How to eat nuts correctly - general recommendations for consuming a healthy product

A balanced diet for people who care about their health should contain as many natural plant products as possible, including nuts. Their energy value, chemical composition, healing power, and rich taste have made the fruits popular among healthy eating enthusiasts and vegetarians. Before you start eating nuts with appetite, you need to know how to eat nuts correctly.

The benefits and harms of nuts

Each variety of healthy nuts is a source of valuable substances, which is of interest to those who have health problems and try to do without pharmaceutical drugs, replacing them with natural medicines. Since their healing properties help to comprehensively strengthen and restore the functions of the body, stabilize the functioning of important systems.

Table 1. Properties of nuts.

Nuts are a fairly allergenic product, so before supplementing your diet with them and using them for medicinal purposes, it is important to make sure there are no allergic reactions.

An allergy can manifest itself with the following symptoms:

• vomiting, nausea, diarrhea;
• cough, sneezing, nasal congestion;
• rash, redness on the skin;
• difficulty breathing.

Attention! For people prone to allergies, it is important to use the fruits carefully, starting with half a kernel per day and carefully monitoring the body's reaction.

Excessive intake of fruits in the absence of physical activity can provoke obesity.

How to take with maximum health benefits?

To get the most benefits from walnuts, they are best eaten as follows:

• Small portions two to three times a day.
• In not too large quantities, not exceeding the recommended dose.
• On an empty stomach, chew thoroughly - or snack on nuts with honey or dried fruits.
• If desired, nuts can be washed down with water or juices.
• At the slightest sign of an allergy, the nut should be discarded.

Walnuts are tasty and healthy. But in order for it to bring maximum benefit to the body, you should follow simple rules of use. Without this, the nut will turn into only a delicacy - tasty, but not particularly healthy.

Best time of day to consume

The optimal time to take nuts is the first half of the day. A tasty and nutritious supplement will diversify your boring morning menu, energize you and help you stay full until your next snack. The natural product can be added to porridge, added to smoothies, or simply eaten during second breakfast.

People whose work involves heavy physical activity become very hungry by lunchtime. You can eat a few kernels before the main course. Nutritionists recommend eating nuts with vegetables and fruits for lunch, avoiding eating meat.

When to eat nuts on a healthy diet

Due to the fact that nuts contain a high proportion of fat, nutritionists are wary of nuts. For example, a 100-gram package of cashew nuts contains 600 kcal, which is a quarter of the daily value. In pine nuts this figure is even higher and amounts to 700 kcal per 100 g. Those who are watching their figure should consume no more than 1 tbsp. l. pine nuts or up to three large walnuts.

What is the best time to eat nuts? It is believed that this product is best consumed in the first half of the day: during lunch or as a snack. In order not to give in to temptation and not to eat too much, you should measure out the required amount and put the rest away. To avoid overeating, it is recommended to thoroughly chew and eat several pine nut kernels before lunch, which will allow you to get full faster and eat much less. Those who are constantly watching their figure should approach walnuts with special caution; the thing is that they have the ability to slow down metabolism.

How to use

Nut mixtures, which you can make yourself, using several types, will bring maximum benefit to human health. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and other varieties are healing.

Nutritionists advise giving preference to walnuts, which contain many valuable substances for a person on a diet. Kernels in the amount of 3-5 pieces must be chewed with special care or crushed using a blender.

Table 2. Calorie content of foods.

Therefore, in order not to harm your health and figure, you need to follow the recommended daily intake.

Types of nuts

Every day, tens of tons of various nuts are consumed around the world. A total of 18 species are considered edible, the most popular in our country are:

• peanut,
• almond,
• Walnut,
• pistachios,
• cashew nuts,
• pecan,
• pine nuts,
• hazelnut,
• Brazilian nut,
• coconut.

Each of them has its own unique composition of vitamins and microelements, in addition, they have different fat and calorie content, so before eating, you should find out when you should eat which nuts - in the first or second half of the day.

Raw or fried

The kernels are not as tasty when eaten raw. Therefore, to fully reveal the taste and aroma, they are fried. The raw product may contain bacteria that came to the surface at the time of harvesting. But in this form they have beneficial properties that fried fruits completely lose during heat treatment:

• strengthening the heart and normalizing blood pressure;
• preventing the appearance of cholesterol plaques;
• slowing down the aging process;
• cleansing the intestines of toxins and waste;
• relief from chronic gastritis, pancreatitis.

Kernels after roasting are much more appetizing and also have benefits for the body that raw nuts cannot boast of:

• prevention of the formation of urinary tract stones;
• getting rid of flatulence in the intestines;
• restoration of mental balance during stress;
• improvement and clarity of vision;
• saturating the body with valuable components.

