Go nuts for your health

…for good health

A major review in the Journal of Nutrition reveals how nuts are a healthy, nutritious food offering many health benefits. They are an excellent vitamin E and magnesium. People who eat nuts also have higher intakes of folate, beta-carotene, vitamin K, phosphorus, copper, selenium, potassium, and zinc. Eating nuts regularly increases energy intake but not body weight. Nuts provide valuable phytochemicals and their antioxidant power is similar to that of broccoli and tomatoes. Eating 42 grams of nuts a day can reduce the risk of heart disease, but not many people eat this much and just seven per cent of Europeans eat nuts every day.

…amazing almonds

We know that almonds lower cholesterol, protect against diabetes and are a good source of minerals and disease-busting vitamin E. New research from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich has identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria.

King et al., 2008. Tree nuts and peanuts as components of a healthy diet. Journal of Nutrition. 138 (9) 1736S-1740S.

_{Mandalari, et al.,. 2008. Potential prebiotic properties of almond (Amygdalus communis L.) seeds. Applied Environmentally Microbiology. 74 (14) 4264-4270.}