20 Weird Facts About Nuts You Didn’t Hear Off

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nuts

Though many Paleo dieters eat lots of nuts, they may not know exactly why they are eating them.

Here are twenty surprising facts that you probably didn’t know about these handheld snacks!

If you love nuts as much as we do, you might have some questions about them. Is it bad to eat too many of them? Which kinds are actually legumes? Can you survive on a diet made purely of nuts The answer these questions and many more can be found in the following list of nutty facts!

1. Brazil Nuts: The Best Nut You’re Not Eating

Brazil nuts are high in magnesium, fiber, but more importantly in selenium, which could help ward off prostate cancer. The amazing part is, it only takes one ounce of Brazil nuts to obtain over 700% of your daily value for selenium! This means you only need to eat a few of them to get all of their beneficial nutritional properties. Go buy some – I’ll wait.

2. Peanuts Are Not Nuts

Yes, you read that right – peanuts are actually legumes. They are also highly allergenic, and exposure can result in death for those with extreme sensitivities. The number of humans with a peanut allergy has tripled in the last 15 years – meaning this problem is not going away.

Alfatoxin B1 is the most toxic mycotoxin related to peanuts, and can be found in many peanut butters and cooking oils on your shelves of your grocery store. One more reason to avoid peanuts and go full-on Paleo!

3. Peanuts Are the Most Popular “Nut”

Believe it or not, peanuts account for two thirds of all nut consumption. Blame it on all the peanut butter manufacturers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Americans eat. Either way, Americans simply can’t get enough peanuts.

4. Hazelnuts Are Also Called Filberts

Hazelnuts are routinely overlooked as a nut choice – though I’m not quite sure why. Besides the double name, hazelnuts are also Oregon’s official state nut. To answer your next question: no, I wasn’t aware that states had “official” nuts either.

5. Pine Nuts Are Found Inside Pine Cones

Pine nuts are another overlooked nut, but did you know they are actually found inside pine cones? That’s right, those things you may have thrown at girls on the playground actually contain delicious, expensive pine nuts. Try toasting them, then top over oven-roasted broccoli!

6. Cashews Have Toxic Shells

You might not think of cashews as unsafe in any way, but believe it or not, the shell of a cashew is quite dangerous. The double shell covering the cashew contains urushiol, a resin which is toxic when ingested. The same resin is found in poison ivy. Be glad the cashews you’re eating have been processed and steamed!

7. Pecans Are Rich with Antioxidants

I don’t think I’ve ever had a client who ate pecans on a regular basis – even though they are one of the most antioxidant-rich nuts out there. Pecans are rich in vitamin E, and are usually ranked in the top 15 of all antioxidant rich foods. Stop waiting for pie season and eat them daily!

8. Pistachios Are Actually Fruits

Another unbelievable-but-true fact: pecans aren’t nuts. To be specific, pistachios are the seeds of a fruit (the outer fruit is removed during processing). Still, like other nuts, pistachios are a rich source of many beneficial phytochemical substances, including vitamin E and carotenes. Get festive and make white chocolate bark studded with crunchy pistachios!

9. Almonds Influence Good Gut Bacteria

All those almonds you eat as snacks are probably helping your balance of beneficial gut bacteria. Studies show that there are also plenty of prebiotic properties in almonds as well. Don’t skimp on these guys the next time you are looking to add some crunch to your diet.

10. Macadamia Nuts Are Possibly the King of All Nuts

Besides having a great inflammation-fighting omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, macadamia nuts contain the largest amount of monounsaturated fatty acids of any nut. Regular consumption of macadamias may result in lowered triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol. Not too shabby!

11. Walnuts Have the Highest Amount of Omega-3

While a good ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is ideal, most nuts still do not contain much omega-3. This is not true of walnuts, as just one serving of walnuts has over 100% of your daily value! Even the skin of walnuts has been proven to have some nutritional value (the skin is whitish in appearance, in case you were wondering).

12. Chestnuts Are the Only Nuts That Contain Vitamin C

Chestnuts, possibly most famous for their inclusion in Christmas songs, are often overlooked in the nutritional department. The truth is, chestnuts provide about 20% of your daily value of vitamin C — much more than any other nut.

13. Coconuts Are Not Nuts

Coconuts are actually considered “dry drupes.” However, if using looser definitions, coconuts quality as fruits, nuts AND seeds. Coconuts are multi-faceted in how they can be eaten, too — you can drink coconut water, bake with coconut flour, cook with coconut oil, braise with coconut milk or cream, and slather coconut butter on Paleo toast as a healthy spread.

14. Cashews Are Not Nuts

This one always surprises my clients. Cashews are actually fruits, which come from the cashew tree. Through a variety of complex processes, you eventually get the “nut” which you can buy at the store. But the entire journey of the cashew is actually far more complex.