Information! The disadvantages of heat-treated nuts include the likelihood of the dangerous substance acrylamide appearing in them. This occurs at temperatures above 120°C.

Considering all the risks, it is better to give preference to nuts that have undergone gentle processing. A good solution is to buy the product raw and fry it yourself, adjusting the optimal temperature and cooking time.

See Komarovsky’s opinion in the video:

SEVEN NUT RULES

1. Raw nuts and seeds are healthier than roasted ones. To preserve beneficial substances and reveal the aroma, you can only lightly heat them at low temperatures.
2. Salted and sugared nuts will do more harm than good, because one gram of salt retains 200 grams of water in the human body. With salted nuts, you can eat 5-10 grams of salt, which will lead to two liters of water being retained in the body. Candied nuts contain sugar. And not simple, but caramelized. It scratches the enamel of teeth and, of course, disrupts fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
3. Peeled nuts quickly deteriorate and oxidize during storage. Mold grows in them, which produces aflatoxin poisons in the nuts. Before purchasing, you should smell the shelled nuts to ensure they are fresh. And store in the refrigerator in a closed glass container.
4. When nuts and seeds are soaked, the fermentation process starts and they are better absorbed. It is enough to soak the nuts for one night in clean water, and then you can store them in it for several days.
5. If a dry cloud comes out of a cracked nut, don’t even think about eating the kernel, it’s full of mold spores.
6. The daily intake of nuts is from 30 to 60 grams, the maximum is 100 grams. Large amounts of nuts can be harmful to the liver and cause diarrhea.
7. Children under three years old should not be given nuts, they are not digestible. Plus, children are often allergic to peanuts and walnuts. Nuts should be introduced into the diet with great caution.

The priests in Ancient Babylon forbade commoners to eat nuts, believing that they strengthened the mind. No one can stop us from eating fruits to develop our intellect. Take a handful of nuts with you to work and enjoy your health and mental strength!

Frying rules

There are no secrets to roasting nut kernels. All the methods are quite simple and the main task is not to over-expose the product, otherwise the kernels will become bitter and lose all their healing qualities.

How to fry the product:

1. In a frying pan. Heat the frying pan by turning on medium heat and distribute the nuts on the frying surface in a layer no more than 2 cm thick. Reduce the heat to low. Fry the kernels, stirring constantly, until they turn golden brown. When cooking, do not use oil. The process takes 10 minutes.
2. In the oven. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place the nuts on a baking sheet in one layer and place in the oven, lowering the temperature to 120°C. Fry for 20 minutes.
3. In the microwave. Place the fruits in a special container and set the power to maximum and the timer to 30 seconds. Then remove the product and stir. Repeat the procedure until the kernels reach the desired state of roasting. This will take approximately 3-4 minutes.

Fried kernels can be eaten both warm and cold. This is an ideal independent snack or an indispensable ingredient for your favorite dishes.

When can children eat nuts?

The opinion of all pediatricians on this issue is clear: children under 3 years old are prohibited from eating nuts! After children reach this age, nuts can be introduced into the diet; remember that this must be done gradually, with caution. Please note: Many nuts are allergens, the most potent of which is peanut protein. The consumption rate for this product for children is their palm full, i.e. how many nuts can fit in their fist. This applies only to those children who do not have allergies. This treat can be given no more than once or twice a week.

Soaking rules

Anyone can soak nuts at home to get a tasty and nutritious product that tastes good without the slightest hint of bitterness. To do this, it is important to know the procedure:

1. Take a handful of raw fruits and pour purified water so that the liquid completely covers them.
2. Leave for several hours, depending on the type of product. You need to change the water and rinse every 3-4 hours.
3. Drain the water and rinse the kernels.
4. Spread in one layer to dry naturally.

When soaking, you should not wait for sprouts to appear; the process only needs to awaken the seed and stimulate its germination. If a sprout forms, then valuable substances will begin to decrease sharply, as the fruit will begin to spend them on growth.

Each type of crop needs a different amount of time to change the structure, but not less than 4 hours.

Table 3. Soaking time.

Kernels soaked in water are healthier than fried and dried ones. They increase the volume of biologically active substances that are quickly absorbed by the body.

Product value

Before we talk about the best time to eat nuts, we suggest you find out what valuable substances they contain. Walnut kernels are considered a storehouse of useful substances. The composition includes phosphorus, potassium, vitamin E. In addition, some nuts contain magnesium and calcium, trace elements: cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper. Nuts are rich in vitamins A and B, and raw nuts are also rich in vitamin C.

However, do not forget that nuts contain a huge amount of fat and protein. There are 600 kcal per 100 g of product, which is 10-15 times higher than the calorie content of fruits and vegetables. People who are overweight are not recommended to eat nuts.

