© Betty Shepherd

By Dieter Hogen & Janett Walter

Nutrients of Nuts and Seeds
Phytochemicals of Nuts and Seeds
How to Enjoy Nuts and Seeds

Nuts, seeds and their butters are a very tasty, satisfying and healthy addition to our diet. Besides vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, dietary fiber, some protein and carbohydrates, they contain high amounts of fat which account for 80% or more of their total calories. We will always absorb a mixture of different amounts of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, depending on what kind of nuts and seeds are eaten.

Nutrients of Nuts and Seeds

Below you can find a list of common nuts and seeds and their fatty acid (FA) content⁽¹⁾:

In order to function at optimum levels our body needs good amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids as well as small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, also known as essential fatty acids (EFA) or omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. EFA are essential to life but our body can’t manufacture them; they must be included in our diet. Nuts and seeds are a good source of EFA.

Recommendation:

Depending on your body weight and lifestyle, go with one or two handfuls of raw nuts and seeds on a daily basis.

The average diet is far too high in health damaging saturated fatty acids (FA) and processed omega-6 FA. For that reason, it must be our goal to cut down on food high in saturated FA like milk and red meat products and processed omega-6 FA contained in most vegetable oils and margarine and products made with them (dressings, fried and baked products). At the same time, most people’s diets are low in health promoting omega-3 and unprocessed omega-6 FA.

Because it is so easy these days to get omega-6 FA, many of our diets are overloaded with them. They are widely distributed in the food we eat, and in the vegetable oils and fats we commonly use for frying and baking or for the making of dressings and spreads. While the diet of our ancestors may have provided a ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 FA of less than 5:1, which scientists believe is best for health, the diet of the average American can easily result in an unfavorable 25-50:1 ratio. A disproportional high omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in a diet could potentially cause undesirable inflammatory processes, and may contribute to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Stay away from high amounts of omega-6 FA and especially the highly processed omega-6 fats and oils. Make olive oil, avocados, raw nuts and seeds and their butters your favorite sources of FA.

Also, products high in monounsaturated FA like olive oil, avocado and some nuts and seeds, provide not just great health benefits, but are very tasty. Monounsaturated fatty acids may be beneficial for the cardiovascular health and may furnish anti-inflammatory effects as well.

For these reasons we should make nuts and seeds that are high in monounsaturated FA and omega-3 FA our first choice and consume them whenever possible in their unaltered raw state.

If you check the table above (Fatty Acid Content in 1 Ounce Nuts or Seeds) it becomes clear that almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans and pistachios should be your first choice because of their high content of monounsaturated FA, unaltered omega-6 FA. Flax seeds and walnuts should also be chosen because of their additional omega-3 FA.

Omega-3 fatty acids have a wide spectrum of potential health benefits including: positive effects on cardiovascular health; anti-inflammatory properties; supporting the maintenance of cognitive functions during aging; prevention of some cancers; and helping mental health.

Also, sesame seeds are very high in calcium, and Brazil nuts contain lots of the mineral selenium which is a strong antioxidant and cancer fighter. Include them in your seed-nut-mix.

Phytochemicals of Nuts and Seeds

In addition to health-benefiting monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins and minerals, nuts and seeds can also contain health-benefiting phytochemicals^(1,2) known as phytosterols, phenols (including polyphenols), and small amounts of carotenoids (e.g. the vitamin-A precursor beta-carotene).
Phytosterols are plant derived sterols and stanols, which block the absorption of cholesterol in our intestines. They may reduce levels of the “bad” LDL-cholesterol as well as total cholesterol levels without altering the “good” HDL-cholesterol. Also, they may be helpful in preventing some cancers.
The plant compounds phenols and polyphenols have been found to have many possible health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, cancer preventive and anti-proliferative activities, as well as detoxification properties.

Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds are good sources of phytosterols. Pecans, pistachios, and walnuts are all good sources of phenols.

The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2007 published a database that gives information on the antioxidant values of 277 foods⁽³⁾. They ranked the foods by comparing antioxidant concentrations in typical serving sizes of each food. Among the 20 foods with highest values were pecans and walnuts!

It is important to know that the nutrients and phytochemicals of plants may work synergistically together. Therefore, eating a variety of whole foods, such as nuts and seeds as well as lots of fruit and vegetables is of importance and may offer the best benefits for your health.

How to Enjoy Nuts and Seeds

Shredded coconut, pumpkin, or sesame seeds, maybe even lightly dry roasted, are very tasty. Adding one or a mix of all of them to your muesli, eating pumpkin seeds as a snack, or using sesame seeds for salads, dressings or sauces, sounds like great ideas.
In case you want to toast some of your favorite nuts and seeds, buy raw organic products and dry roast them yourself in a preheated oven or in a skillet. It’s lots of fun and smells great. Pumpkin seeds are good when they start popping and sesame seeds should be lightly browned. But remember: if you heat nuts or seeds, then the FA get oxidized. That means two things: First, they lose some of their health properties; and second, they get rancid more quickly. The less heat and the shorter the time they are exposed to heat the better. Nuts and seeds keep fresh the longest when still in their shells. Roasted ones please store in the fridge.
Nuts and seeds are very high in calories! Don’t eat them by the pound.

How about peanuts?

Peanuts are actually not nuts but legumes, which is not the problem. That comes with the nature of the product itself. Peanuts don’t have the best FA profile, but even more important, they are prone to develop a mold that commonly grows on raw peanuts and can produce a metabolite known as aflatoxin, a carcinogen. For that reason peanuts come already roasted. This process reduces the possible aflatoxin content. Furthermore, commercial peanut butters often contain added salt, sugar, and saturated fat, such as palm oil, which is frequently used to improve the creaminess and prevent separation. If you can, forget about peanuts. At least, don’t eat them on a regular basis and never ever raw!

The following ideas may help to get you into the mood for eating nuts. We like them a lot.

Buy raw almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil and macadamia nuts. Depending on how many calories you burn in the course of a day eat one to two handfuls of any mix you would like in that moment.

Dry roast sesame seeds and add them to dressings or sprinkle them over steamed veggies, together with olive oil and perhaps sliced almonds.

Fresh flaxseeds have a very mild, pleasant nutty taste. They can be enjoyed with many dishes or added into baked goods. For using in cereal, smoothies or yoghurts, it’s best if you finely grind them.

And, instead of peanut butter, use raw, organic almond butter and roasted hazelnut butter, but if you are more attracted to the taste of cashew or macadamia nut butter, fine.

References:

(1) USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21: Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, Chestnut, Coconut, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine nuts, Pistachios, Walnuts, Flax seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Whole sesame seeds and Sunflower seeds. www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/, November 2008.

(2) Chen CYO and Blumberg JB: Phytochemical composition of nuts. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008;17(S1)329-332.

(3) USDA, Agricultural Research Service: Data on Food Antioxidants Aid Research. www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071106.htm, November 2008.

Posted December 19, 2008