Going nuts could save your life!

Nuts have had a slightly negative press for years as they are considered fattening.  They are fairly high in calories but have so many other benefits to offer that they should be an important part of your diet.

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the health benefits of nuts.  The good thing about this investigation into the benefits to nuts is that it followed 100.000 men and women over several decades, so not just a quick look on a small scale.  It concluded that eating nuts helped the participants to lead healthier lives, pushing back the inevitable conclusion we all face eventually in life... death.  Seven or more servings of nuts per week cut the risk of dying by A THIRD (one serving was defined as one ounce, which is about a handful of almonds).

Specifically it was found that the participants who ate nuts five or more times a week had a 29% reduction in death from heart disease; an 11% reduction in death from stroke; a 23% reduction in death from infection; a 24% reduction in death from respiratory diseases; a 29% reduction in death from kidney disease; and an 11% reduction in death from cancer.

Need I say more?

A famous study of Seventh-Day Adventists ( a religious movement in the United States) who consume a low-fat, plant-based diet, compared nut eaters with non nut eaters, anticipating that the nuts which are high in calories and fat, might just raise their risk of heart disease.  However, even though this group is on a heart healthy diet which is mostly vegetarian, those Adventists that ate nuts at least five times a week had a 48% lower risk of death from coronary heart disease and a 51% lower risk of non fatal heart attack compared to those who consumed nuts less than once a week.

The FDA isn't happy about nut manufacturers toting the health benefits of nuts to consumers.
 Recently, the FDA sent a letter to Diamond Food Inc., a producer of walnuts, ordering them to "cease and desist" from making medical claims about their products.  The FDA even threatened to confiscate the "misbranded" nuts as illegal contraband.

So why are nuts so good for us?

1. Nuts are a perfect VEGAN food.  The current fashion for plan based diets means that nuts provide essential protein and oils that balance a vegetarian diet that might otherwise be too carb-rich and lacking in beneficial fats and certain vitamins and minerals.
2. Nuts are PALEO.  This means that with the exception of peanuts, which are actually legumes.  Tree nuts and seeds are ancient staples of the human diet to which millions of years of evolution have made suitable for our human bodies.
3. Nuts are LOW-CARB and therefore low GI.  The Glycemic Index or GI, tells us how quickly the sugars in foods are digested, absorbed, and released into the blood stream.  High GI foods tend to overwhelm the body's sugar handling capacity, which leads to metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  Nuts are relatively low-carb to begin with, and the carbs they contain are released slowly after a meal so they don't cause a spike in blood glucose which causes the body to release insulin to normalize the blood glucose level.  They are also a great way of quashing a sugar-craving or hypoglycemia.
4. Nuts make you feel full.  Eating nuts promotes a feeling of being full, even though they are high in calories.  They actually stop your cravings for sugar laden, high-fat foods.  Some studies suggest that incorporating nuts into your diet will actually help you to lose weight - not put it on.
5. Nuts are high fiber.  Nuts are high in soluble fiber, the best kind of fiber for slashing your risk of cancer and heart disease.
6. Nuts are a great source of PHYTOSTEROLS.  These are plant sterols which are thought to bind to cholesterol and help to eliminate it from the body; the American Heart Association recognizes phytosterols as a natural form of reducing the risk of heart disease.
7. Nuts contain healthy fats and oils.  Nuts are rich in essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acids.  Essential means that we need to get these from our foods as our bodies can not make it by themselves.  A lack of essential fatty acids can cause dry skin, inflammation, infertility, mood and memory problems and promote heart disease.
8. Nuts, as I have said before, are a great source of Vitamin E.  Vitamin E is a vital anti-aging vitamin and nuts are the best natural source of this critical antioxidant.
9. Nuts are high in B vitamins.  B vitamins are essential for a healthy mind and body, they ease stress, treat anxiety and depression, aid memory, relieve PMS and reduce heart disease risk, they can even help with migraines.  Nuts provide many vital B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and folates.
10. Nuts are a great source of POLYPHENOLS.  These great antioxidants derived from plants protect the body against free radicals.  Nuts contain a wide range of polyphenols, including resveratrol (anti-aging), lutein, cryptoxanthin and many others.  Flaxseeds and sesame seeds are high in lignans, a specific subtype of polyphenols that may protect against reproductive cancers.
11. Nuts are rich in ZINC.  I love zinc, it is a great immune system booster and aids in reproductive function.  Some very strict vegetarians don't get enough of this mineral.  Zinc also helps in its immune capacity to ward of colds and flu.
12. Nuts are high in MAGNESIUM.  Magnesium is another critical mineral which aids in over 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body including; protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.  Lack of Magnesium often manifests itself as fatigue or irritability and can cause and increase in risk of heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.
13. Nuts deliver COPPER.  This mineral is essential for brain development and maintenance, efficient communication between nerve cells, healthy skin and connective tissue, healing, structural integrity and function of heart and blood vessels, growth of new blood vessels, proper structure and function of circulating blood cells, formation of white blood cells (immune system), maintenance of a healthy and effective immune response, generation and storage of energy in cells and mitochondria.
14. Nuts deliver SELENIUM.  Selenium is a major immune booster and just three Brazil Nuts per day can provide all the selenium you need, especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian.
15. Nuts are user friendly.  If you spend a lot of time out of the house, and need to take food with you, a small packet of nuts is easy to carry, won't spill or make a mess.  It's much better to eat a handful of nuts than to snack on doughnuts or other sweets at work.