Storage rules and periods

To ensure that nuts do not lose their taste and consumer properties over a long period of time, it is important to comply with several requirements:

1. Store the product only in tightly closed containers made of glass, ceramics, or metal. It is prohibited to use plastic bags.
2. Unpeeled fruits should be kept in fabric bags.
3. Send the product for storage to unlit, cool places with a temperature no higher than +20°C and humidity no more than 70%, away from radiators and stoves from the sun.
4. You cannot mix kernels from different years of production.
5. Peel and chop the fruits only before use. Without shells, the storage period is significantly reduced.
6. Systematically sort through the kernels, discarding moldy ones.

Under such conditions, the nuts will be suitable for consumption for 1 year, depending on the type of product.

Table 4. Shelf life.

The shelf life of shelled nuts is longer than that of shelled nuts. The finer the kernels are crushed, the shorter the period.

Nutmeg

This nut is worth mentioning separately.
Nutmeg is the fruit of the nutmeg tree. It has a rich aroma and spicy taste, it is rich in minerals and vitamins. However, it should be used with caution - 3-6 grams, under no circumstances should you take more, as this will have an extremely negative effect on the functioning of the liver. In excess quantities, it can provoke hallucinations and a state similar to drug intoxication. With a large overdose, even death is possible.

It is better to add nutmeg to food in the evening, as it helps relax the body and makes it easier to fall asleep.

Daily norm

On average, it is recommended to eat up to 30-50 g per day, and rationally divide this amount into two doses - in the morning and at lunch. If it is a walnut, then you can enjoy it after lunch, before bed.

Attention! When dieting, it is important to exclude glazed kernels - they have minimal benefit, since the number of calories increases greatly.

Eating nuts for weight loss

Although any nuts cannot be called a low-calorie food, it is not advisable to give them up even during a diet.

Experts have compiled a rating of the healthiest nuts, which looks like this:

• walnut;
• almond;
• hazelnut;
• cashew nuts.

Next on the list are hazelnuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts and others, which have recently become publicly available.

Experts recommend that those who want to lose weight eat walnuts, as they are considered the healthiest. But you can eat no more than five, or even three kernels per day. It is advisable to chew them very well or grind them in advance and add them to salads or smoothies.

Almonds should not be consumed by people with gastrointestinal problems. But this is an elite product that helps with hematopoiesis and puts the nervous system in order, and it also has a fairly low calorie content.

The main thing when losing weight is to know the norm and consume no more than 20-30 g of the product.

How to choose the right nuts, peeled and in shell?

• The shell must be clean. If there are stains on it, there is a risk that the contents have rotted or become moldy. If fibers are visible on the shell, it means that the nut is under-dried, there is little oil in it, and it itself is bitter.
• When tapped against each other, high-quality nuts produce a characteristic clear and ringing sound. If the knock is dull, there is usually rot inside.
• The shells should fit snugly against each other. If they separate, most likely moisture got inside and the kernel began to decompose.
• A good nut is a weighty nut. If it weighs disproportionately little, it means there is emptiness inside.
• When shaking the nut, there should be no rustling sound inside. If the nucleolus rustles and moves noticeably, it means that, at best, the product is overdried. At worst, there is rot inside.

When choosing already shelled nuts, you should pay attention to the color. Regular kernels have a characteristic yellow-brown color

The darker it is, the greater the likelihood that the kernels are under-dried or mold has begun.

You should also smell the nucleoli. If the smell is musty and putrid, you should never eat such nuts.

Finally, if the shelled nuts are located with the partitions, you need to pay attention to their color. The lighter it is, the tastier the nuts usually are.

Is it possible?

The reasons why many people refuse to eat nuts when losing weight:

• prohibitive calorie content;
• high fat content;
• high cost;
• are prohibited foods in some diets.

However, there are many more reasons why you should eat them.

The glycemic index of almost all nuts does not exceed 30 units, which means that they are not involved in glucose metabolism and do not provoke insulin resistance. A scientific experiment concluded that they even help in the fight against type II diabetes and obesity.

A handful of nuts will provide a complete snack during lunch or an afternoon snack and will not spoil the daily caloric intake, since on average, one serving weighs 30 g = 180-200 kcal. After consuming them, you feel a surge of strength and energy, which allows you to work more productively and spend more calories, which means they contribute to weight loss. The phytonutrients they contain suppress appetite.

And now the main thing is that recent studies have confirmed Vince Gironde’s (famous American bodybuilder and trainer) statement about nuts: “Fat burns fat!” The unsaturated fats they contain, combined with diet and exercise, enhance thermogenesis, which uses calories to produce heat rather than being stored in problem parts of the body. According to the results of a scientific experiment, daily consumption of whole peanuts for 5 months increased energy expenditure by 19% at rest. During physical activity, this figure was three times higher.