Good Food: Nuts about Nuts

Nuts are a bit of a conundrum for a health food. For one thing most health foods don't have high fat contents, they also don't potentially kill you should you have an allergy to them. However, nuts remain one of nature's best sources of vitamins, minerals and nutrition. Even the fat content in nuts tend to be of the heart healthy variety, so don't feel guilty, just chow down!

Starting off out lists of nuts today are Almonds, a very commonly eaten nut native to the Middle East and South Asia. It has a very high calcium content, making it a great substitute for dairy products for those who are lactose intolerant. They are also rich in Vitamin E, which helps improve your skin complexion.

Next up, a favorite salty snack of many, are Cashews. It's easy to go through an entire can of these little treasures if you aren't careful, so make sure you're prepared! Cashews are loaded with Protein, Iron and Zinc and magnesium, which makes them a good meat substitute for you vegetarians out there. Eat them as they are, or chop them up and place them on cakes or other sweet things for maximum enjoyment.


Chestnuts have one of the lowest calorie and fat contents of the bunch and have a lot of fiber content, makind them a great diet food. They're also good sources of Vitamin C (in their raw form) and Vitamin B too.

Here we have my personal favorite of the nut family, Hazelnuts. These sweet little delights have a very distinct taste to them, and are great in deserts and when paired with chocolate. They contain homocystein, which helps with heart diseases and Parkinsons.

Last but not least, we have Pecans. A very creamy and filling nut, they help lower cholesterol levels by way of plant sterols. They're also rich in antioxidants and oleic acid, which are found in avocados, another health food we talked about a few weeks back. Not only that, but they also contains Vitamin B3, which is great if you need an energy boost in the middle of the day, as it helps us access the energy within the foods we consume.

That's about it for this week, there are still many varieties of nuts out there not mentioned here, so make sure you go out and find out more! It's always a piece of cake ot just pop on over to a grocery store and pick up a bag, so don't waste time!