Want to Live Longer? Go Nuts!
Author: Tomer Hare

Have you ever heard that eating nuts helps your heart keep
healthy? Learn how walnuts, almonds and other nuts help
reduce your cholesterol when eaten as part of a balanced
diet. There's increasing acknowledgment that consumption
nuts, as part of a healthy diet is excellent for your
heart. Nuts, which contain unsaturated fatty acids and
added nutrients, are a great snack food, too. They're
inexpensive and easy to keep.

The type of nut you eat isn't that important. Walnuts,
almonds, hazelnuts, you name it, almost every type of nut
has a lot of nutrition packed into a small package. If you
have heart disease, eating nuts instead of a less healthy
snack can help you more easily follow a heart-healthy diet.

Most studies on public who consume nuts as part of a
heart-healthy diet have found that nuts lower the LDL,
low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol level in the
blood. High LDL is the main causes of heart disease, so
nuts' aptitude to lower LDL cholesterol looks to be
beneficial.

Consumption of nuts lessens your possibility of developing
blood clots that capable of cause a fatal heart attack.
Nuts also improve the health of the lining of your
arteries. The facts for the heart-health benefits of nuts
aren't rock-solid yet the Food and Drug Administration only
allows food companies to say proof "suggests but does not
prove" that eating nuts lessen heart disease risk. Still,
the obtainable evidence looks promising.

It's entirely unclear, but it's thought that the
unsaturated fats in nuts both monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats lower bad cholesterol levels. Many
nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a
healthy form of fatty acids that appear to help your heart
by, among other things, preventing unsafe heart rhythms
that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are
also found in fish, but nuts are one of the premium
plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts also have
lots of argentine, which is a molecule that amplify the
production of nitric oxide in your body, which may in turn
help improve the health of your artery walls and make them
more flexible and less prone to blood clots. Other
substances in nuts that could improve your heart health
include Vitamin E and fiber.

Most nuts become visible to be generally good for your
health, while some more so than others. Walnuts are one of
the best-studied nuts, and it's been exposed they contain
high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, macadamia
nuts, hazelnuts and pecans are other nuts that show to be
heart healthy. Even peanuts which are technically not a
nut, but a legume seem to be relatively healthy. Keep in
mind; you might end up canceling out the heart-healthy
benefits of nuts if they're covered with chocolate, sugar
or salt.

Nuts contain a lot of fat; as much as 80 percent of a nut
is fat. Even though the majority of this fat is healthy
fat, it's still a lot of calories. That's why you should
eat nuts in moderation. Preferably, you should use nuts as
a alternate for saturated fat. Instead of eating unhealthy
saturated fats, try substituting a handful of nuts. Present
dietary guidelines recommend eating 1 to 2 ounces (a small
handful) of nuts each day. But again, do this as part of a
heart-healthy diet. Just consumption of nuts and not
cutting back on saturated fats establishes in many dairy
and meat products won't do your heart any good.

Nuts contain Vitamin E, which, in addition to possibly
being good for your heart, is consideration by some
researchers to help protect your cells against some forms
of cancer. Nevertheless, the evidence for Vitamin E's
benefits in heart disease or cancer prevention is rather
slim at the moment. One more theory is that Vitamin E might
help prevent cataracts. Nuts also contain fiber, and a
high-fiber diet is thought to help prevent heart disease
and diabetes. A diet too much in foods that contain fiber
also might help prevent colon cancer.

Nut oils are outstanding sources of omega-3 fatty acids and
vitamin E. Walnut oil is highest in omega-3s. Nut oils
contain saturated as well as unsaturated fats. Consider
using nut oils in homemade salad dressing or in cooking.
When cooking with nut oils, remember that they respond in a
different way to heat than do vegetable oils. Nut oil, if
overheated, can become bitter. Just like with nuts, use nut
oil in moderation to restrict overall calorie and fat
intake.

On every continent and for thousands of years, nuts have
been an important food for humans, and for good reason.
Nuts are good for you they are cholesterol-free and contain
healthy, unsaturated fats, which can help lower the risk of
heart disease. Nuts also provide magnesium, which helps
maintain bone structure; and chromium, which helps to
ensure proper insulin function. They contain zinc for
growth and wound healing, and manganese, which protects
against free radicals.


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