GO NUTS FOR NUTS.

Do you love nuts? I just love nuts I really do, I could eat them til the cows come home they are Chock 'A' Block full of nutrients, great for hunger satiety and help to keep you pooing like a pony!

Dense and full of fibre nuts are great a great source of nutrients our bodies require to maintain health, they are a good source of protein for vegetarians, supply good fats for our hearts, contain fibre, antioxidants, minerals and phytochemicals, so an all-rounder powerhouse food to have in your diet. The latest research (*1) shows that consuming a handful (30g) of nuts every day may reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and assist in weight management. So what does 30g's of nuts look like? Approximately like this: 20 Almonds 10 Brazil nuts 40 Peanuts 60 Pistachios 15 Cashews 15 Macadamias 10 whole Walnuts My personal recommendation would be to consume your 30g serve mixed to provided a variety of nutrients, Brazil nuts are very high in selenium with just 2 nuts giving you your daily recommended intake of selenium. So when you have Brazil nuts stick to a 15-gram serve which is approximately 5 nuts. Eating the recommended amounts of nuts in a day will ensure you get a good variety of nutrients without overeating. And be aware whilst nuts are a good source of poly and monounsaturated fats and contain omega 3, they are higher in the n6 form of omega 3, not the n3 form we get from oily fish. Nuts are touted as being a great low-carb snack but they are actually not as low-carb as you think it does very much depend on the nut. The lowest carb nut is the Brazil nut a 30g serve will give you 0.7g carbs, next lowest is the Macadamia 30g will give you 1.3 followed by the Pecan a 30-g serve will give you 1.5 carbs. Peanuts a fave in our home 30g serve gives you 2.7g of carb and the very delightful Cashew gives you a massive 7 carbs per 30g serve. Now you need to watch your nuts as they are high in fats and easy to eat lots of, I put my nuts into serving size containers when I do my food prep from shopping, it's easier to just grab them on the go then. DO NOT EAT THEM SALTED! Buy your nuts dry roasted, as they have enough fat in them without adding more and definitely not salted you will eat them out of control when they are salted and that's a fact the salt makes them moreish. Oh and make sure their skins are on more fibre that way. When buying your nuts take the time to inspect them properly don't just grab a packet and think done next item, look at them, you want plump nuts that feel heavy in the packet that means they are fresher and if you can, buy them in their shells for optimum freshness. Any nuts that look like they are mummifying DON'T BUY they are dead. Smell the packet (yes I am one of those weird people who reads all my labels and smells all the food as I shop our olfactory sense are there for a reason.) If you can smell rancid oil from the outside of the packet it means the nuts are bad Juju don't buy them. To keep your nuts fresher longer store them in the fridge in an airtight container or zip lock bag as they will take on the other smells in your fridge they will last about 4 months or you can freeze them for 6 months, mine don't stay in the house long enough to do this but you can do it if you want. I suggest you buy your nuts in smaller lots and regularly rather than storing them. For more information and some amazing recipes for nuts visit www.nutsforlife.com.au

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