So, got nuts for nuts... they really will save your life!

Social Nutrition:

You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Anti-Aging Intelligence

Doesn't it make more sense to try to prevent something going wrong such as illness, than to try and fix it once it's happened?  If we look after ourselves throughout our lives, eat healthily and take regular exercise, chances are our later years will be happy and healthful too.

Here are some tips on how to prevent some illnesses and improve health for everyone for a healthier aging process:

Antioxidant supplements such as Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium and Melatonin protect our cells by neutralizing free radicals, these atomic fragments cause cell damage and produce metabolic waste.

Vitamin A:
Several studies support the value of vitamin A in boosting immunity.  It enhances T-helper cell type-2 (Th2) mediated responses which are necessary for fighting bacterial and parasitic infections.  Vitamin A has also shown to be a potent stimulator of growth hormone production.

Therapeutic Daily Dose: 7,000 - 10,000 IU.  You should speak to your doctor prior to taking vitamin A supplements if you are over 65 years of age, or if you are a woman who's pregnant or trying to conceive.

Foods rich in vitamin A include: Papaya, mangoes, green peas, tomatoes, peaches, red peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, butternut squash, dried herbs, lettuce (dark colorful varieties), dried apricots, cantaloupe melon.

Vitamin C:
The majority of us know that vitamin C helps prevent and fight off colds, but it has many other health benefits also.  Vitamin C raises HDL levels ("good" cholesterol) and prevents LDL ("bad" cholesterol) from oxidizing, which subsequently prevents the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque on the blood vessel wall, which contributes to cardiovascular disease.  Vitamin C also lowers the risk of stroke.

Therapeutic Daily Dose: 1,000 - 2,000 mg.  Check with your doctor before supplementing as some medical conditions preclude Vitamin C supplementation.

Foods rich in vitamin C include: Red and green hot chili peppers, guavas, red, yellow and green peppers, fresh herbs (thyme and parsley), dark leafy greens, broccoli, kiwi fruits, papayas, oranges and clementines, strawberries, black currants, sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, mangoes, red cabbage, cauliflower, turnip greens and                                             pineapples.

Vitamin E:

This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant which is very important to cell membranes.  For example vitamin E protects lung cells that are in constant contact with oxygen and white blood cells that help fight disease.  However, there is also significant evidence that vitamin E protects against heart disease, cancer, strokes, cataracts and signs of aging.

Therapeutic Daily Dose: 400 - 1,200 IU.  Vitamin E supplements must be natural as they are more potent and bioavailable than synthetic forms.  Check with your doctor before taking vitamin E supplements as some medical conditions preclude vitamin E supplementation.

Foods rich in vitamin E include: Sunflower seeds, paprika and red chili powder, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, dried herbs (basil and oregano), dried apricots, pickled green olives, cooked spinach, cooked taro root, wheatgerm oil, hazelnuts, flaxseed oil corn and canola oil, broccoli, soybean oil, pistachios, pecans, kiwis, mangoes, tomatoes, asparagus, and butternut squash.

                                                      Selenium:

Selenium is an essential trace element, necessary for growth and protein synthesis.  It also helps to increase the effectiveness of vitamin E.  It is necessary for correct function of the thyroid gland, and may help protect against free radical damage and cancer.  Selenium deficiency can lead to joint and muscle pain, brittle hair and white spots on fingernails.

Therapeutic Daily Dose: 100 - 200 mg

Foods rich in selenium include: Brazil nuts, shellfish, liver, fish, sunflower seeds, bran (wheat, rice and oat), caviar, bacon and pork chops, lobster and crab and shrimp.

Melatonin:

Melatonin has really come into it's own recently.  It is most commonly known as the sleep hormone.  It is produced in the dark by the pineal gland in the brain.  Melatonin supplementation has been shown to:

• Aid biological clock resetting of international and transcontinental travelers   Helping to combat jet lag and restore restful sleep patterns in frequent flyers.
• Act as a natural sleeping aid as it does not suppress dream (REM cycle) sleep.
• Lowers blood cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol counts.
• It eliminates free radicals, thereby demonstrating its value against heart disease, stroke and cancer.
• Improves sexual drive and performance.

Foods containing melatonin include: Oats, sweetcorn, rice, ginger, barley, tomatoes, bananas, radishes  pineapples, apples, oranges, strawberries, kiwis, peppers and spinach, almonds and seeds.

However, the amount of melatonin in food is small so you may need to supplement.  I advise to start with a low dose as some people find that they become irritable on higher doses.  Start with 1 - 2mg at night before going to bed.