Nuts: Foods for Thought

Ishi Khosla is a former senior nutritionist at Escorts. She heads the Centre of Dietary Counselling and also runs a health food store. She feels that for complete well-being, one should integrate physical, mental and spiritual health. According to her: 8220;to be healthy should be the ultimate goal for all.8221;

Perhaps one of the most unexpected and novel findings in nutrition in the past decade is that nut consumption offers several health promoting and protective properties. Contrary to popular belief, nuts are among the healthiest natural foods. With concerns ranging from high cholesterol and high fat content to its ability to cause obesity, the truth is that nuts are actually cholesterol free and infact useful to lower cholesterol levels. Besides this, they are cardio-protective and help in weight reduction. Owing to their fatty acid profile, nutritional properties and bioactive constituents, nuts have been found to be useful in the prevention and treatment of several disorders and maintaining good health.

good calories: Nuts are nutrient dense and a good source of fats, have high satiety value and are healthy snacks while one is on a weight loss programme. A 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that adding a daily ration of almonds to a low-calorie diet enhanced weight loss, when compared to a low-fat, low-calorie diet. Nuts have special amino acids which control appetite and prevent craving.

good Fat: Fats present in nuts and seeds are a combination of monounsaturated fatty acids MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFA. MUFA, the type found in olive oil is a highly desirable type of fat which has been shown to reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol level. The PUFAs are essential fatty acids which are not produced within our body and need to be supplied from the diet. Not getting enough amounts of these fats can lead to skin and growth problems, compromised immunity and other health problems. These fatty acids have specific health promoting properties and help to boost immunity, mental alertness and concentration, decrease inflammation and fight inflammatory diseases like arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, joint pains etc, decrease blood pressure and the formation of blood clots. They also fight many chronic degenerative diseases like heart diseases, and diabetes.

plant protein: Nuts are a good source of plant protein which can help build protein content of diet, particularly for vegetarians. In addition, nuts also contain essential amino acids building blocks of protein, which are necessary for synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain and thereby help in alleviating depression, controlling addictive behaviour and encouraging mental alertness.

fibre: Nuts are a good source of fibre that reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar in diabetics.

other nutrients: Nuts are a very rich source.

calcium and magnesium: This helps in improving bone health and preventing osteoporosis.

potassium: This helps in controlling hypertension and preventing arrhythmias .

copper: This helps control hypertension, needed for synthesis of haemoglobin.

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b vitamins and folic acid: These help in decreasing homocysteine levels in blood and protecting from cardiovascular diseases. Folic acid also helps in preserving nerve cells and delay ageing process.

choline: This helps in preventing fatty liver.

antioxidants: Nuts are a storehouse of antioxidants like vitamin E, zinc and selenium. Vitamin E prevents degenerative diseases like cancer and heart disease. They help lower bad cholesterol level in blood.

However, like too much of anything is bad, remember the principle of balance. Nuts if taken in excess can cause problems, right from indigestion to excess weight. High temperature as in frying destroys most of the goodness of nuts. They lose most of vitamin E, B and essential fatty acids content. Lightly roasting or having them just as they are retain most of the goodness. Soaking nuts helps in making them more digestible and help in enhancing nutrient absorption. Coat them with honey or jaggery to satisfy the sweet tooth or bind them in traditional laddos.