Nuts

Over 60 years ago this one word retort became famous when the Germans surrounded an American commander and his small band of soldiers defending the Ardennes town of Bastogne in Belgium.

This battle, the Battle of the Bulge, was the last stand of the Nazi armies and when Bastogne held, their fate was sealed.

I heard about this first hand from my Dad who was in the medical corps there.

But today we are going to talk about nuts in a different fashion; how do they rate in terms of your health.

Nuts have enjoyed resurgence lately as the general public and the media that supports them has put them into the forefront of the American consciousness.

So are they all they're cracked up to be?

Well, some are and some aren’t.

Nuts in general are a decent sources of omega 3 fats but like all plant derived materials, the fatty acids they contain are 18 carbon, a far cry form the “Human” 22 carbon form. So your body has to busy itself with converting them to 22 carbons and it's not very good at the job.

Fish oil is a much better source of Omega 3 fats but hey we all need a little variety.

The top nut is:

Almonds: Years back when I did my first anti-aging training, the clinic had small dishes of almonds in the lunch room and available as snacks.

Buy your almonds raw or lightly roasted in the shell (for extra fiber) and no salt please.

There is no cholesterol and plenty of protein and healthy monounsaturated fat. But watch your serving size.

That goes for all nuts, by the way. They may be healthy but they are loaded with calories, so a small handful as a snack 2x a day is about right.

Cashews: cashews are a bit less healthy for you mainly because they contain more fat and starch than many other nuts. That is why many people list them as favorites. Once in a while they are fine but go easy and don’t make them a daily habit unless you need to pack on some fat.

Walnuts: Walnuts are special in the nut family because they are loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids to the point where you could get enough into your body to convert them to meaningful amounts of that 22 Carbon form I was telling you about.

Walnut oil is also great for salads. Personally, I find them a bit bitter but I enjoy them toasted. They have fewer calories than pecans or cashews but still portion sizes need to be controlled.

Peanuts: OK by now most people have read a thousand times that peanuts are not nuts but legumes, more like peas. Still, they have good effects on cholesterol and have the most protein of any other “nut” we are talking about. I still heap some peanut butter in my protein shakes when I am skipping meals.

Pistachios: pistachios are also special in that they have lots of plant sterols (one of the main ingredients in Cholesterol Bomb) which helps drop bad cholesterol levels.

Pistachio ice cream does not count!

Pecans and hazelnuts:

Both are on the calorie-heavy side but their fats are unsaturated which are considered healthy.

Macadamia nuts: Believe it or not these are fantastic sources of mono and polyunsaturated fats and have been shown to lower cholesterol.

But most people know them in their “Hawaiian” form which is fired in palm or palm kernel oil and heavily salted. They are terrible for your health and loaded with incredible amounts of calories when they are treated this way.

Buy them raw and unsalted and eat small portions.

And now here is one of my nut recipes for you.

Take a quarter cup of raw Macadamia nuts and a third cup of walnuts and in a heavy cast iron skillet heated to medium heat toast them both. You can use a little pumpkin seed oil or grape seed oil to hasten the process if you want.

Serve the nuts over small slices of fresh pineapple and strawberries with a few dried blueberries. Toss one quarter teaspoon of black pepper and one quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger and cinnamon over the whole thing.

This makes a very satisfying and healthy dessert.

Wash the entire thing down with 6 fish oil and 2 capsules of either Cardio or Immune Boost.

This is especially great if you have a sweet tooth. You can also eat it for breakfast and you’ll get through to lunch without getting hungry.

Bon appetite!

Doc

PS don’t for get my amazing new all-natural, cholesterol-lowering compound Cholesterol Bomb