Not only are nuts great for a healthy snack, they also help your eyes, heart and more. These bite-size nutritional powerhouses are jam packed with heart-healthy fats, vitamins, protein, and minerals all nuts have different nutrition credentials and will provide a variety of health benefits. Hence, this article from VKool.com aims to show you the best nuts for health and their nutrition so you can make use of them effectively for better health and life.

11 Best Nuts For Health And Nutrition – Not Just Healthy Snacks

1. Walnuts 

When it comes to best nuts for health and nutrition, walnuts get the top position. The fountain of youth might be full of water, but walnuts! A prestigious study found that those people who consumed walnuts improved cholesterol levels without even increasing weight. Thanks to the ALA content packed within walnuts, an omega-3 fatty acid which can shield the human heart, making it one of the best nuts for heart health.

Besides, as walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which enormously promote memory and recall, so they can prevent the growth of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Walnuts also reduce inflammation and enhance more relaxed mood, dilated blood vessels that could turn back the time on heart disease. Especially, not many people know that walnuts may keep them standing straight, too. That is because ALA can protect the human skeleton by reducing the rate of bone breakdown whilst keeping its formation constant.

How to take advantage of walnuts effectively:

• You should store shelled walnuts in your fridge or freezer if you are not going to use them instantly.
• Or, you can dredge poultry or fish with a small amount of chopped walnuts and herbs
• Toss this type of healthy nuts into side dishes, like quinoa, rice and barley
• Another option is to stir walnuts into cold cereal or oatmeal

About 14 walnut halves (one ounce) provide 190 calories, 4 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, and 2 grams of fiber.

2. Almonds

If you avoid dairy products, calcium-rich almonds will be a great alternative for you that will warrant you can get enough calcium. Actually, almonds are rich in vitamin E – the nutrient which can improve the condition as well as appearance of the human skin. Just 23 almonds a day can supply 1/3 of your daily vitamin E dose – the antioxidants that Americans do not get enough. Vitamin E embeds itself into those cell membranes, where it can protect against damaging free-radical molecules.

In other words, the yummy nuts may even block some of their own calories, which alone make them one of the best nuts for health.

How to take advantage of almonds effectively:

• You can grind almonds in the food processor. Then, sprinkle them over casseroles.
• You can get almond butter spreading on toast rather than peanut butter.
• Or, you can add coarsely chopped almonds to the roast chicken or turkey stuffing.

Only 23 almonds (equal to one ounce) provide 160 calories, 33% every day value for vitamin E, 3 grams of fiber, 20% every day value of magnesium, and 6 grams of protein.

3. Brazil Nuts 

This type of nuts is ideal for those people with low thyroid function as it is a good source of the mineral selenium which is necessary for producing the active thyroid hormone. Besides, selenium could support immunity and speed up the healing process of wounds. Just 3-4 Brazil nuts each day can provide you with the daily value of selenium.

4. Pistachios

Being particularly rich in vitamin B6, an important vitamin for keeping hormones balanced and healthy, pistarchios are really a great option for those people with problem periods. In reality, pistachios are the only nut to include reasonable levels of zeaxanthin and lutein, the two antioxidants which play a crucial role in reducing the potential risk of age-related macular degeneration and protecting the eye health. This green nut is called the “skinny” nut as each just contains 3 calories. In addition, if you shell them, they will slow your consuming speed and of course decrease consumption.

Another reason that makes pistachios one of the best nuts for health is that they consist of potassium as well as fiber. In details, a 30gram serving of pistachios has more than 3 times that provided by the equivalent weight of plums.

How to make use of pistachios:

• You can stir chopped pistachios into the chicken salad
• Or, mix dried fruits, pistachios, and several dark chocolate chips to create a tasty nutrient-packed trail mix.

