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Nuts in Diet
Individuals who are averse to eating nuts because of their excessive fat content may be encouraged by recent studies on nuts which show that though nuts are rich in calories and approximately 80 percent of their calories come from fat, nuts are nutrient intense.
Nuts have the essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are crucial for development, blood pressure control, healthy skin as well as hair, immune response in addition to blood clotting. Besides, the fats in nuts generally have unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat does not increase blood cholesterol intensity like saturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats have the extra advantage of increasing high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol. Nuts also make available one of the most excellent natural sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant, and are high in protein, magnesium, dietary fiber, copper, potassium, phosphorus, selenium as well as folate.
Reducing heart disease threat
- It's long been acknowledged that dietary practice influences the threat factors of heart disease.
- A number of major nutrition studies have linked frequent nut use, particularly almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts in addition to macadamias, with a diminished threat of heart disease of 30-50 percent.
- It is believed that nuts can assist in decreasing the build-up of plaque in blood vessels by reducing the "bad" cholesterol levels.
- The antioxidant traits of nuts rich in vitamin E content may also have a say in the decrease of heart disease.
- Besides cholesterol, nuts can be useful in controlling high blood pressure.
Nuts can be utilized in combination with vegetable dishes as well as salads or added to pastas and casseroles for a crispy touch. The most significant point to keep in mind is that nuts should be eaten with restraint.
The following are a few guidelines on how to integrate nuts into one's diet without having to bother about the calories:
One can diminish the serving size by slicing or cutting the nuts into pieces. Nuts can be roasted at 350° F for 5 to 10 minutes to draw out the flavor. One can extract the cheese from pasta while utilizing nuts.
It is advisable to opt for diminished quantities of lean meats, poultry and fish, when nuts are being used with them. It is preferable to select fat-free dressing for the salad while utilizing nuts.
One can mix nuts with cereals or dried fruits to prepare a healthful snack that is wonderful to savor. It is recommended that one should opt for pre-portion nutty snacks instead of consuming them from a big jar or bag.
When incorporating nuts in one's diet, one should make certain to consider them as ingredient of the meat, fish, poultry, dry beans, eggs and nuts group. As far as portion size is concerned 1/3 cup of nuts is equivalent to one ounce of meat.