Nuts are true superfoods. Contrary to the assumption that they only provide unnecessary calories, nuts provide us with an extraordinary variety of different nutrients. The health benefits of eating nuts every day range from improved cholesterol levels to optimal brain function.
With a handful of nuts a day, you can reap all the health benefits – your body will thank you for it!
But you can also have a little more if you like – because not all nuts have the same number of calories or contain the same nutrients. It is therefore recommended that you regularly mix up the types of nuts you eat and include a wide variety in your daily diet.
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This blog post explains how you can do this, why you should eat more nuts in general and what else nuts have to offer.
The taste of nuts
The first reason why you should eat more nuts every day is the taste. After all, we don't particularly enjoy eating food that we don't like the taste of. It's a good thing that there are so many different types of nuts – because each one has its own special flavour. Whether pistachios, cashews, walnuts or macadamias, everyone will find their favourite nut. This is also important if you try to snack on a portion of them every day.
What are the flavour characteristics of each nut variety?
Cashews – light and sweet
Let's start with the cashew nut. Its slightly sweet taste makes it ideal as a snack between meals, as well as in exotic cuisine to give a dish a special touch.
The giant among nuts – the Brazil nut
The Brazil nut is not only particularly large, but also has a high fat content – a whopping 60%. This makes it one of the highest-fat nuts. Since fat is an excellent flavour carrier, the Brazil nut has an extremely aromatic and slightly buttery taste. It is therefore ideal for baking, but can also be combined with a sweet dessert to fully develop its flavour.
The nutty classics – almonds and hazelnuts
Hazelnuts and almonds are very crunchy and have an intensely nutty flavour. They are particularly suitable for processing in combination with cocoa or chocolate. But many people also can't imagine a satisfying snack to tide them over until the next meal.
The queen of nuts – the macadamia
If you are looking for a very special taste experience, you should try macadamia nuts from time to time. Due to their high fat content and crunchy consistency, they are not only suitable as a small snack when raw, but also go well with a variety of sweet or savoury dishes.
Brain food – pecan and walnuts
Another unique nut is the pecan. It looks very similar to the walnut, but tastes completely different. While the walnut has a rather strong nutty and bitter flavour, the pecan has a more subtle nutty note and a pleasantly sweet touch. This makes them not only suitable as a snack, but also as a topping for porridge, smoothie bowls and nicecreams. Here is one of our absolute favourite recipes:
For the snack lovers – pistachios and peanuts
The last types of nuts we want to introduce to you are pistachios and peanuts. The reason why we are listing these types together is quite simple. They are the classic nuts for snacking. This is mainly due to their unique flavours – anyone who has ever eaten pistachios knows what we are talking about. Unlike many other types of nuts, pistachios don't just taste like nuts. They are characterised by their particularly strong and spicy flavour. Peanuts, on the other hand, are roasted to make them edible. This is why they taste fundamentally different from all the other varieties. They are usually eaten whole as a snack, but they are also becoming increasingly popular as peanut butter.
Nuts keep you full for a long time.
If you're worried that you won't be able to hold back when faced with these taste explosions, we can reassure you. You will only really become ‘addicted’ to a very few types of nuts. If you want to be on the safe side, you should opt for natural nuts and stay away from salted and roasted varieties. It's this combination of salt, fat and carbohydrates that makes our body crave more – this is the same phenomenon that occurs with unhealthy snacks such as potato crisps.
However, if you reach for natural nuts, you don't need to worry about this. Firstly, nuts are very filling due to their high fat content. Secondly, they keep you full for a long time thanks to their high fibre content. So, food cravings are a thing of the past.
Nuts are healthy
We have thus clarified the fact that nuts contain a lot of fat and fibre. But that's not all by a long shot. In addition to the obvious macronutrients, nuts also contain a particularly high density of micronutrients. In particular, they contain exceptionally high amounts of B-complex vitamins. But the minerals and trace elements should not be neglected either. The daily vitamin B12 requirement is 4 µg. 1
All of this means that they offer you a wide range of health benefits. These range from a healthier cardiovascular system and lower cholesterol to a more powerful brain and immune system. This makes nuts an all-rounder when it comes to health and they should not be missing from any balanced diet.
However, to benefit from the health advantages, you should make sure you get enough.
Conclusion
Nuts are rightly considered a superfood and should not be missing from any balanced diet – because they not only taste good, but are also easy to integrate into everyday life. So it is not a challenge to eat enough nuts to enjoy the many health benefits.
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- Romain M, Sviri S, Linton DM, Stav I, van Heerden PV. The Role of Vitamin B12 in the Critically Ill—a Review. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. Published online July 2016:447-452. doi: 10.1177/0310057×1604400410
