By Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie
Several times in the course of the lifespan of this page, we have had reasons to talk about the various contributions made to our overall well-being by a combination of dietary choices.
Some of these choices include the nuts and legumes that we believe make important contributions to our balance. In many ways, we have also talked about how these nuts contribute to the amelioration of cardiovascular diseases, not least due to their ability to regulate serum cholesterol levels and help maintain gut health.
They also play a huge role in weight loss regimens as well as the control of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. In the essay today, we shall be taking proper aim at some of the nuts that are in common supply in our environment and the goodness they bring to our health.
Overall, there are some experts in the nutrition industry and certain aspects of the healthcare field who think that nuts can even prolong life, not to mention their ability to reduce the risk of cancer, improve the health of our bones, and also improve cognitive function.
With all of these properties in mind, it is clear that as individuals, we would be doing ourselves a ton of good if we consciously include any kind of nuts we can afford especially when they are in season.
In the following paragraphs, we shall be looking at some of these nuts to bring them into bolder relief. In that way, their individual properties can be much easier to understand and assimilate.
To be sure, many people already know that eating nuts is beneficial to our health. Some others know that nuts are good sources of some minerals and certain vitamins. Beyond these attributes, many people do not know exactly how the consumption of nuts can promote our overall health.
Of all the facts that are now emerging through diligent research work is the finding that despite their considerable calorie content, eating nuts does not promote weight gain. It is now known that the fat content of these nuts, their richness in fibre and the proteins they contain all help to aid weight reduction and promote gut health.
These are profound conclusions that seem to go against the grain of conventional thought. Indeed, it has been found that there are as many as 20 per cent fewer calories than expected in almonds. Talking about almonds, they are rich in vitamin E which is vital for the maintenance of proper skin health while helping to ensure a strong immune system.
Besides, vitamin E is important for supporting the integrity of the vascular system, especially in the area of ensuring that most of it maintains its elasticity and the proper control of the blood pressure. Furthermore, almonds contain a lot of magnesium, which is a vital ion for muscle contraction. Sadly, even though almonds can sometimes be found in our country, the price is discouraging.
One common nut is groundnut, which is available in a variety of ways either in its shell or as a loose offering. It can be cooked, fried or roasted either inside its shell or out of it. It is common to see it in huge amounts during the rainy season when corn, with which it is often eaten, also becomes widely available.
Besides, it is found as a useful addition to such snacks as kuli kuli and dunkwa. They are especially high in protein. Groundnuts are technically a legume belonging to the same family as beans and peanuts and in this connection, they are found to have huge stocks of folate more than any other kind of nuts.
Proteins are vital for muscle growth, the healthy physical development of children and the repair of damaged tissues in every kind of person at any age. Folate is vital for the optimal development of the brain and spinal cord in unborn babies and it is therefore an important accompaniment of the recommended diet in the pregnant woman.
It is also said that both groundnuts and peanuts contain a large amount of niacin, a type of vitamin B that is important in the support of both the nervous and digestive systems. Both of these nuts also contain a lot of fibre and are therefore important in preventing the development of gallstones.
These nuts also contain vitamin E and are therefore, very useful in helping to prevent tissue damage due to free radicals and unwanted blood clotting.
Another important nut we see seasonally is the walnut, which coincidentally appears to be available during the late rainy season when maize is available. Walnuts are described as nutrition powerhouses rich in omega-3 fatty acids and are unique in being associated with lower triglycerides, reduced inflammation and lower blood pressure readings.
These attributes make walnuts critical in being able to reduce the risk of heart disease. Walnuts are particularly blessed in the general scheme of the family of nuts in being a reservoir of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are almost certainly associated with slowing cognitive decline and providing more energy.
In addition, walnuts contain high levels of the sleep hormone, called melatonin and eating it therefore can help guarantee better sleeping patterns, restful sleep and slowed ageing. Lastly, walnuts contain a phenolic compound known as ellagic acid that is speculated to be able to protect individuals from colon cancer.
On the whole, most nuts contain nearly the same nutrients and minerals but walnuts are unique in having so much of unsaturated fatty acids and omega-3. Unfortunately, because of the way we handle natural resources in our country, walnuts are a seasonal product which most people do not get to eat except for a few weeks at a time in an entire year. However, eaten alone or with maize, walnuts are also something of a delicacy.
Another nut which belongs in the same category as almonds is pistachio. It belongs to the same category because it is rare to find it in our country and where available, the cost is huge. But this is an excellent source of potassium and lutein in addition to all nine essential amino acids.
With the presence of the latter, pistachio has been described as a complete source of protein. Proteins are vital for our muscle growth and tissue repair following damage. And because people often do not take enough potassium in their diet, pistachio is considered an excellent source of that mineral.
When roasted, pistachio has a taste that is half groundnut and half cashew nut, another excellent nut in the family of nuts. Pistachios are also rich in vitamins B1 and B6 but do not have the kind of high calories found in some of the other nuts we have discussed above.
That is an important positive factor because it makes pistachios an excellent snack you can take at any time. As with the other nuts, pistachio is said to have a lower liability to cause diabetes and may be protective.
Indeed, one study has shown that eating just 30 grammes of nuts per day comes with the huge benefit of a more than 20 per cent reduction in the risk of getting cardiovascular problems. These are massive overall benefits for any individual but many Nigerians are just too poor to afford them.
Lastly, we must take a look at cashew nuts which are also very tasty and may be salty when prepared for commercial consumption. It has a similar taste to pistachio and peanuts. They are quite rich in fibre but low in sugar.
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