The Nutritional Values of Nuts

Make Your Own Nut Butters
& Enjoy the Benefits

Good Fats vs Bad Fats

The facts are: we all need fats. Fats helps nutrient absorption, nerve transmission, maintaining cell membrane integrity etc. But when consumed in excess amount, fats contribute to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Fats are not created equal. Some fats promote our health positively while other increase our risks of heart disease. The key is to replace bad fats with good fats in our diet.

Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil are high in MUFAs. MUFAs have also been found to help in weight loss, particularly body fat.

Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Seafood like salmon and fish oil, as well as corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.

Trans fats were invented as scientists began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids are formed. Trans fatty acids are found in many commercially packaged foods, commercially fried food such as french fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn as well as in vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine.

Going Nutty About Nutrition

Do you shy away from nuts because of their high fat content? New research may change your mind. Although nuts are high in calories and about 80 percent of their calories come from fat, nuts are nutrient-dense.

Nuts contain the essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are vital for growth, healthy skin and hair, blood pressure control, immune response and blood clotting. In addition, the fats in nuts mostly contain unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fat. This type of fat does not raise blood cholesterol levels like saturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats (MUFA) have the additional benefit of raising high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol. Nuts also provide one of the best natural sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant, and are rich in protein, dietary fiber, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and folate.

It's long been known that dietary habits affect heart disease risk factors. Several large nutrition studies have associated frequent nut consumption, especially almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and macadamias, with a decreased risk of heart disease of 30-50 percent. It is thought that nuts can help reduce the build-up of plaque in blood vessels by lowering the "bad" cholesterol levels. The antioxidant qualities of nuts' high vitamin E content might also contribute to the reduction of heart disease.

In addition to cholesterol, nuts may be helpful in controlling high blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet recommends 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds and dried beans per week as part of a diet to control hypertension.

If you?re concerned about the extra calories and fat in nuts, you may be interested to know that in several studies, weight gain was not a problem when subjects were fed nuts within the context of a balanced diet. The investigators suspect that the high fat content in nuts was more filling so that people decreased their intake of other foods and that the fiber content inhibited some of the fat absorption. Additionally, it was suggested that the fat in nuts may be metabolized differently, but more research is needed to support that finding.

When including nuts in your diet, make sure to count them as part of the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts group. When it comes to serving size, 1/3 cup of nuts is equal to one ounce of meat.

LSA Mix

1 cup almonds (soak in warm water for 4 hours)
1 cup linseeds
1 cup sunflower seeds

Use homogenising cone & homogenising nozzle on 1 or 2
Drain water from almonds and pat dry
Mix all ingredients together
Place a bowl under the pulp discharge outlet
Spoon small amounts slowly into feeding chute
Never try to process linseeds by themselves

From Wikipedia: This mix of Linseed (Flaxseed), Sunflower and Almond (LSA) provides essential fatty acids, soluble fibre and other nutrients.
The LSA mix is prepared by simply grinding up 3 parts Linseed, 2 parts Sunflower seed, and one part Almond. It has been adopted in many dietary plans, and can be purchased ready-ground from many supermarkets, typically in 500 gram (pound) or 1 kilogram (2 pound) bags, or as a bulk food. It is usually sprinkled on or mixed into other foods.

The LSA mix was originally developed by Drs Frederick (deceased) and Noreen Steed in 1980. Dr Fred Steed promoted it in his clinic "Nature's Health Centre" at Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia and also while lecturing at various seminars in Australia in the early 1980s. He promoted LSA as a breakfast food, recommending it be mixed with fruit in place of cereals.

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