Beans Nuts & Seeds

Omega-6s in Nuts, Seeds and Vegetable Oils May Aid the Heart

Are omega-6 fatty acids, the fats found in nuts, seeds and many vegetable oils, including those used in many processed and junk foods, helpful or harmful? It has been believed that omega-6s generally increase inflammation, while omega-3s, the fats in fish oil, lower it, and some studies suggest that a high omega-6 intake increases the risk for heart disease. But a new long-term study suggests omega-6s can be good for the heart.

The Healthiest Nuts for Your Body

Nuts are nature's way of showing us that good things come in small packages. These bite-size nutritional powerhouses are packed with heart-healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

The Key to the Best, Most Luscious Beans and Rice

Just take your time. This recipe from Mashama Bailey of the Grey in Savannah, Ga., calls for simmering black beans low and slow with a smoky ham hock. Serve over rice for a mood-lifting meal that’s even better the next day.

You Can Actually Poison Yourself If You Eat Undercooked Beans

When you get a package of dry beans examine the cooking instructions on the side. Most likely they’ll stress that after you’ve soaked your beans in water for an hour or two, you should discard the water before cooking the beans very, very well. That’s not just a culinary tip. Undercooking your beans can cause extreme, painful, and occasionally long-term reactions. What you’re trying to remove with the soaking and kill with the cooking is a compound called lectin. It’s present in most beans, but especially in kidney beans.

Do We Dare To Eat Lectins?

This is not the first time we have been warned away from fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and grains. Both low-carb and gluten-free diet advocacy foreswear whole grains, despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits they consistently confer on all but the constitutionally intolerant.

Health Benefits of Nut Consumption

Nuts (tree nuts and peanuts) are nutrient dense foods with complex matrices rich in unsaturated fatty and other bioactive compounds: high-quality vegetable protein, fiber, minerals, tocopherols, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds. By virtue of their unique composition, nuts are likely to beneficially impact health outcomes.

Healthy Nuts: Health Benefits For Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Peanuts And More

The fatty, salty, creamy, savory taste and texture of nuts make them a popular snack, accompaniment with beer and ingredient in a host of dishes. But given their high calorie and fat contents, many people still shy away from eating nuts regularly. Now, a new report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adults who incorporate nuts into their diets don't have to limit their consumption.

Plant-based diet: Nuts, seeds, and legumes can help get you there

Nuts and seeds provide healthy mono- and polyunsaturated plant oils as well as protein. Legumes, which include beans, are filling and also contain lean protein. All of these foods are packed with vitamins and minerals. Eating more nuts, seeds, and legumes "is a good way to encourage a more plant-based diet that satisfies people in a healthy way," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Should You Soak Nuts, Grains, and Beans?

Is it true that soaking these foods boosts their nutrient values? We asked a nutritionist for the low-down, plus tips on how to soak nuts, grains, and legumes like a pro.

The Case Against Beans and Other Foods Containing Toxic Lectins

It’s nature’s ingenious way of keeping natural enemies like fungi and insects at bay. Unfortunately, some of these glycoproteins may also cause trouble in humans. Lectins were first discovered in castor bean casings, which contain the lectin ricin. Ricin is so toxic that a dose the size of a few grains of salt can kill an adult if injected or inhaled.

The Dark Side of Almond Use

Anyway, when I buy almonds, I don't think about having a hand in killing bees or salmon, or getting someone's truck stolen or collapsing a road. It's just a jumble of what's "good for me," what I feel like eating, and how much things cost.

The Healthy Nuts

Forget shakes, herbs, and high-tech energy boosters: The single best supplement for a guy's diet is a handful of nuts. Besides being known for helping fuel athletes through long days of climbing and skiing, nuts can help fight obesity and high blood pressure when added as a snack to a high-veggie, high-fruit diet. But don't just reach for the peanut bowl: There's a science behind which nuts to eat and when to eat them.

