1. Nuts Contain a Lot of Fat and a Lot of Calories
Nuts are the reproductive tissue of trees, carrying the genetic code along with concentrated fuel sources in the form of carbohydrate and fats that allow the species to propagate. To provide food for the next generation of seedlings, nuts come packed with fats, the densest form of edible energy. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, more than double the 4 calories per gram found in protein and carbohydrate. So it doesn't take much fat to spike the calorie count. For example, 3.5 ounces of walnuts carry 647 calories, 87% of them from fat.
2. The Fat In Nuts Are Good Fats
The fats in nuts are largely unsaturated fats, the good fats that protect us from heart disease. These fats also help bring a lustrous shine to the hair and skin, lubricate the bowels and carry antioxidants and other nutrients. Just because nuts are high in calories doesn't mean you should exclude them from your diet. On the contrary, nuts and seeds, in addition to fats, provide easily digestible protein, fiber and other nutrients that can fuel an active lifestyle.
3. Roasted Nuts May Contain Added Fat And Salt
Unless they are dry roasted, nuts are often roasted in cheap oils, like corn oil or canola oil. These oils add calories and can cause inflammation because of their chemical makeup. Heated oils are damaged oils and replicate trans fats after exposure to high heat. These substances can trigger excessive inflammation. The added salt can cause water retention and may contribute to high blood pressure.
4. Enhance Nutrition By Soaking the Nuts
Nuts and seeds contain enzymes that convert the fats and starches in the nut to fuel that the seedling can use to grow. But tannins, which stop the process of sprouting, inhibit these enzymes. Remove the enzyme inhibitors by soaking the nuts overnight, and rinsing them twice a day until they sprout.
Sprouted nuts offer more nutritional benefits compared to the unsprouted nut. Some nuts and seeds have 30 times more vitamins after sprouting, with less starches and fat. Just soaking the nuts overnight increases the B vitamins content.
5. Choose the Raw and Freshly Shelled
Roasting nuts destroys enzymes and antioxidants that protect the oils from rancidity. So roasted nuts are often rancid, but you won't taste the rancidity because of the roasting. Raw shelled nuts can also go rancid. Rancid nuts are toxic and can strain the liver. Unshelled raw nuts, however, keep extremely well at room temperature, and are stable for six months or more. For best nutrition, buy unshelled nuts and shell them just prior to use.
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