“What You Want…Baby We Got It!”
Our healthy tool chest isn’t quite complete without nuts and seeds and their very impressive benefits profile. These little guys are loaded with powerful nutrition and it’s time they got the recognition they’re due. Let’s begin with a few questions.
- Are there nuts that contribute to muscle tone, vibrant skin, hair and nails?
- Do some nuts and seeds help us feel satiated so food cravings are diminished?
- Lastly, are there nuts that can help balance hormones and blood pressure?
The answer is, YES! Nuts and seeds can help with these and so much more! Let’s start with the wonderful walnut.
- Cancer-Fighting Walnuts!
In his book, How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger teaches us nut studies show the greatest benefits seem to be associated with walnuts, particularly for preventing cancer deaths. People who ate more than three servings of walnuts per week appeared to cut their risk of dying from cancer in half. And as a bonus, they’re delicious! But don’t stop there; we need a variety of nuts and seeds so let’s keep going.
- Pistachios for ED
Pistachios anyone? Dr. Greger teaches that eating these is associated with help for ED (erectile dysfunction). What a yummy way to eat our way to health. Since I’m a little bit old-school, I’ll let you do more research yourself. You’ll find lots of great information with a simple search at Dr. Greger’s free website, “Nutritionfacts.org.”
- Flaxseed for Blood-Pressure
Moving on, in medical terms, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial is about as good as it gets, and Dr. Greger shares results of one such study on flaxseed and high blood pressure. After six months, those who ate the placebo foods started out hypertensive and stayed hypertensive, despite the fact that many of them were on a variety of blood-pressure pills. The blood pressure of the hypertensives who were unknowingly eating flaxseeds everyday dropped their systolic and diastolic blood pressure by up to fifteen and seven points, respectively. Dr. Greger reminds us, “A seven-point drop in diastolic blood pressure would be expected to result in 46% fewer strokes and 29% less heart disease over time.” Add to that…flaxseed have been demonstrated in clinical studies to help control cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation and successfully treat constipation. WOW, WOW, and WOW!! Dr Greger concludes, “Ground flaxseeds may work two-to-three times better than some medicines and they have only good side effects.”
- Hemp Seed for Muscles, Skin, Hair, Nail
Now let’s talk muscle tone, vibrant skin, hair and nails and…. HEMP SEEDS! In her book, Beauty Detox Foods, Kimberly Snyder reports, “Hemp seeds are strong building blocks to boost your muscle tone as well as the proteins necessary for vibrant skin, hair and nails. They are also a great plant source of essential fatty acids along with a rich array of minerals, including zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron.” Again – WOW!
- Chia Seed (Is there Anything it Doesn’t do?)
Kimberly also teaches benefits of another super seed – CHIA SEED! These are the little guys who gained fame growing greens on pets for kids – some of you may remember Chia Pets. But their true gift happens when we eat them. Kimberly Snyder says these are one of the most important foods to maintain body tone and health in general. They swell 10-15 times their original size when in liquid and can form a sort of gel which, in our bodies, can help us feel full and satisfied for hours (goodbye overeating and cravings). With their high level of soluble and insoluble fiber, chia seeds help balance blood-sugar levels and can keep energy stable for hours.
To top it off, chia seed are a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids to repair the muscle tissue and keep us toned with energy levels high. WOW–but NOT FINISHED! Chia also helps with ongoing cleansing. Their fibrous, gelatin-like material promotes good digestion, keeping the colon hydrated and making sure foods move easily through our system so that waste, which could otherwise end up being stored in fat cells, is reduced. Their omega 3 fatty acid is helpful in balancing hormones, and for nerve function. Chia contain antioxidants, calcium, minerals, magnesium and boron which enables calcium to be absorbed. I think this is where we…DROP THE MIC! God’s foods are JUST AMAZING!!!
Variety for the Win!
WOW! Eating raw nuts and seeds daily is associated with improve Hair, Skin, Nails, Muscle Tone, Hormones, Blood Pressure, Nerves, Reduce Inflammation and Food Cravings, Balance Blood-Sugar and more! There are so many health benefits associated with eating nuts, we couldn’t fit them all into this short segment. To make sure we’re getting a wide range of nutty nutrients, it’s a good idea to go for variety.
Here’s a “healthy” list of nuts and seeds Kimberly Snyder recommends to her clients.
Almonds, brazil nuts, chia seeds, filberts, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, hemp seeds, pecans, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds sunflower seeds, and walnuts. And don’t forget Dr. Greger’s recommendation to add pistachios.
Here’s our challenge for the healthy nuts and seeds habit:
¼ cup raw nuts daily
1 Tablespoon raw flax, chia or hemp seeds daily
Improving our health one bite at a time!
