We’ve mostly heard about a select few nuts that have excellent health benefits. This list is a short one. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts were the most publicized as having heart health benefits and other dietary advantages. However, a new study has proven that people who regularly consume nuts of all kinds enjoy several health benefits beyond the original speculation.
Nuts have gotten a bad rap in the past due to their caloric density and high fat content ratio – especially when low fat diets were all the rage before “low carb” diets became more mainstream. However, it’s important to consider that the type of fat most tree nuts offer are the health-giving fatty acids that are necessary to keep blood flowing freely, metabolisms high, your appetite satisfied, and your joints, skin and other tissues moist and flexible. This makes their “high fat content” not only acceptable, but desirable when it comes to your healthy and longevity.
Newly released large scale study proves nut eaters are thinner, healthier and live longer
The nut study, a joint effort between Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, brought long-sought verification of nut’s health benefits was recently published. It was not a small one nor was it over a short period of time, which makes it all that much more compelling and credible. The study followed over 76,000 women and over 42,00o men over a period of roughly thirty years.
They found throughout the study and at the end of the study that the group that reported eating nuts regularly enjoyed a healthier body weight, less occurrences of cancer (this was significant statistically speaking, which you don’t often hear in food related studies like this), less heart disease, and overall had a lower rate of mortality. All of these findings taken it their totality led researchers to believe that nut consumption is tied to greater longevity, a reduction in several types of cancer, lower rates or heart disease and even a lower rate of respiratory illnesses.
The type of nuts didn’t seem to matter – they all benefit health in a multitude of ways
The good news is that the type of nut didn’t seem to matter. Even peanuts, which aren’t often considered one of the nuts in the “super food” category and which also are not technically a “tree nut” since they are grown underground, seemed to offer the same types of health benefits. What’s more, the way the nut was prepared didn’t seem to matter either. Whether raw, roasted, salted or unsalted, nuts seemed to have similar health benefits.
All nuts have a high level of non-animal protein. They also offer a complexity of fatty acids that benefit our bodies in a number of ways. Many nuts also offer a synergistic blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are known to promote health on a multitude of cellular levels. Since nuts make you feel full, this may also explain why they contribute to a leaner body.
Nuts are also excellent for our appearance. Walnuts are probably one of the best nuts for beautiful, youthful skin and hair. This is due to their naturally high levels of vitamin e, an excellent antioxidant that helps combat free radical damage to skin cells. They also contain high levels of essential amino acids, the building blocks behind health, resillient tissues (your hair and skin are essentially tissue), and high levels of copper and manganese, both integral to the strong cellular bonds needed for damage resistant skin and hair.
Danna Norek founded AuraSensory.com, which offers a variety of natural hair, skin and body care products including a popular vitamin C and MSM hydrating skin cream and hyaluronic acid serum.
Read more about the beauty benefits of walnuts for skin and hair:
http://aurasensory.com/blog/living-natural/eating-walnuts-for-beautiful-skin-and-hair
Sources for this article include:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/21/health/nuts-longevity-time/index.html?hpt=he_t5
