Nuts about Nuts!
When is a nut not a nut? When it’s a drupe…but let’s face it, you don’t want to turn into one of those people that pedantically corrects everyone in a droning voice, “I think you’ll find that a walnut is actually a drupe not a nut”, cue rolling eyes. Save it for the pub quiz already!
Instead let’s concentrate on the wonderful qualities that nuts have and talk about why they deserve a place in your weekly diet.
What is in a Nut?
The most likely well-known fact is probably that they contain fat, and this puts people off but it shouldn’t because the type of fat is mainly the healthier unsaturated fat. Nuts also contain fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals and micronutrients. All packaged neatly in bite sized loveliness.
God gives the nuts but he does not crack them
Franz Kafka
Some nuts also contain Omega 3 which, although not exactly the same as the oily fish omega 3, is a good sub if you are veggie. Walnuts have Omega 3 fatty acid, add them to the shopping list. Nuts contain protein, B vitamins, vitamin E and minerals, including iron, potassium, selenium, magnesium, zinc and copper.
And don’t forget fibre, we all need more fibre in our diets for our gut health. The protein content is a good way to try reducing your meat intake a bit, which is good for your body and the planet, double whammy right there.
A couple of famous nut snackers are Dame Kelly Holmes who immediately had a small handful of nuts after every training session and Barack Obama apparently ate 7 almonds for a snack every evening!
This brings us to the calorie question.
The Calorie Conundrum
Nuts are a calorie dense food so this does mean portion size is crucial. Is that one of phrases that causes an icy shiver down your spine…portion control. Argh! It is however something to think about with nuts.
If you are a snacker then only carry a small handful around in a bag so that temptation to scoff more is out of the question, as they are rather more-ish. It kind of goes without saying but please don’t get your nut intake from ones covered in chocolate, sugar or salt.
No one nut is that much healthier than another so to get the best benefit it is good to eat a range of nuts.
How to Get them into your Diet
In the morning you could put 4 or 5 almonds in your porridge or shreddies. We also love a dish live yoghurt with some crushed nuts and honey, yum. A weekly stir fry with roasted cashews forming the protein part is a great and tasty way to eat more nuts. Anything that needs a bit of texture can do with a sprinkle of chopped nuts.
Nut butters are also a way to get more nutty goodness. BUT watch for added ingredients like palm oil and sugar and manage your portion size (that horrible phrase again).
We are talking about this because the nutrition element is an important part of RISE and our app has a great digital nutrition library of plans that the RISE coach can use to help you change your eating. To include nuts!
Go on then!
Go on then we’ll tell you, but don’t bore people with it! Tell them about the health benefits instead:
- A drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell (what is sometimes called a pit) with a seed inside. Some examples of drupes are peaches, plums, and cherries—but walnuts, almonds, and pecans are also drupes.
- A nut is a hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant, where the fruit does not open to release the seed to the world.
p.s a peanut is a legume…
#fitness #fiteating #risefitness
Photo by Maksim Shutov on Unsplash
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