The most useful nuts: how to understand which ones you should eat?

Thanks to their super-nutritious properties and bright taste, nuts can be both the perfect snack and the “highlight” of a complex dish. We tell you what the main benefits of the most popular nuts are and how to cook them.

It’s time to find out what’s special about each of the popular nuts and create your own perfect mix.

A favorite among vegans and vegans alike because the protein-rich cashews make amazing cream cheese and other dairy products. And these nuts are also ideal for Asian dishes: salads, curries, fried noodles and rice.

Cashews are high in copper (more than a third of the daily value in a handful of nuts) and provide powerful antioxidant protection and aid in the absorption of many important vitamins and minerals. It also contains a lot of magnesium (strengthens bones and the nervous system) and iron (oxygenates the body).

These nuts are 65% fat, and they are all healthy. They are high in the essential omega-3 fatty acid (more of it only in fish and chia seeds), which reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

It is not for nothing that a walnut is shaped like a brain. Due to the large amount of polyphenols, vitamin E and the same omega-3 in the composition, these nuts can improve memory, concentration and reduce anxiety.

In fact, these are not nuts, but real beans. Therefore, in peanuts, as in any legumes, there is a lot of protein and few carbohydrates. This means that peanut butter without added sugar is a healthy and nutritious sandwich topping and addition to your favorite dishes (vegans often use it as a thick sauce).

Peanuts are rich in B vitamins, which we often lack. For example, vitamin B1 improves brain function, B3 reduces blood pressure and regulates the nervous system, and B9 (folic acid) ensures normal cell growth and division.

Ideal nuts for those who want to improve the functioning of the digestive system and balance weight. Firstly, almonds can improve the condition of myclophora and increase the growth of beneficial bifidus and lactobacilli. Secondly, this nut contains a lot — but not too much — of fats (mostly healthy unsaturated ones), enough protein and little sugar.

Almonds make delicious and nutritious milk, cheese and butter. And almond flakes are the perfect complement to desserts and fruit salads. But people with kidney and gallbladder diseases should eat almonds with caution: they contain a lot of oxalates, which can aggravate the pathologies of these organs.

Like other nuts, hazelnuts lower the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, and also reduce the risk of developing inflammatory processes in the body and improve the tone of blood vessels.

Hazelnuts are high in biotin (a catalyst vitamin that helps the body release energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates), B vitamins and a record amount of magnesium for nuts — in 50 grams of hazelnuts, about 85% of the daily value of this important mineral that improves our mental abilities and normalizes sleep.

The lowest calorie nuts. In pistachios, there is a lot of fiber useful for the intestinal microflora and essential amino acids — the main building block of our body. Thanks to this composition, these nuts saturate quickly and for a long time and therefore are an ideal snack.

The main thing is to choose unsalted pistachios, otherwise there is a risk of getting carried away and greatly exceeding the daily intake of sodium (and this is fraught not only with swelling, but also with health problems).

The main beneficial properties of these exotic nuts are associated with improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system, strengthening blood vessels and lowering cholesterol levels. The reason for this is the healthy unsaturated fats that prevail in the composition of macadamia. One curious study showed that a diet rich in these nuts has the same healing effect on the body as the American Heart Association’s Special Healing Diet.

Macadamia is an important element of the paleo and keto diets, it can be a complete snack on its own, and when crushed, it can be used as a dressing for soups, poke and grilled dishes.

The perfect dessert nuts are traditionally associated with sweet pastries and really make a great addition to them. But the pecan itself contains very little sugar, but a lot of healthy fats and protein.

Pecans are rich in antioxidants (still the same vitamin E and polyphenols), calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc — in general, it contains a complete set of «nut benefits»

The healthiest nuts for women?

For the female body, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, cashews and Brazil nuts are better suited. Almonds and pine nuts contain a lot of vitamin E for skin health. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, which protects against breast cancer. Cashews are essential for pregnant women as a source of folic acid. Walnut contains biotin for strengthening and hair growth. Hazelnuts hold the record for magnesium content in nuts, which has a positive effect on the nervous system and sleep quality.

What is the best way to prepare nuts for eating?

PS We treat our business with love, we hope our article was useful for choosing a nut.

With love, «I want a Nut», a store of tasty and healthy nuts;)