Nuts and Your Heart - Eating Nuts for Heart Health

Nuts are a great source of nutrients and heart-healthy fats. I remember when I was a kid my grandmother would always place a handful of nuts on my palm for me to eat while on the way to school. Recently, when I visited her she placed a handful and joked ‘your hands have grown’. I didn’t realize it then, but I know now the benefits of eating nuts as a healthy diet. Heart Hospitals have for many years now been advocating patients with heart problem to include these seeds as a part of their diet. But even before that, our ancestors had always known the benefits of these nutrient-rich seeds.

What Makes People Go Nuts?

Just for a moment, if we forget about the delicious, crunchy taste; these nutritional powerhouses are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy-heart fats. It is a myth that one nut is better than the other; all of them almost have an equal proportion of calories per gram. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein that are known to suppress your appetite and leave you full.

Heart Hospitals Postulate the Heart Benefits

Other than the common nutrients found in almost all the nuts, there are also some other heart-healthy nutrients found in different nuts.

Unsaturated fats

Heart hospitals, researchers, and scientists have not yet discovered the secret – why the ‘good’ fat in these seeds both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated help in lowering the blood cholesterol. But, they do not deny the fact that they, in fact, play a vital role in reducing the cholesterol and promoting a healthy heart.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the human body. Researchers have found that these fatty acids are helpful in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, depression, asthma, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. The only sources of these acids are some kinds of fish and almost all nuts.

Fiber

Fibers are great at reducing the level of cholesterol in the body. All the nuts contain fiber and they are known to have the feature of reducing the appetite and making you feel full. So, you tend to eat less and still fulfill the requirements of the body. They also help in preventing type 2 diabetes.

Vitamin E

A major danger and the cause of many heart ailments is the narrowing of the arteries and vitamin E plays a major role in clearing the plaque that builds up in the artery and ultimately limits the air supply causing heart disease.

L-arginine

These amazingly spectacular seeds are also rich in l-arginine, it is a substance that helps to strengthen the walls of the artery and makes it more flexible. It helps the walls to become resistant to blood clots and promote a healthy heart.

Plant sterols

Sterols are added artificially in juices like orange and margarine to boost the nutritional benefit of the product. Plant sterols are known to lower the amount of cholesterol in the body and they are naturally present in some nuts.

Conclusion

As the saying goes “Anything too much is bad for your health”, the same goes here; nuts are a great thing, but if taken in moderation and with discipline. It not only benefits the heart but also the brain and other organs. Make a habit of consuming a mixture of nuts in a certain proportion, every day, religiously and you will soon start to observe the benefits. Even the best hospital in Mumbai for heart suggests that a normal person without any heart ailment should also consume them.