The Need for Seeds
Seeds contain all the nutrients and power to produce plants hundreds of times their size, and so it makes perfect sense to hijack that potential yourself by adding some to your diet.Seeds are rich in unsaturated fats and much needed vitamins and minerals. The question is really not weather you should get a little seedy, it's which seeds you should go for and the tastiest way to add them into your life.
Chia Seeds:
The constant need to label anything and everything a superfood might have led to chia seeds' benefits being overstated, but they are undoubtedly a nutritional powerhouse. A couple of tablespoons provide 10g of fibre, a third of your daily target, as well as plenty of healthy unsaturated fats and protein.
How to use them: Chia seeds are pretty much tasteless, so you can sprinkle them liberally over anything from baked goods to smoothies.
Pumpkin seeds:
A great source of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, pumpkin seeds also contain plenty of protein and a boatload of unsaturated fats. Really quiet a lot of fat, in truth, so be careful not to end up pumpkin shaped yourself.
How to use them: Perhaps the most delicious of all seeds, roast them up and add to porridge or a stir-fry, or sprinkle them with salt and gorge on the seeds by themselves. Although clearly this is the less healthy option.
Sunflower seeds:
If it's vitamin E you are after, and any fans of healthy skin and eyes will be, sunflower seeds are your best bet in the world of kernels. A couple of tablespoons will net you over half your recommended daily intake of vitamin E, as well as a descent whack of protein and healthy fats.
How to use them: Like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds a tasty snack by themselves, even if you don't salt them. The also spruce up a fruit and yogurt breakfast nicely.
Hemp seeds:
The protein kings of the seed world, a couple of heaped tablespoons will net you 10g of the stuff., and like many of its seeds brethren, hemp is also chock full of unsaturated fats.
How to use them: Hemp seeds can be added to bread and salads, but the truly adventurous might also fancy making their own hemp milk by blending the seeds with water.
Linseeds:
A similar nutritional profile to chia seeds, providing a bounty of healthy fats, protein and fibre, but without as much hype, so linseeds are generally a bit cheaper.
How to use them: Linseeds (which are also known as flaxseeds) have a nutty flavour and are an excellent addition to salads or porridges, or even a homemade coleslaw.
Nuts Revolution
Nuts are a great source of natural protein , which are easily assimilated by the body. They are also high in antioxidants, an excellent source of fibre and monounsaturated fats. These fats are high in oleic acid, which can help to lower triglyceride levels and promote a healthy heart. It can also help to lower high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Nuts are said to release serotonin in the brain, making you feel happier.
Cashews: the cashew tree is native to Brazil's Amazon rain forest. It spread all over the planet by the Portuguese explorers and today, it is cultivated at commercial scale in Brazil, Vietnam, India and in many African countries.
- Cashews are high in calories. 100g of nuts provide 553 calories;
- It is rich in "heart friendly" monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids. These essential fatty acids help lower harmful LDL-cholesterol while increasing good HDL cholesterol in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids help to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favouring healthy blood lipid profile.
- They are abundant sources of essential minerals like Selenium, cooper and zinc.
- Cashews are also good in many essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). 100 g nuts provide 0.147 mg or 32% of daily recommended levels of pyridoxine. Pyridoxine reduces the risk of homocystinuria, and sideroblastic anemia. Niacin helps prevent "pellagra" or dermatitis. Additionally, these vitamins are essential for metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrates at the cellular level.
Brazil Nuts: Botanically, brazil-nut tree belongs within the family of Lecythidaceae, in the genus: Bertholletia. Scientific name: Bertholletia excelsa.
- Brazil nuts are high in calories, contain good quantities of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Its kernels, in-fact, have been staple energy sources of native Amazonians even today.
- 100 g of brazil nuts provide about 656 calories. Their high caloric content chiefly comes from their fats. However, much of this fat content is mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like palmitoleic acid (16:1) and oleic acid (18:1) that helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol" levels in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet that is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids offers protection from coronary artery disease and strokes by favouring healthy blood lipid profile.
- The nuts are also a very good source of vitamin-E; contain about 7.87 mg per 100 g (about 52% of RDA). Vitamin-E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant. It is required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucosa and skin by protecting it from harmful oxygen-free radicals.
- Brazil nuts hold exceptionally high levels of selenium. 100 g nuts provide about 1917 µg or 3485% recommended daily intake of selenium, rating them as the highest natural source of this mineral. Selenium is an important cofactor for anti-oxidant enzyme, glutathione-peroxidase. Just 1-2 nuts a day provides enough of this trace element. Adequate selenium in the diet help prevent coronary artery disease, liver cirrhosis, and cancers.
- Brazil nuts are free from gluten protein. The nuts, therefore, are one of the popular ingredients in the preparation of gluten-free food formulas. These formula preparations are, in-fact, healthy alternatives in people with wheat food allergy and celiac disease.
- Additionally, these creamy nuts are an excellent source of B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin (51% of RDA per 100 g), riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and foliates Altogether, these vitamins work as co-factors for enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism inside the body.
- In addition to selenium, they hold very good levels of other minerals such as copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Copper helps prevent anemia and bone weakness (osteoporosis). Manganese is an all-important co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
Bananas
No comments:
Post a Comment