(Psst.. if you’re a cashew lover, you’ll adore these home-roasted on-the-go snack ideas!)

15. 40% Of All Almonds Are Bought by Chocolate Manufacturers

Blame it on all those Valentine’s Day assortments. Chocolate manufacturers can’t get enough of almonds, and these days they commonly try to make chocolate appear healthier than it is, by throwing in heart-healthy almonds.

Never mind the fact that chocolate is still very high in sugar and is pretty close to being empty calories. It is best to eat almonds on their own – not as a part of a crunchy chocolate nut cluster.

16. Macadamias Are Toxic to Dogs

Yes, that’s correct. If you drop some macadamias on the floor, make sure you pick them up right away. Although they are healthy for humans, macadamias can cause weakness, depression, vomiting in your pooch.

17. Pistachios Are Green Due to Their Antioxidant Content

Have you ever cracked open a pistachio and marveled at the fact that part of it is green? This green (and sometimes purple) color is in fact due to the antioxidants found in the pistachio. Neutralizing those free radicals is just one more reason to crack open some of these delicious and colorful nuts!

18. Most Brazil Nuts Don’t Come from Brazil

These treats really should be called Bolivia nuts, since most of them come from the northern region of that country. No matter what you call it, Brazil nuts are packed with selenium and other nutrients, so make sure you’re eating them!

19. Cashews Should Actually Be Called Brazil Nuts

Yes, things are about to get more complicated. If foods were named more logically, we would have named cashews after the country where they come from and Brazil nuts something else entirely. But remember, cashews aren’t actually nuts at all, so perhaps we should call them Brazil fruit?

20. Peanuts Can Also Be Called Goobers

There’s even a Johnny Cash song that includes the word in its title. No word yet on whether they are related to the candy or not.

Watch this video – Weird Facts About Nuts

Conclusion

As you can see, there is often much more going on with your food than you realize! It is these hundreds of little facts that make our world that much more interesting.

Trivia aside, the most important thing to remember is that nuts contain lots of nutrients and are usually a reliable source of healthy fats as well, so make sure to add them to your diet regularly.

One last reminder – nuts are very high in calories, so take a serving or two, and put the rest away. This goes for nut butters, as well. Stick to eating a few as a snack or side item – not a main course.

Written by Casey Thaler

Author Bio:

Casey Thaler, B.A., NASM-CPT, FNS is an NASM® certified personal trainer and NASM® certified fitness nutrition specialist. He writes for Paleo Magazine®, The Paleo Diet® and Greatist®. He is also an advisor for Kettle and Fire and runs his own nutrition and fitness consulting company, Eat Clean, Train Clean®.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Gross Facts About Peanut – Is Peanut Butter Healthy?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Is Peanut Butter Good for You? The Truth About Jelly’s Other Half

People love peanut butter. A quick Internet search reveals entire websites and blogs devoted to peanut butter addiction.

Peanut butter is smooth, salty, and highly palatable — but unfortunately, not Paleo. In fact, peanuts aren’t even nuts at all. Peanuts are actually part of the legume family, which is off-limits in a strict Paleo regime.

Peanuts have been around for thousands of years, and were a dietary staple for the Aztecs and First Nations people in central and South America. From there, Spanish explorers brought them back to the Old World and they spread into Africa, where they’re also found in many traditional dishes.

However, if you go back in time even further, before the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago, raw peanuts were seldom consumed, because they are very difficult to digest without roasting or cooking them.

This begs the question, do peanuts have any nutritional benefits? And what about the downfalls? As usual, the answer is not black and white.

The Peanut “Pros”

Peanuts actually pack a pretty good nutrition punch. They contain 18g of protein per half cup, along with 36g of fat, half of which is healthy monounsaturated fat (MUFA) in the form of oleic acid.

Peanuts are chock-full of biotin, niacin, folate, vitamin E, polyphenols, and resveratrol, which act as powerful antioxidants. They also contain coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a key nutrient for heart health.

A half cup of peanuts also provides 6g of fiber, which keeps your bowels regular and supports the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

Studies on the benefits of regular peanut consumption show peanut butter can cut your risk of cardiovascular disease risk by 20 percent. Eating peanuts more than twice weekly reduces colon cancer rates by 58 percent in women and 27 percent in men.

In addition, elderly people consuming niacin-rich foods like peanuts have a 70 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline compared to the low intake of the general population. The researchers believe the high antioxidant content of nuts is the driving force behind these positive health outcomes.

To most people, this would sound like a pretty impressive list of benefits. So what gives? Why do some people view peanuts as bad?

Well, the truth is never black and white, and this holds true for peanuts. There are a number of things to consider if you regularly eat peanuts.

The Peanut “Cons”

There are a number possible drawbacks to peanut consumption, so let’s start this list with the most concerning among them.

