The nut is a perfect packet of nutrients and energy designed to help grow new plants. So, it is also great for human consumption. You’ll even see a wide variety of nuts available in grocery stores—everything from the almond to the macadamia nut to the walnut.
The fact that eating these tree babies regularly improves or lessens the presence of certain markers of poor health and seems almost like common sense knowledge.
A Study On Nut Consumption
Researchers used five years of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to find that people who ate more than a quarter ounce of nuts daily gained a variety of benefits. These included:
- lower BMI
- waist circumference
- systolic blood pressure
- lower insulin resistance
- higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
These are all factors that doctors look at to determine if you are obese or dealing with cardiovascular problems and metabolic syndrome. The researchers also noted that those who ate nuts were less likely to be obese, overweight, or have an elevated waist circumference.
Getting More Nuts for Less Moola
It’s wonderful to know that these nutrient dense nuggets can do so much. Still, it may be hard to get enough in your diet to gain those benefits. Nuts can be more expensive than several other foods. To help you keep a steady supply of them on hand, here are a few purchasing tips:
Choose less processed nuts. Whole nuts are usually cheaper than sliced or shelled nuts.
The prices of different nuts vary throughout the year. Keep an eye out for sales during holidays, like Christmas, and stock up.
Buy in bulk. Large packages of nuts are less pricy per ounce than smaller ones. You may also find good deals in the bulk bins at your grocery store or a membership club, like Costco.
Consider nut butters as an alternative. These weren’t looked at in the study but contain many of their nutrients. Keep in mind that peanuts are not a tree nut but a legume. However, they are filling and offer many good nutrients too.
[expand title=”References“]
Nuts Will Change Your Life. URL Link. Accessed May 17, 2017.
Tree Nut Consumption Is Associated With Better Adiposity Measures and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Syndrome Health Risk Factors In U.S. Adults: NHANES 2005–2010. URL Link. Accessed May 17, 2017.
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