Nuts and seeds

The first question that you get about nuts when you recommend them is :”but nuts don’t make you fat?”.No.Large quantities of food and inappropriate combining is what makes you fat.Sweets make you fat,fried potatoes make you fat,white bread makes you fat,juices with sugar makes you fat.Nuts,seeds contain essential nutrients(healthy fats,protein),fiber,vitamins,minerals,antioxidants.

Benefits:

Are useful in many diets,from the ketogenic and low-carb diet to the Mediterranean and South-Beach diet.More and more international associations, universities and research institutes are publishing recommendations and studies that nuts and seeds are recognized as extremely beneficial food to your health: reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases,reduce cholesterol, adjust intestinal transit, preventing the prostate enlarging (especially pumpkin seeds), promotes the health of the skin and joints and even quotes the antidepressant effects (due to its high omega 3 fatty acids – flax seeds, for example).Large quantity of fat and fiber makes the satiety to be higher than for other “snacks”. Do not get scared by the large number of calories per 100 grams. Consumption has more advantages especially for vegetarians, whose caloric intake comes usually from food containing high carbohydrate and low fat or protein.

What to eat?
All are good, with the condition to be raw. The variety is great: walnuts, almonds, caju, Brazil nuts, seeds, the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds,etc. Peanuts contain a toxin and it is good to avoid.Buy once a month and make your own mixes.You can keep them home ,ore in little plastic bags for the road.Large quantities should be kept in the refrigerator.The roasted versions have some disadvantages:many enzymes and vitamins are destroyed and the fats are oxidised(increases the quantity of cancerous substances).The addition of salt puts an unnecessary stress on the kidneys and can lead to water retention and hypertension.By roasting them,the carbohydrates gain a higher glycemic index, increasing the risk of being depohttp://www.nuthealth.org/images/nut_splash.jpgsited in the form of fat.

How much?
A handful contains 50-70g, enough for a snack, if they are well chewed.Chewing is very important as I said in this post Digestion starts in the mouth.On one hand the process of digestion (even the fat) begins in the mouth under the action of enzymes in saliva. This will cause the stress on the liver and digestive system, in general,to be less. On the other hand, eating slowly, the state of satiety will be perceived by the brain after you eat fewer calories, compared to the situation when eating quickly.Especially at the beginning, if you followed in the past diets without fats, the amount should be minimal, increasing slightly, in time, as you start to tolerate them tolerate.

When?
Because they are easily transported, stored, eaten … are excellent when you can have a normal meal: at work, when you’re in traffic. They stay well preserved, even at room temperature, if are kept away from light and moisture.

With what to combine them?
As I said, it is preferred to be eaten raw separate from other foods, but may be associated with various kinds of cheese or included in various kinds of food.