The Importance of Nuts and Seeds in Your Diet.

[Guest guest]

The Importance of Nuts and Seeds in Your Diet(This article is courtesy JoAnn Guest) IntroductionNuts and seeds are the vehicle for plant reproduction. Locked insidethem is the potential for an entire plant. It is truly amazing tothink that a giant oak tree began its life as an acorn. A nutcommonly refers to the shell-encased seeds of a tree, however, oneof the chief foods that we consider as a nut, the peanut, does notfit the strict definition of a nut as it is actually a legume.In the United States, peanuts are by far the leading nut crop asthey account for greater than 70% of the yearly nut production.Peanuts are followed by almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Unfortunately,most nuts are being consumed

after they have been fried in fat andsalted or as ingredients in cookies, candies, and confections. Idefinitely advocate the use of mostly raw or lightly roasted freshnuts and seeds rather than commercially roasted and salted nuts andseeds.Health benefitsAs more Americans are seeking healthier food choices, nut and seedconsumption is on the rise. Nuts and seeds provide excellent humannutrition, they are especially good sources of essential fattyacids, vitamin E, protein, and minerals. They also provide valuablefiber components, important phytonutrients in nuts and seeds includeprotease inhibitors, ellagic acid, and other polyphenols.Because of the high oil content of nuts and seeds, one would suspectthat the frequent consumption of nuts would increase the rate ofobesity. But, in a large population study of 26,473 Americans it wasfound that the people who consumed the most nuts were less obese.

Apossible explanation is that the nuts produced satiety, a feeling ofappetite satisfaction. This same study also demonstrated that highernut consumption was associated with a protective effect againstheart attacks (both fatal and nonfatal). Four other large studies,including the Nurses Health Study, the Iowa Health Study, and thePhysicians Health Study, all found that nut consumption is linked toa lower risk for heart disease. Researchers who studied data fromthe Nurses Health Study estimated that substituting nuts for anequivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet resulted in a30% reduction in heart disease risk. Researchers calculated evenmore impressive risk reduction--45%--when fat from nuts wassubstituted for saturated fats (found primarily found in meat anddairy products).1Nuts Provide ArginineNuts are the best dietary source for arginine - an amino acid thatplays an important role in

wound healing, detoxification reactions,immune functions, and promoting the secretion of several hormonesincluding insulin and growth hormone. Recently there has been aconsiderable amount of scientific investigation regarding arginine'srole in the formation of nitric oxide. This compound plays a centralrole in determining the tone of blood vessels. Specifically, itexerts a relaxing effect on blood vessels thereby improving bloodflow. Normally, the body makes enough arginine, even when the dietis lacking. However, in some instances the body may not be able tokeep up with increased requirements and higher dietary intakes mayprove useful.Arginine supplementation has been shown to boost immune function andbe beneficial in a number of cardiovascular diseases includingangina pectoris, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, andperipheral vascular insufficiency (decreased blood flow to the legsor arms). By

increasing nitric oxide levels, argininesupplementation improves blood flow, reduces blood clot formation,and improves blood fluidity (the blood becomes less viscous and,therefore, flows through blood vessels more easily). The degree ofimprovement offered by arginine supplementation in angina and othercardiovascular diseases can be quite significant as a result ofimproved nitric oxide levels. These benefits may also be attainableby eating foods high in arginine like nuts.2Nut Consumption and Diabetes RiskNut consumption has also been shown to lower the risk for diabetes.This benefit may relate to their ability to improve cell membranestructure and function. According to modern pathology, or the studyof disease processes, an alteration in cell membrane function is thecentral factor in the development of virtually every disease. As itrelates to diabetes, abnormal cell membrane structure due to eatingthe

wrong types of fats lead to impaired action of insulin.The type of dietary fat profile linked to type 2 diabetes is anabundance of saturated fat and trans fatty acids (margarine) alongwith a relative insufficiency of monounsaturated and omega-3 fattyacids. One of the key reasons appears to be the fact that sincedietary fat determines cell membrane composition such a dietarypattern leads to reduced membrane fluidity which in turn causesreduced insulin binding to receptors on cellular membranes and/orreduced insulin action. Particularly harmful to cell membranefunction are margarine and other foods containing trans fatty acidsand partially hydrogenated oils.In contrast, to the dampening of insulin sensitivity caused bymargarine and saturated fats, clinical studies have shown thatmonounsaturated fats and omega-3 oils improve insulin action.3Adding further support is that fact that population studies havealso

