8 Health Benefits of Mixed Nuts

Nuts are very popular to eat and tasty no doubt and are enjoyable diets.

They are good for health as well as maintaining weight.

What Are Nuts?

Nuts are technically acknowledged as a fruit. Unlike most types of fruit, they are not sweet and are high in fat.

They are made of a hard, inedible outer shell that usually requires to be cracked open in order to release the fruit inside. One can purchase “pre-shelled” ones.

Commonly consumed nuts:

• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Pine nuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Walnuts

Peanuts are technically legumes similar to peas as well as beans; they are often referred to as nuts because they have similar nutrition profiles as well as characteristics.

1. Nuts contain lots of Nutrients

Nuts are very nutritious. For example, 1 ounce (28 grams) of mixed nuts contains:

• Calories: 173
• Protein: 5 grams
• Fat: 16 grams, including 9 grams of monounsaturated fat
• Carbs: 6 grams
• Fiber: 3 grams
• Vitamin E: 12% of the RDI
• Magnesium: 16% of the RDI
• Phosphorus: 13% of the RDI
• Copper: 23% of the RDI
• Selenium: 56% of the RDI
• Manganese: 26% of the RDI

Some nuts have more amounts of certain nutrients as compared to others. For instance, just one Brazil nut does provide more than 100% of the RDI for selenium.

The carb content of nuts is considered to be of the highly variable. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and Brazil nuts contain less than 2 grams of digestible carbs per serving, while cashews, on the other hand, have almost 8 digestible carbs per serving.

That being said, nuts are usually accepted as an excellent food to eat on a low-carb diet.

Nuts are high in fat, of course, low in carbs and also a great source of several nutrients, including vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium.

2. Nuts Are Loaded With Antioxidants

Nuts do contain lots of antioxidants.

Antioxidants do help in controlling free radicals, which are no doubt unstable molecules that are produced as a normal part of metabolism. Free radical production does increase in response to heavy sun exposure, stress, pollution and other causes.

Although free radicals can indeed play a beneficial role in immune response, having too many can indeed lead to cell damage. When one’s level of free radicals is rather too high, then one’s body is supposed to be in a state of oxidative stress, which does increase disease risk.

The antioxidants in plant foods do include the polyphenols that are found in nuts and can combat oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals so that they cannot harm one’s cells.

Research does also indicate that the antioxidants in walnuts, as well as almonds, can rather protect the delicate fats in one’s cells from getting damaged on account of oxidation. Whole pecans do help in leading to a drop in their levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease.

On the other hand studies in older people and individuals with metabolic syndrome did indicate that walnuts, as well as cashews, do not have a big impact on antioxidant capacity.

Nuts contain antioxidants known as polyphenols, which can protect cells and LDL cholesterol from damage.

3. Nuts Can Help One Lose Weight

• Nuts help one to lose weight.
• Almonds promote weight loss rather than weight gain. Pistachios can also be helpful in this regard.
• Overweight women did lose lots of weight by consuming almonds.
• Nuts do promote weight loss rather than cause weight gain.

4. Nuts Can Lower Cholesterol and Triglycerides

• Nuts have impressive effects on cholesterol and reducing triglyceride levels.
• Pistachios do lower triglycerides in obese people as well as diabetics. The cholesterol-lowering power levels are on account of their high content of monounsaturated as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Almonds, as well as hazelnuts, do appear to reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Macadamia nuts do lower cholesterol levels.
• Nuts may be able to lower total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while boosting levels of HDL cholesterol.

5. Nuts Are Beneficial for Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

• Type 2 diabetes is a common disease. Nuts can be good for this disease. They may be good for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
• They are low in carbs and do not raise blood sugar levels much. Substituting nuts for those higher-carb foods can reduce blood sugar levels.
• Studies suggest that eating nuts may also lower oxidative stress, blood pressure in people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

6. Nuts Can Help Reduce Inflammation

• Nuts do indeed have a have strong anti-inflammatory properties.
• Chronic (long-term) inflammation can indeed cause damage to one’s organs and also increase the disease risk. Eating nuts do reduce inflammation as well and promote healthy aging.
• Specific nuts do fight inflammation in healthy people and also among those with serious diseases. These do include pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and almonds.
• Nuts can help in reducing inflammation, especially among those suffering from diabetes, kidney disease as well as other serious health conditions.

7. Nuts Are High in Fiber

• Fiber does provide several health benefits.
• The body may not digest fiber, the bacteria that lives can.
• Fiber helps one feel full and also reduces the number of calories one absorbs from meals. One study does suggest that increasing fiber intake from 18 to 36 grams daily might result in reduced calories being absorbed.

Fiber content per 1-oz (28-gram) serving:

• Almonds: 3.5 grams
• Pistachios: 2.9 grams
• Hazelnuts: 2.9 grams
• Pecans: 2.9 grams
• Brazil nuts: 2.1 grams
• Peanuts: 2.6 grams
• Macadamias: 2.4 grams

Nuts are high in fiber and can reduce disease risk.

8. Nuts Can Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

• Nuts are extremely good for the heart.
• Several studies do suggest that nuts do help lower one’s heart disease and stroke risk on account of their benefits for cholesterol levels, LDL particle size, artery function as well as inflammation.
• Small, dense LDL particles do increase heart disease risk more than larger LDL particles.
• People who have nuts have better artery function and lower fasting triglycerides than the olive oil consuming people.