Nuts and Their Amazing Health Benefits

Nuts and Their Amazing Health Benefits by Cole Carson

It wasn't very long ago that nuts were feared. They were considered a dieting disaster, with far too high a fat and calorie content to be anything but bad for you! Recently though, extensive studies have shown that the opposite is actually the case. - Nuts are incredible for the human body. Recently there have been many health discoveries showing that nuts are a wonderful protein source that are great for everyone, and should be added to our diets.

Nuts are a food that is high in both fat and calories, but that information alone is misleading, and due to our better understanding of fat, we now know that this is not sufficient reason to avoid nuts. Most of the fat content in nuts happens to come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which do not contribute to weight gain as much as other fats and are much better for the body. Furthermore, these types of fats have been shown to have the ability to decrease bad LDL cholesterol, making nuts good for the heart. Studies have been done on the relationship between nuts and heart health, and the results show that a regular diet consisting of nuts can actually lower your chances for developing heart-related disease by as much as thirty-five percent.

It's never been a secret that nuts are very high in protein. This is great news, as it means that
nuts are a good source of protein, necessary for the body, but instead of having the negative side-effects on the heart like most sources of whole proteins, nuts are actually beneficial. Because of this, nuts are a staple in vegetarian diets, because they contain the complete proteins that are so difficult to construct by eating plants alone.

Eating nuts can also be a great way to increase your energy throughout the day. Nuts are a great source of antioxidants, which everybody knows are wonderful for helping to retard the aging process. Antioxidants are best known for their ability to fight off free radicals. - Harmful agents that damage the body, lowering energy levels and causing premature aging. Because nuts are such a great source of antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium, they can benefit your body in the fight against premature aging and improve your energy levels.

Research has indicated that while almost all nuts have similar benefits on the body, the ones regarded as the most beneficial are almonds, cashews and peanuts. These studies suggest that 1-2 ounces a day is a good, moderate serving in which the body will receive the greatest benefits. Nuts, while they are healthy, can be an addictive food, and because they do contain a good bit of calories, one must make sure that they keep in check just how many they eat. Fortunately for everyone, nuts are great at satisfying hunger.

Overall, nuts are a powerful food that is packed with surprising and astounding benefits. Their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease while protecting against aging and providing solid energy levels makes them a highly desired health food, as long as a person keeps their intake levels low. They are still loaded with calories, and can contribute to weight gain if high levels are consumed on a regular basis. If you keep your intake down, however, you'll notice remarkable improvements in your health, and you can rest easier at night knowing that you are helping your heart and bettering your chances at escaping cardiovascular disease.

About the Author

Cole Carson is a successful entrepreneur interested in the fields of natural health and wellness! Spiffy, the Himalayan Goji Juice dog is the newest up and coming star! Learn why he loves Goji Health Juice so much!

A Low Sodium Appproach To A Low Salt Diet

Shaking The Salt Habit - A Low Sodium Appproach To A Low Salt Diet Submitted By: Betty Ziegler

Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards a healthier lifestyle. First things first, though. Remove that salt shaker from your table and replace it with Mrs. Dash seasoning or a blend of your own choosing.

You will soon be amazed at how good your food tastes, now that it isn't clouded by excessive sodium. All foods have their own unique flavor, which is brought out by proper cooking and seasoning, and not covered up by salt. Your taste buds will thank you, (you don't know what you have been missing!) By adding a variety of fresh or dried herbs, the flavors in your favorite foods will wake up and be refreshed.

Supermarkets are much more accommodating these days, aware of the growing demand to offer low and no salt products. The Food and Drug Administration has established that "sodium free" labels on products cannot contain more than 5mg per serving. A "very low sodium" label may contain up to 35mg per serving, and a "low sodium" label can have as much as 140mg per serving, or 50 grams of the food.

By reading the labels, and determining how many servings are in one container, you will have a good understanding of what is acceptable for your own diet. A can of "low sodium" soup may have only 140mg of sodium "per serving", but checking carefully, the label may show that each can holds more than one serving.

As an example, a national brand soup (10.5oz) labeled 25% less sodium, contains 530mg of sodium "per serving", but the can holds 2.5 servings! That’s a whopping 1325mg of sodium per can. Can you imagine how much sodium is in their regular label? Yet, another flavor soup (10.5oz), distributed by the same national brand, labeled "low sodium" contains 90mg of sodium per serving, and the can contains only 1 serving. Such discrepancies are not uncommon. Don't be deceived by "less salt" labeling.

To be really aware of what you are purchasing, read all labels. Compare brands. Each brand will vary from another in it's nutritional content. Most frozen entrees contain a great deal of salt, because salt is a natural preservative, and therefore the shelf life will be extended for the package.

Recently I discovered that Trader Joe's Market offers a no salt marinara sauce that is superb. My family prefers it to the national brand, when we use ready-made sauce.
But how much sodium are you really getting daily? Even your tap water contains sodium.

Where I live each 8oz glass of tap water contains 8mg of sodium. Times that by 8 glasses a day and you have 64mg of sodium just in water alone.

To get a good understanding of the salt content of your favorite foods, invest in a good nutritional book, like Nutrition Almanac, by Lavon J. Dunne and John Kirschmann. (the newest edition will be out in December 2006). Or my own favorite, The No-Salt Cookbook by David Anderson and Thomas Anderson. Along with great recipes, there is a chapter dedicated to sodium content of most foods, listed alphabetically.

Soon, you will just know how to calculate your sodium intake. It will become second nature. You will be able to scan a meal and just know.

If your local markets don't yet carry low sodium foods, ask the store manager if they can look into ordering what you need. Chances are you are not alone in searching for these low salt items.
About the Author:Betty Ziegler is the nutritional advisor for http://Cooking-for-Compliments.com, where she shares many of her low salt recipes. Visit the low sodium section at http://www.cooking-for-compliments.com/low-sodium.html where you will find free recipe

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