Nuts have come into their own as a healthy snack with the new emphasis on the benefits of healthy oils such as omega-3 fatty acids. Health food and raw food advocates favor eating raw nuts which have been soaked or dried, but not roasted, because they have fewer nutrients destroyed by heating and processing as well as fewer additives.
Vitamins
Heat can destroy B-complex vitamins found in nuts, while soaking the raw nuts so they sprout or drying helps release the enzymes that activate the vitamins they contain. Most nuts contain vitamins B-1, B-3, folate and B-6. The B-vitamin complex helps turn food into energy through enzyme reactions.Raw nuts may also have higher levels of vitamins A, C and E.
Phytic Acid
Raw nuts that have not been soaked or dried may still contain large amounts of phytic acid, which inhibits the digestion of the nutrients in nuts. Phytic acid can also interfere with the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc and keeps enzymes in an inactive state, according to Natural Bias. Soaking raw nuts before eating them makes them more nutritionally valuable as well as more easily digestible.
Oils
Nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats that can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Roasted nuts contain added oils that can add not only calories but also more saturated fats, which increase rather than decrease the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. Roasting can add an additional 10 percent of fat to nuts, according to Lisa Gaetke of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Superfund Research Program Community Outreach Core.
Additives
Roasted nuts also have salt or other flavorings or preservatives added. Additional sodium can raise your blood pressure, which contributes to heart disease. Preservatives add no nutritional value beyond increasing the shelf-life of a product.
Acrylamide
Roasting can cause acrylamide, a toxin known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, to form in some roasted nuts, particularly those that contain free asparagine, an amino acid, such as almonds. The higher the roasting temperature, the higher the acrylamide content, according to a Swiss study reported in the September 2005 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry."
References
- Natural Bias; A Hidden Danger with Nuts, Grains, Beans and Seeds; Vin Miller; February 2009
- United States Food and Drug Administration: Acrylamide
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Acrylamide in Roasted Almonds and Hazelnuts; Thomas M. Amrein, et al.; September 2005
- University of Kentucky College of Agriculture; Nuts and Seeds; Lisa Gaetke, et al.
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