In today’s fast-moving lifestyle, we are always looking for a convenient food that we can grab and go. 

So, first things first, the grab and go eating culture is one that breeds a discontented gut – and when the gut is not content, you can rest assured, hormones, emotions and even thyroid will be out of whack – but that’s for another day. 

For now, I want to talk a bit about what I call ‘The Original Convenience Food’, something that can be added to any meal to bump up the nutrients, or, if really essential, a grab and go option for the busy professional.

Nuts are tasty, tiny and suitable for consumption on a wide range of eating styles. And there’s such a wide variety offering a great range of nutrients. As we move from the low-fat era, where nuts were somewhat besmirched, into a more ‘healthy fats’ aware society, these little powerhouses are really coming into their own. 

There’s no doubt, lb for lb nuts are high in fat (the good sort), but they have loads of impressive health benefits and of course a little goes a long way.

Here are some of the most commonly consumed nuts:

·       Almonds

·       Brazil nuts

·       Cashews

·       Hazelnuts

·       Macadamia nuts

·       Pecans

·       Pine nuts

·       Pistachios

·       Walnuts

Surprised not to see peanuts on the list? Peanuts are technically legumes like peas and beans, but they’re usually referred to as nuts due to their similar nutrition profile and characteristics.

Not convinced? Here’s a few of the top health benefits of eating nuts. 

Nutrient Dense

28gms of mixed nuts will give you a generous 15-20% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin E, Magnesium and Phosphorus with over 20% of the requirement for copper and manganese and over 50% of the daily requirement for selenium. Selenium is the biggy for better mood. One Brazil Nut will give you 100% of the RDI so if you think you might need a mood boost, try a few brazil nuts every day.     

This same 28gms of mixed nuts will give you 5gms of protein, 3gms fibre and only cost you 173 calories.

Nuts are generally an excellent food to eat on a low-carb diet. Whilst the carb content is variable, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and brazil nuts have fewer than 2gms of digestible carbs per serving, while cashews have almost 8gms digestible carbs.

Pumpkin Seeds

Antioxidants Rich

Any nutritionist worth their salt will always look at a client’s intake of antioxidants as these can help to minimise oxidative stress in the body that can cause damage to cells and increase the risk of disease. The polyphenols in nuts fall into this category, with waluts coming top of the list. Interestingly in a 2012 study, roasting nuts seemed to have little effect on the polyphenol levels, however I'd avoid commerically roasted nuts due to the type of unhealthy fats used in the process.

Weight Loss Buddy

Believe it or not, although a high calorie food, there is significant research that suggests that nuts could aid weight loss.

Nuts are a key feature in the much studied Mediterranean diet which is often recommended as one of the healthiest diets. As part of the Predimed study in 2013 (republished in 2018), people were put on the Med Diet and some were asked to focus on nuts and others on olive oil. Those in the nuts cohort lost an average of 2 inches from their waists — significantly more than those given olive oil.  

And if you're worried about the high fat content of nuts, good new. Firstly these are heart healthy fats, and secondly research suggests that some of the fat stays within the nut wall and is not absorbed but rather excreted with the fibre.

Down with Cholesterol

High levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol is one of the big health concerns of this decade, with loads of new science to be understood about the cause. Roll up the nuts again for helping with the solution – they have an impressive effect on cholesterol, which may be due to their high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Almonds and hazelnuts appear to raise “good” HDL cholesterol while reducing total and “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Inflammation Dampener

Inflammation is your body's way of defending itself from injury, bacteria, and other potentially harmful pathogens. It’s a good thing, when it does what its supposed to, BUT modern life can confuse our immune system and when inflammation rages and becomes chronic, ill health and disease abound. 

Nuts have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Brazil nuts, pistachios, almonds and walnuts in particular are good at fighting inflammation.

High in Beneficial Fibre

It’s widely known that fibre provides many health benefits. The gut bacteria in your colon relies on a steady flow of fibre to ferment and turn it into shortchain fatty acids which have powerful benefits such as improving gut health and the health everything connected to the gut - immune system and brain spring to mind. Plus, fibre helps you feel full and reduces the number of calories you absorb from meals. It is suggested that by increasing fibre intake up to about 30gms each day, could result in the absorption of about 130 less calories. TIP If increasing your daily fibre intake, do it slowly to avoid digestive discomfort and drink plenty of fluids.

Nuts range from 2gms - 3.5 gms fibre per 28-gram serving, with Almonds topping the list.

Go Nuts for Nuts

Eating nuts on a regular basis, and as part of a healthy eating plan, could improve your health in many ways. The fact that they are the so handy and easy to carry makes it all the better.