The Next Gluten

Tomatoes and ill-timed references to chemical warfare are, apparently, only a small part of the problem. The Plant Paradox urgently warns against eating wheat, beans, and peanuts, among other plants.

The Problem with Plant Proteins: Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds

Grains, beans, nuts and seeds are all seeds. Rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber, they form the base of most healthy food pyramids. Yet grind grain into flour and suddenly you have a dangerous powder called “refined flour” that is supposed to be avoided like the plague. Gluten intolerance, soy, corn, and peanut allergies are on the rise. What’s going on here?

Why You Should Go Nuts for Nuts

If nuts aren't in your regular snack rotation, you're missing out on major disease-fighting nutrients that protect your heart, boost brainpower, and more.

Beans, Nuts And Seeds — Miracle Foods Or Menaces?

What we say is that yes, lectins can cause digestive or other ills. And yes you need to cook your beans before consuming them. But don't eliminate foods that are on the whole beneficial because they could be problematic under the wrong circumstances.

11 Health Benefits Of Beans

Beans provide myriad health benefits, and they fit into several different food groups: Although they are rich in complex carbs like breads and starches, as a plant-based food, they feel right at home in the vegetable group, offering an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, like their veggie companions. They can also hold their own in the protein group, supplying protein aplenty. Unlike some other members of this group, beans provide little to no fat and are cholesterol-free. In fact, beans actually lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels instead of potentially causing them to increase, as some animal proteins have been shown to do.

11 Unexpected Sources of Protein That All Good Vegetarians Know About

Lentils, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc. Beans are versatile, filling, and easy to make in a variety of different ways. You can add beans to a salad, make a soup, (lentil and three bean vegetarian chili are two of my favorites), you can eat them as a side dish. Beans are used widely in Indian cooking. There are so many options. Pretty much all you need to add are spices and veggies (I like adding red onion, cilantro, and avocado) and you’ve got a satisfying meal! (One cup of cooked lentils has eighteen grams of protein.)

Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center

The Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center was created in 1995 to coordinate and make publicly available University of California research-based information, and extension activities in planting, growing and harvesting fruits and nuts.

Almond Board of California

supports growers by developing global market demand for almonds as well as investing in research to address resource efficiencies, food safety and growing practices.

American Pistachios Growers

Good things come in small packages when it comes to the nutrition benefits of pistachios. A 1 ounce serving of pistachios (about 49 nuts) contains a host of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients bodies need to function and stay healthy. And all for about 160 calories.

National Sunflower Association

The National Sunflower Association (NSA) is a non-profit agricultural organization working on problems and opportunities for the improvement of all members.

Living Nutz

The Living Nutz company began in 2002 with a core purpose, to create the best tasting Certified Organic raw food gourmet treats on the planet!

LocalHarvest

Whether you like your snacks salty or sweet, LocalHarvest farmers have something that is sure to please you. Try our delicious nuts and fruits in your own combinations, or try one of our tasty trail mixes. We also carry popcorn and corn nuts, perfect for evenings at home.

Planters

Discover the health benefits of nuts. With their unique combination of good fats, dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals, nuts make a delicious addition to any healthy eating plan. And did we mention some nut varieties can be part of a heart-healthy diet?

SunRidge Farms

SunRidge Farms™ is committed to providing the healthiest products to our customers by producing foods without highly processed or refined ingredients. We also source Non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients whenever possible. SunRidge Farms™ is committed to the planet and supports organic farming and sustainable practices.

Wildly Organic

Wildly Organic is an independent source for wholesome organic, natural, raw foods, and ingredients, the building blocks of a healthy life.

Zel's Vegan NutGourmet

I have started this totally nutty blog because I simply can’t help it! I am deeply enamored with nuts and am shamelessly compelled to admit my dedicated passion for them. I love them raw–I love them roasted–I love them all by themselves as a snack–and I love them tucked into all sorts of yummy dishes. I know I probably sound like a ditzy nutcase, but my admiration for the entire nut kingdom is not without good reason.