If you’ve been reading Health Watch, you know we’ve been talking a lot about them lately…and for good reason. Nuts are more than a good snack. Eating them is an easy way to boost your health. They may even help add years to your life.
Here are the five most healthful nuts you can eat.
1. Almonds: Regular nut eaters have a lower risk of death from cancer.1 And just half a cup of almonds helps prevent colon cancer by 25%. It’s because of their magnesium and fiber content. Every 100 mg of magnesium you eat helps lower your colon cancer risk by 13%.2
Eating almonds also had an effect against aberrant crypt foci (ACF). These are clusters of glands that form before abnormal tissue starts growing. ACF is the first sign of colon cancer. One study found an almond-based diet lowered ACF in rats by 30-40%.
2. Walnuts: Adding them to your diet is a great way to protect your heart. In fact, the FDA tried to label these nuts a heart drug. But walnuts put prescription drugs to shame. One study found men getting 30% of their dietary fat from walnuts lowered their cholesterol by 10% in a month.3
Walnuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s why eating a handful of them a day can keep your brain sharp. Research shows walnut consumption improved memory, concentration, and coordination in people regardless of age.
3. Pistachios: A Spanish study found a diet high in pistachios helped make subjects’ bodies almost 80% more efficient at using glucose. It means their cells needed less fuel to function at full power.
Pistachios are also a good source of antioxidants that can help lower your lung cancer risk. And eating them is a good way to help add protein to your diet between meals. This will help keep you feeling full—and even help your body burn fat.
4. Cashews: Cashews are a good source of magnesium. It’s a mineral that fights cancer and prevents diabetes. Eating them may even help you live a longer life. But that’s not the only reason to get more of them…
One study of over 80,000 women found eating cashews once a week helped lower gallstone risk by 25%.4 Developing one—or several—can interfere with digestion and damage your pancreas.
5. Brazil Nuts: No other nut gives you as much selenium. Keeping your levels high helps reinforce your immunity. It may even lower your risk of heart disease by over 20%…and help you build a stronger thyroid.
Men may benefit the most from eating these exotic nuts… That’s because the selenium in just one to two Brazil nuts gives you enough selenium to raise your body’s natural testosterone production.5
Just adding a few handfuls of nuts a day is enough. Try mixing them up to get the best results. But don’t settle for the stuff in the snack aisle. Buy your nuts fresh, raw, and unsalted whenever possible.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch
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References:
1http://www.biomedcentral.com/imedia/1183055818101545_article.pdf?random=701904
2http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/magnesium_reduces_the_risk_for_colon_cancer/
3http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15037535
4http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-cashews.html
5http://anabolicmen.com/brazil-nuts-testosterone/