Ahh, Nuts!

I have fond memories of the nut bowl that my mom put out over the winter holiday time, starting around Thanksgiving. We each had our favorites and my mom wouldn't refill the bowl until we ate all the various kinds. There were hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, filberts and Brazil nuts. I remember that the walnuts always seemed dry to me, definitely not a childhood favorite, but certainly one now for their high Omega 3 content! And nuts were a seasonal food, maturing right at the time when we need extra dense caloric food for winter.

Consider putting out a bowl of nuts. It's convenient that we can go to the grocery store and buy a bag of already-shelled nuts that are no work for us to enjoy. But there is really some benefit to purchasing nuts in shells, opening them fresh on the spot and taking time in the effort that goes into cracking them open and working to get the little pieces out of the shell. Eating nuts this way also preserves the high quality unsaturated omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids before they have a chance to get oxidized or rancid.  Oils can be damaged by 3 things... heat, light and oxygen. Eating them right out of the shell is a great way to provide your body with high quality nutrients.

Nuts are an amazing source of protein and essential fatty acid. Nuts also contain Vitamin E (an antioxidant), polyphenols  and a host of essential minerals such as magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper and selenium.  Nuts also contain fiber, a prebiotic to feed your healthy gut bacteria.  Just a one ounce serving of nuts can provide a couple of grams of fiber. 

Reference:

Healthline. 8 Health Benefits of Nuts.  Spritzler. F. October 1 2016.  Accessed December 7 2017.