For those looking to boost their health, six types of nuts could provide the nutrients you’re after.
Walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews come loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that have a multitude of health benefits, according to an Instagram post from @healthy.foods.today.
It proclaims walnuts are great for reducing inflammation and improving brain health due to their high omega-3 content. Pistachios, stuffed with vitamins B6, B1 and copper, are champions for hair growth, while pecans boast vitamin E and zinc to bolster the immune system.
Hazelnuts provide heart-healthy doses of vitamin E and copper, almonds serve up skin-loving antioxidants and may even have anti-aging properties, and cashews offer the sleep-enhancing and bone-strengthening duo of phosphorus and vitamin K. The Instagram caption reads: “Nuts are nature’s powerhouse packed with benefits!
“Almonds are rich in vitamin E. Snack on them raw or add them to salads for a crunchy texture! Walnuts are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Add them to your morning oatmeal or enjoy them as a topping for yoghurt. Pistachios are rich in fibre. Enjoy them as a snack or sprinkle them over your favourite desserts.”
The post has racked up over 1,700 likes on Instagram and a number of comments. One user exclaimed: “Yes!! So good!” while another chimed in with: “Yummy!”
These aren’t the only nuts that provide an impressive array of nutrients. Peanuts, macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts all pack a nutritional punch.
Peanuts are rich in biotin, copper and vitamin B1, while macadamia and Brazil nuts are both great sources of manganese. Nuts can be enjoyed as they are or tossed into a granola bowl with berries and yoghurt.
They also make a great crunchy topping for salads and stir-fries. Roasting nuts and adding spices is a simple way to amp up their flavour.
You can roast them in the oven or on the hob. There’s a plethora of sweet and savoury recipes that call for nuts, from Pad Thai sprinkled with crushed peanuts to carrot cake typically studded with pecans or walnuts.
Some foods even use nuts as their star ingredient, like peanut butter and almond oil. According to the NHS, nuts are a solid source of protein and “unsalted nuts make a good snack”.
But they caution that nuts “do still contain high levels of fat, so eat them in moderation”.
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