Beautiful Benefits of Nuts & Seeds (with Recipes)

Beautiful Benefits of Nuts & Seeds by Jessie May

Can we please dive into how nourishing and delicious these tiny pockets are? I love thinking of them as “pockets” because they really do hold so much inside. Nuts and seeds are helpful pantry items to have on hand to add to a variety of meals overtime. They are rich in minerals, fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. My hope is that by the end of this post you will be so enthused about a variety of nuts and seeds in your diet that you will be soaking, blending, and stocking some cute jars in your cupboards (or refrigerators) with these nutrient-dense plant foods :).

Why are nuts and seeds so good for you?

For starters, minerals. These are incredibly mineral-rich plant foods! Walnuts for instance are great sources of molybdenum, copper, and manganese. Where as cashews have more magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc. Chia seeds are a good source of calcium and sesame seeds are known for their high iron content (unhulled, specifically). Across the spectrum, the mineral density of nuts and seeds should entice us to consume a variety in order to receive all of their widespread benefits.

Of the vitamins they contain, I think vitamin E deserves a special mention. (Almonds and sunflower seeds are especially high in this valuable nutrient.) This is a potent antioxidant that is actually composed of eight different nutrients, four different tocopherols and four different tocotrienols—so spectacular! Because it is fat soluble, it can penetrate the layer of fat that surrounds every cell in our body. This means it offers protection against damage to our cells and that is incredibly helpful, wouldn’t you say? :)

Secondly, many nuts and seeds are wonderful sources of precious omega fatty acids. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and hemp seeds are most widely known for being a great source of omega 3s. Hempseeds contain omega 6s as well, as do sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. These fatty acids are necessary too, but in smaller quantities.

For a little refresher, omega 3 fatty acids are responsible for reducing inflammation in our bodies and for helping with cognitive function. Plant derived omega 3s come in the form of ALA, which is partially used for energy in the body and the remainder converted by enzymes to EPA and DHA. The first, EPA, is responsible primarily for our inflammatory response system. The latter, DHA, is primarily used by our brain. It is said that approximately 9-12% of our brain’s weight is DHA. That is impressive and only confirms the importance of eating these omega 3 rich plant foods regularly.

The best way to extract the omega fatty acids from flax seeds and chia seeds is to grind them, such as into a meal to stir into porridge or baked goods, or by blending into a smoothie. Hemp seeds and walnuts don’t require this, though.

The third reason nuts and seeds are so good for you is that they are a terrific source of whole food fats. Meaning, fat that is attached to it’s fiber and in it’s original state without having been extracted. It has been shown that eating foods in their whole foods state provides a greater health benefit. There is a synergistic beauty to the biological makeup of plants, and to disturb it as little as possible means we can enjoy more of the benefits intended for us. Fiber is important for many reasons, the primary being its digestive benefits. The fiber in nuts and seeds is a prebiotic, which feed our bacteria populations in our microbiome! The more diverse and well fed our microbes are, the healthier we are too.

How to prepare?

There are oodles of ways to prepare nuts and seeds to enjoy. Soaking or toasting can reduce phytic acid and increase nutrient absorption a bit, but even raw nuts and seeds have their benefits too. Soaking to blend into milks and sauces is one of our favorite ways to prepare and enjoy nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, cashews, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts. Using a few of them raw in trail mix granola bars is another, or grinding flaxseeds to stir into porridge or soaked oats. Toasting nuts or seeds is a wonderful way to bring out their natural oils. Serve these tossed into prepared dishes or blend into nut/seed butters. (We love making an almond and sunflower seed blend.)

HOW TO STORE

The precious fats in nuts and seeds aren’t very stable. They like low temperatures and an airtight environment in order to prevent from going rancid. If you keep a small amount on hand at a time and go through your stores every few weeks, it is okay to keep them sealed in a cool, room temp environment. Otherwise, storing in airtight containers in the fridge (or freezer for longer storage) is best. I keep all of our nuts and seeds in jars in the fridge door, this way I don’t have to worry and they stay nice and fresh.

beautiful nuts
walnuts
cashews
hazelnuts
brazil nuts
pecans
almonds
pistachos
macadamias
pine nuts

beautiful seeds
chia seeds
flax seeds
hemp seeds
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds

Thank you for sticking through all of the words I had to share with you on nuts and seeds today. I hope this post inspired you to include a variety of these in your diet regularly. For some delicious ideas on how to do so, see some of my links below!

Wishing you all are well, make sure to take care and stay nourished.

x Jessie

Sources:
Eat Pretty by Jolene Hart
whfoods.com