Nuts To You

The quick answer:  They cost more per pound than most foods but nuts are a nutrition bargain.

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Walnut Harvest

I apologize that our posts of menus and recipes have been sparse of late (though I did come up with a Bran Nut Muffin Recipe).  We’ve had a few distractions that have kept us moving between home and northern California.

We did manage, however, to stock up on freshly harvested walnuts while up north.  We bought 100 lbs, in the shell.  We ran out of walnuts a few months ago so I bought some at the local health food store.  They were so old and rancid we could hardly eat them.  The fact is that you have to keep walnuts (and most other nuts) refrigerated, especially if they’re out of the shell.  At the health food store it’s best if you sniff the bin (for any rancid odor) before buying nuts.

So I’ve been cracking walnuts in my spare time and stacking them in the freezer.  They make a nice Christmas offering; you can’t buy fresh walnuts in the store.  We’re running out of space so the BW suggested we finally break down and buy a freezer.  I’ve resisted this because we struggle to rotate the stock in the freezer section of our refrigerator.  Is our food discipline up to managing a freezer too?  Maybe it’s time.

Did I mention the walnuts only cost $4/lb if I do the shelling?  They cost much more in the store and aren’t half as good. 

Nut Benefits

One of the premises of Word of Wisdom Living is that it’s cheaper to cook healthy food than buy the prepared (and less healthy) stuff.  If you want to enjoy good health, you must either cook or be on good terms with a cook.  We’ve no problem with occasional take-our when things get crazy, in fact we encourage that one meal a week can be whatever you crave.  But we also believe that people who regularly read this blog are unlikely to want the most toxic stuff—like deep fat fried corndogs.

Value is always a consideration in our posts but this blog is about one of the more expensive food groups: nuts.  It’s reported that only 5% of Americans regularly eat nuts.  That’s a shame because nuts have a lot of benefits:

• Nuts are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.  We talked about these important topics here and here.  A 2005 study found those who eat the most nuts have the lowest level of inflammation markers.  For almonds, the anti-inflammatory effect is as strong as the statin drugs, without all the nasty side effects.  
• Nuts are a good source of essential minerals, like magnesium and selenium.  Americans are widely deficient in magnesium.  The Nurses’ Health Study found women with the highest magnesium serum level had 77% less risk of heart attack than those with the lowest level.  Magnesium is also critical to bone health and prevention of calcification.  Multiple studies evidence that selenium plays an important but undefined role in preventing cancer. .  A 1996 U. of Arizona study, for example, found those taking doses of selenium had 40% less cancer than the placebo (no selenium) group.  Brazil nuts are rich in selenium.
• Nuts make a great non-sugary snack, one that won’t cause you to gain weight.  Though dense in calories (and nutrients), studies show a significant advantage in weight loss for nut eaters.  (Though the nuts are high in calorie-dense fats, they are also very filling which offsets the calorie risk.)

Healthy Change

Please Comment: Our favorite nuts include walnuts (especially in baked goods), almonds (we like them with dark chocolate chips), pecans (they’re good alone, or with apples and dried fruit), Brazil nuts, and cashews.  Do you have a good source, or a favorite recipe to share?  Please comment.

Comments

[Elle]

I enjoy reading your blog and thank you for the motivation to eat better. I am wondering what health benefits are lost when we roast nuts. I'm assuming raw nuts are the most nutritious, so are there still benefits after they are cooked? How about pasteurized vs truly raw almonds?

[Anne]

We've been eating more brazil nuts lately. Three nuts are reported to have a day's worth of selenium which helps the thyroid gland do all of its good work. I notice a difference in how well my brain remembers things when I eat the nuts regularly. This time of year it's easy to find them in the shell. There is a rancid nut from time to time though. My HH (handsome husband) found online that If you put the unshelled nuts in boiling water for 3 minutes, then in ice water for 2 min utes it is a little easier to get the nuts out of the shell in one piece. Winco sells the shelled nuts in their bulk bin area, but they are much more expensive and again, there is a bad nut sometimes. I was intrigued to read that brazil nuts can't be cultivated? That they only grow naturally in the jungle? Does anyone know if that is true?

[Dee]

Do you sprout or soak the nuts you eat? I haven't yet but there's a lot of info out there on the benefits to doing this. Is it truly necessary?

[Sandra Morris]

I am crazy for pistachios in the shell, especially the salt & pepper ones at Costco! I keep a small bag in my car for snacks . . ..

Also, I cook steel cut oats or cracked wheat cereal in batches and store in serving size bowls in the fridge. I add walnuts (and flax meal) when I put them in the bowls and have noticed the nuts automatically end up being soaked this way.

Thanks for the blog!

[Kjirsti]

We buy Costco walnuts and almonds, and I always keep containers of mixed nuts in the glovebox of our car. Is there anyway for one living in Ohio to purchase the fresh walnuts of California?

Make the bread buy the butter claims making your own peanut butter is cheaper and better than buying it. We made it once in our botanic and loved it, though I need to find a cheap source of bulk peanuts.

[Laura]

I went to a raw foods class where they made an almond crust for a "cheesecake." The chef also made some of the crust into balls and rolled them in coconut flakes. They were delicious! I have been meaning to make them as a treat for my kids, as I can make a big batch and keep them in the freezer.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds (do not soak)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup agave nectar (could substitute honey)
1 pinch sea salt
1 tablespoon water – to blend

Put raw almonds, sea salt, and cinnamon in food processor and process until it resembles cornmeal. Slowly add sweetener while blending. It should be able to stick together if you press some in your hand, to make a ball. If not, add just enough water to help it hold together. Form into balls and roll in coconut flakes (or don't, if you prefer- as I do).

[Hillary]

I make an amazing beet dip that has walnuts in it.

http://family.go.com/food/recipe-783452-beet-walnut-dip-t/

[skip hellewell]

Hillary, I just happen to have a fresh beet and will try your recipe. Thank you.

Elle, you ask a good question about the loss of nutrients when nuts are roasted. I do prefer some nuts roasted, like peanuts and cashews, but all nuts are heat processed to some degree unless you're buying direct from a grower. .

Walnuts are heated to dry them and this separates the hard membrane (between the two meat hemispheres) from the shell. Because walnuts are rich in omega-3 fat, which is highly sensitive to heat and oxidation, they should be stored frozen.

Almonds, because of the salmonella risk, are the only nuts that must be pasteurized (by a deal between the FDA and the Almond Growers Association) though raw foodists are contesting this practice. In California, source of 90% of world supply, almonds labeled "raw" actually have been pasteurized and label disclosure isn't required.

Peanuts (actually a legume) are a big salmonella risk so are typically pasteurized. The beautiful wife has two bottles to return due to the current Costco brand recall. Peanuts should be purchased at harvest time and refrigerated to prevent the mold-caused carcinogenic aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a serious cancer risk.

Cashews are heat treated to separate the nut from toxins on the shell, so can't be purchased as truly "raw.". It isn't required to label roasted cashews as roasted--but if the ingredient list includes a cooking oil, like peanut oil, they have been roasted.

It's confusing, especially for the raw foodists. Try not to let it keep you from enjoying fresh nuts.

[Karen]

How do you get the walnuts out of the shell without them resembling course chopped nuts? I keep my freezer (love having a freezer!) stocked with an assortment of nuts. I do sprout the nuts and then dehydrate them. My husband I have found we like them better than roast nuts.

[skip hellewell]

Hi Karen —I just noticed your question about cracking nuts and having them come out whole. It's hard to do with a hammer, but you can buy an inexpensive nutcracker that has a lever and a sliding crusher that lets you control the process. It's not hard and goes well with watching TV. Best to you.