Certain nuts have amazing benefits for our health, helping to reduce the risk of cancer and improve cognitive functions. These five are the most powerful and, what’s more, they don’t make you gain weight!
Our diet is a key factor in the state of our health. Numerous studies have shown that what we consume on a daily basis can affect not only our body, but also our brain. Faced with issues such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue and premature aging, the quest for a healthy diet has become essential.
Among the foods that stand out for their benefits are nuts. Indeed, they are full of essential nutrients. Their composition, rich in fiber, vegetable proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, makes them valuable allies in the fight against inflammation, blood pressure, bad cholesterol and even cognitive decline. Their power is such that nutritionists consider them “superfoods”. However, a persistent myth still slows down their consumption and prevents them from holding a special place in our diet: that of weight gain.
This belief is anchored in people’s minds, to the point of discouraging more than one consumer from integrating them into their daily diet. During the 1990s, most nutrition experts claimed that low-fat diets were the healthiest. Indeed, with their high lipid contents and caloric density, these fruits have been poorly judged.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. More recent studies have since shown that it depends on the type of fat and that some fats are good for your health. In fact, diets that include regular nut consumption are actually associated with weight loss. This is due to their fiber, fat and protein content, which helps regulate appetite and maintain a feeling of fullness for longer, which can help prevent unwanted snacking. Plus, it contributes to intestinal health!
However, not all of them have the same benefits and they should not be consumed in excess. Five nuts particularly stand out for their benefits, namely almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts.
Almonds in particular contain more fiber than any other nut. This allows them to reduce the risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes, as well as control weight. They are also rich in vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. In particular, they help reduce bad cholesterol.
For their part, pistachios contribute to brain function and muscle control. They are rich in vitamins B6 and B1, which help strengthen immune health, prevent anemia and reduce nausea during pregnancy.
Brazil nuts, although less known, also play a key role in healthy brain function thanks to their selenium content. This mineral, often absent from our diet, is essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid and stimulates white blood cells, the cells which improve our body’s ability to fight against diseases and infections.
Peanuts are particularly rich in protein, essential for muscle development and tissue repair, and vitamin B9. These nuts help reduce pain related to osteoarthritis, but also prevent blood clotting.
Finally, beneficial to brain and cardiovascular health, nuts have exceptional nutritional properties. They are full of vitamins and minerals, including omega-3 and melatonin. A thunderous combo that brings many benefits.
Consuming these five nuts regularly represents a wise nutritional choice for the body and mind. Far from sabotaging your diet, they constitute powerful protection for the body. The best is to opt for assortments of nuts to benefit from all the benefits. No reason to deprive yourself of it!