Nuts! - One of Our First Foods

Submitted By: Galvin Nussingten

Maybe it’s the “hunter/gatherer” in our DNA, maybe it’s just the taste, maybe it’s the texture or maybe it’s all three, which maybe explains our love of nuts. Nuts have been a part of mankind’s diet since, well, God knows when!

Nuts seem to be especially popular around the Christmas holiday season. They are at the top of holiday food gift list. Who hasn’t received a nut gift box for the holidays? Everyone has a favorite. Pistachio nuts are my favorite, especially California pistachios. I like mine in the shell, salted and dyed red. Why do we do that?

After very little research, I have an answer! When pistachios were first imported into the US from the middle east, the natural beige shells sported many blemishes and discolorations as a result of the harvesting and processing methods they used over there. Some marketing genius thought up the idea of spraying them with red food dye to hide the flaws and make the nuts stand out at market. Now that we grow them here, the natural beige pistachios are a more common sight than their red-dyed ancestors. I still enjoy the red ones though. I like them so much that I buy bulk pistachios. I wish I could get wholesale pistachios but I’m not a dealer.

I don’t want to focus here on just the pistachio nut. All varieties of nuts have excellent nutritional value. Archeologists have confirmed that nuts formed a significant part of our diet as much as 780,000 years ago! So, what is so beneficial about the nut?

They contain Omega 3 fatty acids, but no cholesterol. Magnesium, manganese, protein, fiber, zinc and phosphorus are essential elements of good nutrition and are found in a variety of nuts. Just one ounce of walnuts supplies your daily requirement for Omega 3. An ounce of almonds provides 35% of your daily Vitamin E requirement. Peanuts, although technically a legume, provide folic acid and niacin, both necessary for good health.

I believe that if you eat a wide variety of nuts, you will get most, if not all, your required nutritional intake. Add vegetables and fruits and you have a balanced diet. Hmmmm! Sounds like what our primitive ancestors might have eaten.

Have you ever heard of the DASH diet? I hate acronyms! This one translates to Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute support this diet. The diet includes eating 4 to 5 servings of nuts per week. A serving is one ounce of shelled nuts.

Type 2 diabetes sufferers may also benefit from a 1-ounce serving of nuts each day. A Harvard School of Public Health study reports the women who did so reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 30%.

Trying to lose weight? Nuts are low calorie, satisfy your hunger and make a healthy snack. Nuts may be the answer for that diet you are struggling with.

When you are considering what healthy foods to bring into your diet, don’t overlook nuts. We’ve been eating them for more than 750,000 years. They are tasty, filling and available year round.

Published At: Isnare.com