Just 49 pistachios (equal to one ounce) supply 160 calories, 25% every day value vitamin B6, 94 micrograms of beta-carotene, 342 micrograms of zeaxanthin and lutein, 3 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

5. Peanuts

That perennial ballpark favorite, the peanut, is considered as an anti-aging grand slam. They include resveratrol, which is a potent antioxidant known to help slow down aging process and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease. Also, peanuts contain vitamin E and folic acid for enhanced brain health. Thus, you should go ahead and feel free to indulge in this all-natural variety and simply enjoy a spread high in vitamin E, folate, niacin, manganese, and protein.

6. Hazelnuts

The next one in this list of best nuts for health is hazelnuts. Also known as filberts, hazelnuts contain folate – the B vitamin which is important for preventing heart disease and some types of cancers, birth defects, dementia and Alzheimer’s. The nuts also include arginine, which is an amino acid helping relax blood vessels, and magnesium, a blood pressure – healthy vitamin.

A research showed that people should consume hazelnuts as they taste like a real treat and keep dieters feeling full longer.

How to take advantage of hazelnuts:

• You can opt for shelled nuts with the tight skins. Raw nuts can be stored in your freezer or fridge for up to 4 months.
• You can grind hazelnuts in the food processor and mix them with olive oil and fresh herbs for a hazelnut pesto.
• For a more delicious snack with hazelnuts, you can stuff ravioli with chopped hazelnuts, decreased-fat cheeses and herbs
• Or, you could dress up cookies with chopped hazelnuts

Only 21 hazelnuts (one ounce) offers you 180 calories, 8% every day value of folate, 12% every day value of magnesium, 19% every day value of vitamin E, 3 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.

7. Pecans

Considered as one of the best nuts for health, pecans have high levels of antioxidants. They contain gamma-tocopherol, a heart-healthy kind of vitamin E that can protect against unhealthy oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the blood. In fact, oxidation might increase the risk of heart disease and plaque buildup.

How to take advantage of pecans effectively:

• Pecans could be stored in the refrigerator for up to 9 months and in the freezer for up to 2 years.
• You can sprinkle chopped, toasted pecans on green salads and fruit salads.
• Or mix those chopped pecans into the pancake batter
• Before each serving, you toss pecans into the quinoa pilaf or couscous

About 19 pecan halves (once ounce) offer 200 calories, 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 7 milligrams of gamma-tochopherol.

8. Cashews

As cashews contribute a good level of protein and are beneficial source of minerals such as zinc and iron, cashews seem to make a great choice for a vegetarian diet. Because cashews are rich in magnesium, they could improve recall as well as delay, and age-related memory problem. You can add a handful of cashews to a vegetarian stir-fry or simply use as the nut butter on bread or crackers.

9. Chestnuts

Not only chestnuts are low in calories and fat, they also are high in starchy carbs and fiber. Especially, the raw form of chestnuts is really a good source of vitamin C. In comparison with other kinds of nuts, they are rather lower in protein, yet higher in B vitamins, containing B6. Those ground chestnuts flour could be used as the gluten-free flour for bakes and cakes, or you can purchase roast or fresh chestnuts for a delicious snack.

10. Macadamias

Containing high fat content, macadamias are usually used to add texture and flavor to different dishes and they work well in both sweet recipes and savory.

Though they are high in fat, they also supply good levels of the healthy mono-unsaturated variety. They are a rich source of fiber and make a great contribution of various minerals containing magnesium, potassium, calcium. You should purchase them in small batches. Remember to store macadamias carefully in order to avoid rancidity.

11. Pine Nuts

Last but not least important, when it comes to best nuts for health, pine nuts should not be overlooked. Though people often do not think of pine nuts in traditional snacking sense, they still get a good point of a nutrient-rich nut. Pine nuts, in reality, can lower LDL cholesterol levels. Additionally, they have a large amount of manganese that is an important co-factor for one of the most helpful antioxidants. Because pine nuts are the base ingredient for pesto sauce, so you could spoon them into your own diet to get its benefits.

Now, after checking out top 11 best nuts for health, are you rightly ready to indulge them? Nuts have been shown to help people in controlling weight and preventing many other ailments. Thus, you should cut back on dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, then add in those healthy fats from nuts.

If you have any idea related to this topic of nutrition, feel free to drop your words below this post. We will feedback soon.

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