. The conventional medical community via the AMA’s Archives of Internal Medicine (which incidentally was standard bathroom reading material during my childhood, though surely that had no bearing on my developing 17 chronic health conditions) is touting the health benefits of nuts. While it seems that the AMA is a little late to the party on this, I’m glad to see the “official science” catching up with what the natural health community has known for decades.

So what is this study all about? It was actually a review of 25 previous studies and it confirmed the cholesterol-lowering benefits of nuts (trigylceride-lowering too), and thus their role in heart disease prevention. The results were similar among different types of nuts, but sorry to report that neither chocolate-covered peanuts nor candy coated almonds were researched. (Regular ole walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamias, and pistachios were though. And they’re all pretty tasty too!)

The official recommendation is to eat about 2 1/2 ounces of nuts per day, or about 2 1/2 handfuls (unless you have really big hands, in which case you may want to dial it back a bit). A person’s diet, of course, also plays a role in the effect nuts have on overall health. So if you’re dutifully snacking on almonds and walnuts but the rest of your diet comes via a drive-through window, your results may vary.

So why are nuts so great? Though nutrient levels vary by nut, across the board, you’ll find them to be high in fiber, rich in protein and mono-unsaturated fats, and full of minerals like copper and magnesium, as well as Vitamin E and B Vitamins. They additional boast compounds known as plant sterols, which are known to interfere with the intestine’s ability to absorb cholesterol. And how’s this for even more good news? Regular consumption of nuts has been shown to reduce oxidative stress on the body, which is one of the main causes of wrinkles. Hmm?… Do we have a new pop culture phenomenon brewing? “Team Nuts” vs. “Team Botox”? Oooh! I can just see the t-shirts now!

One of the big myths about nuts is that due to their relatively high fat content, eating them will lead to weight gain. This nutty notion was also disproved in this study. And actually, it is due to the high fat content of nuts, that they are so filling that you tend to eat less than you would if indulging in a more carby snack.

So what kind of nuts does Organic Janet prefer? Why, I thought you’d never ask…My favorite has to be the Almond. Though please don’t tell the other nuts, especially the Pistachios- they tend to get downright green with envy (heh, heh). I am also a big fan of cashews, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts- all raw and organic. Why? Organic nuts are free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers- all of which can be toxic to the body. Plus when you choose organic, you are supporting the environment, wildlife, and aquatic life, by keeping chemicals out of the soil and via run-off, out of our waterways. In addition, some conventional nuts (such as almonds) are pasteurized with the chemical fumigant Propylene Oxide, a known respiratory toxin and possible carcinogen; whereas organic almonds are pasteurized using just steam. And by choosing the raw version, you avoid extraneous ingredients such as oils used in roasting, large amounts of salt, and other not always natural seasonings.

Yes, organic nuts will cost you more than the conventional variety, but depending on where you shop and whether you tend to go for brand names, not that much more. For example, organic almonds sell for 7 cents more per ounce more than generic conventional almonds, but just 4 cents more than Blue Diamond. While I can’t speak for everywhere, here in Atlanta, the organic food co-op bulk sections tend to have the best deals on organic nuts. Though, Whole Foods has recently gotten more competitive with their in-house 365 Organic Brand bagged nuts. Trader Joe’s, on the other hand, appears to have stopped carrying organic nuts altogether. Tsk, tsk Trader Joe’s…Ah well, we had a good thing going there for a while…

So what are you waiting for? Go head and stock up! Then just make up a baggie of mixed organic nuts to take with you each day for when that snacking urge strikes. You might just thwart that 3:30 p.m. slump-induced trip to the vending machine, keeping your waist-line happy and your heart healthy.

Go nuts!
Organic Janet

Tags: cholesterol-lowering benefits of nuts, health benefits of nuts, heart disease prevention, organic nuts

This entry was posted on Friday, May 14th, 2010 at 8:42 am and is filed under Nutrition, Organic Foods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.