Health Benefits if Seed & Nuts

 

Types of nuts

A nut is a simple dry fruit consisting of one or two edible kernels inside a hard shell. Nuts include:

• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• cashew nuts
• hazelnuts
• macadamias
• pecans
• pine nuts
• pistachios
• walnuts
• peanuts are legumes, they are classified as nuts due to their similar characteristics to other tree nuts.

Benefits of nuts

Most nuts have very similar macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) profiles, but different types of nuts may have slightly different micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) content.

Nuts help with:

• Fat absorption – fats in nuts are not fully digested and absorbed by the body. When less fats are absorbed it means that less energy from nuts is absorbed too.
• Hunger and fullness – nuts help to suppress our hunger. As a result, food intake is reduced. This effect is due to the protein, fat, and fibre content of nuts.
• Energy expenditure – research suggests that nuts can increase the amount of energy we burn. Energy we burn following a nut-enriched meal comes from fat sources, meaning that we burn more and store less fat.

The effect of seeds on body weight has not been researched extensively but is likely to be similar to nuts as they are also high in protein, healthy fat and fibre.

Nuts and heart disease risk

Including nuts as part of your diet has been linked with a lower risk of heart disease.
Although high in fats, nuts are good sources of healthy fats (such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), and are low in (unhealthy) saturated fats.

This combination of ‘good fats’, makes nuts heart healthy – they help to reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, (known as ‘bad’ cholesterol) in the body.

LDL cholesterol can add to the build-up of plaque (fatty deposits) in your arteries, which can increase your risk of coronary heart disease.

Nuts also help to maintain healthy blood vessels and blood pressure (through their arginine content), and reduce inflammation in the body as they are high in antioxidants.

Types of seeds

The nutrient profiles of seeds are also very similar to those of nuts. Common seeds include:

• pumpkin seeds
• flax seeds
• sesame seeds
• poppy seeds
• sunflower seeds
• psyllium seeds
• chia seeds.

Benefits of seeds

Most seeds are rich in:

• protein, healthy fats, and fibre
• minerals (such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, plant iron and zinc),
• vitamins B1, B2, B3 and vitamin E.

Oily seeds also contain antioxidants that stop the fats from going rancid too quickly.

Due to the unique nutrient profiles of nuts and seeds, they are known to provide several health benefits, such as:

• ·         helping to maintain your weight
• ·         reducing your heart disease risk
• ·         reducing your diabetes risk.