The Power of Nuts

Nuts can be your best friend or your worst enemy, only if you're allergic though. If you're not allergic they have great health benefits. Some types of nuts are cashews, almonds, pecan, pistachios and walnuts. Actually one of the most common nuts, peanuts, are actually not a nut at all they are a legume, which is in the bean family.  Nuts are an excellent source of protein and supply a lot of the protein in people with vegetarian diets. The best fact in my opinion is that nuts are a natural appetite suppressor, which means a mid-morning or afternoon snack of nuts can keep you from starving until your next meal. Can eating nuts help your heart? It has been shown that people who eat nuts lower the LDL (bad cholesterol), having high LDL is one cause of heart disease. Eating nuts also reduces your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a heart attack. There has been evidence that nuts can also help in the strengthening of the lining in your arteries. Below is a list of the compounds in nuts that are beneficial, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic. 

Although it varies by nut, most nuts contain at least some of these heart-healthy substances:
 Unsaturated fats. It's not entirely clear why, but it's thought that the "good" fats in nuts — both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower bad cholesterol levels.
 Omega-3 fatty acids. Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help your heart by, among other things, preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in many kinds of fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
 Fiber. All nuts contain fiber, which helps lower your cholesterol. Fiber also makes you feel full, so you eat less. Fiber is also thought to play a role in preventing diabetes.
 Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them. Plaque development in your arteries can lead to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.
 Plant sterols. Some nuts contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol. Plant sterols are often added to products like margarine and orange juice for additional health benefits, but sterols occur naturally in nuts.
 L-arginine. Nuts are also a source of l-arginine, which is a substance that may help improve the health of your artery walls by making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that can block blood flow