indicated that frequent consumption of monounsaturated fatssuch as olive oil, nuts, and nut oils and omega-3 fatty acids fromfish protect against the development of type 2 diabetes. Forexample, one recent study showed that that consumption of nuts wasinversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, independent ofknown risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including age, obesity,family history of diabetes, physical activity, smoking, and otherdietary factors. What the term inversely associated means is thatthe higher the intake of nuts, the less likely a woman would developtype 2 diabetes. What was really amazing was that this relationshipwas seen even in woman who were obese.4In addition to nut consumption, in order to improve cell membranestructure and function I recommend using RxOmega-3 Factors - apharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement from Natural Factors. Thebenefits of the omega-3 oils from fish oils well

known. Adding afish oil supplement to your daily routine provides extra insurancethat you are getting sufficient levels of these important oils.Using a high quality fish oil supplement is the perfect solution topeople wanting the health benefits of fish oils without the mercuryand other contaminants often found in fish. Each capsule of RxOmega-3 Factors provides 600 mg of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (400 mgEPA/200 mg DHA). We recommend one capsule daily for general health,if greater support is needed the dosage increases to two to threecapsules daily.Cooking with Nut OilsThe best oils to cook with in baking recipes, stir fries, andsautés, are the monounsaturated oils. While olive oil and canola oilare by far the most popular monounsaturated fats in use, nut oilsmay prove superior to both. In particular, macadamia nut oil issuperior to cook with because of lower level of polyunsaturated oil(3%

for macadamia nut oil vs. 8% for olive and 23% for canola). As aresult, while olive oil and canola oil can form lipid peroxides atrelatively low cooking temperatures, macadamia nut oil is stable atmuch higher temperatures (over twice that of olive oil and fourtimes more stable than canola). Macadamia oil, like olive oil isalso very high in natural anti-oxidants. In fact it contains over4.5 times the amount of vitamin E as olive oil. For more informationon macadamia nut oil, visit www.macnutoil.com.Selecting and Storing Nuts and SeedsIn general, nuts and seeds, due to their high oil content, are bestpurchased and stored in their shells. The shell is a naturalprotector against free radical damage caused by light and air. Makesure the shells are free from splits, cracks, stains, holes, orother surface imperfections. Do not eat or use moldy nuts or seedsas this may not be safe. Also avoid limp, rubbery, dark,

orshriveled nut meats. Store nuts and seeds with shells in a cool, dryenvironment. If whole nuts and seeds with their shells are notavailable, make sure they are stored in air-tight containers in therefrigerator or freezer. Crushed, slivered, and nut pieces are mostoften rancid. Prepare your own from the whole nut if a recipe callsfor these.In addition to simply eating nuts and seeds as snacks, they can beadded to many foods for the unique flavor. With the aid of a foodprocessor, nut and seed butters can be prepared. Most nuts and seedshave enough natural oils, but occasionally you may need to add someadditional oil. Keep nut butters in air-tight containers in therefrigerator.Practical ApplicationTry to have at least one serving of nuts or seeds (one servingequals 1/4 cup) and 3 tablespoons of the healthy oils daily. Useolive, macadamia, or canola oil to replace the butter, margarine,and

shortening that you use for cooking. Use flaxseed or olive oilin homemade salad dressings. Avoid using safflower, sunflower, soyand corn oil because they contain too much omega 6 fatty acid.My last recommendation is to try to mix it up a bit, by eating avariety of nuts and seeds such as almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts,pecans, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.Key References:Hu FB, Stampfer MJ. Nut consumption and risk of coronary heartdisease: a review of epidemiologic evidence. Curr Atheroscler Rep1999;1(3):204-9, 1999Flynn NE, Meininger CJ, Haynes TE, Wu G. The metabolic basis ofarginine nutrition and pharmacotherapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2002;56(9):427-38.Rivellese AA, De Natale C, Lilli S. Type of dietary fat and insulinresistance. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002;967:329-35.Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, et al. Nut and peanut butterconsumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. JAMA

2002;288(20):2554-60.--We respect your online privacy. If you prefer not to receive anyfurther e-mails from us, please Thank you.© 2003 www.doctormurray.com "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.