1) Aflatoxin

Peanuts are particularly susceptible to molds and fungal attacks. One fungus in particular, Aspergillus flavus, produces a toxin called aflatoxin that has been shown to be 20x more carcinogenic than DDT.

However, this problem is far more widespread in raw peanuts. The process of cooking and roasting peanuts significantly reduces aflatoxin by almost 90 percent, and Paleo staples such as pecans, pistachios, and walnuts are all susceptible to aflatoxin, as well.

The government regulates that foods cannot contain more than 20 parts per billions of aflatoxin, a level which is not harmful to humans.

2) Allergic Reactions

Today, it seems like every other child is deathly allergic to peanuts. Even one generation ago, there might have been one or two kids in a class that had a peanut allergy, while today the numbers seem to be spiking out of control.

Peanuts are classified as one of the eight major allergens, which include milk, wheat, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, etc.), peanuts, and soy.

Common adverse reactions may include; skin rash, itching, hives, eczema, swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat, nasal congestion, labored breathing, or light-headedness.

Interestingly, these very common allergic reactions in developed countries occur very rarely in developing countries. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you likely already know and should avoid peanuts completely.

3) Agglutinins

Agglutinins are peanut lectins, proteins that bind sugars and help molecules stick together to avoid immune system activation.

Lectins are considered anti-nutrients because they aren’t degraded by your digestive enzymes and can bypass the gut wall and make their way into the bloodstream in as little as 1-4 hours.

Lectins can ultimately damage the lining of the gut wall and trigger immune reactions that lead to fatigue, joint pain, foggy brain, etc. Sprouting, soaking, cooking or fermenting foods with lectin dramatically reduces the negative impacts of lectins on the body.

4) Oxalates

Oxalates are another common anti-nutrient found in grains, legumes and plants.

If levels become too concentrated, they can crystallize in the body and cause harm to your kidneys or gallbladder. Oxalates also bind to key minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium, reducing your capacity to absorb them efficiently.

5) Omega-6 Fats

The dominant health-promoting fats in peanuts are MUFAs, specifically oleic acid, while the remainder is largely made up of omega-6 fats.

We get far too much omega-6 fat in our diets today, at approximately a 20:1 ratio to omega-3 fats. This is in stark contrast to our hunter-gatherer ancestors who consume a ratio between 2:1 to 3:1 of omega-6 to omega-3.

Since oleic acid can be obtained in your diet from Paleo-friendly sources like olive oil and avocados, which have much lower levels of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats, those make much better dietary staples than peanuts.

6) Weight Gain

The famous saying “It’s like eating peanuts” refers to how easy it is to binge on any specific food or task. The fact that this famous quote uses peanuts as the example should tell you something… It’s easy to eat a lot of peanuts!

For some people struggling to lose weight (not all), they snack on nuts far too often and eat far too many.

A recent study found that people who frequently have snacks throughout the day and eat a hyper-caloric diet (very easy to do if snacking continuously), significantly increased the fat stores in their liver and around their waistline. This is not good for your health or your weight loss goals. Peanuts are legumes, not nuts. By definition, they’re not Paleo.

If you suffer from digestive dysfunction, poor immunity, or an autoimmune condition, then steering 100 percent clear of peanuts is typically the best bet.

However, if you’re a peanut butter lover and feel you have no underlying digestive or immune concerns, then you can have the occasional peanut butter or peanut snack (although I wouldn’t cook with peanut oil).

If you do indulge, be sure to choose only organic, roasted peanuts from major brands (and of course avoid those with hydrogenated oils, sugars, or other additives).

Ironically, Consumer Reports recently found that fresh-pressed health food store peanut butter is more likely to contain significant amounts of aflatoxin, while the major brands fared the best (yep, I was surprised too!).

Remember, eliminating grains, vegetable oils (peanut oil included), processed foods, and sugars should always be your first Paleo goal, along with adding in high-quality grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, wild fish, plenty of veggies, daily movement, and high-quality sleep. If you can do that, the peanut butter indulgence every now and then is acceptable.

If you’re peanut butter habit is really hard to shake off, try swapping in more paleo-friendly treats like almond butter to make desserts like ‘Peanut’ Butter Truffles or this No-Nut Nutella.

Watch these 2 videos to know the gross facts about peanut butter –

Do Not Eat Peanut Butter Again, Until You Watch This…

How to Buy the Healthiest Peanut Butter

Written by Dr Marc Bubbs

Author Bio:

Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, Strength Coach, Author, Speaker, and Blogger practicing in Toronto, Canada. He believes that diet, exercise, and lifestyle factors have the most profound impact on your overall health and performance. Marc is the author of The Paleo Project – A 21st Guide to Looking Leaner, Getting Stronger, & Living Longer and currently serves as the Sports Nutrition Lead for Canadian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook