The doctrine of signatures says that plants that resemble a condition or body part can in some way treat or alleviate related illnesses. Following that thinking, walnuts, which look like brains, were thought to ease headaches and mental health issues. Similarly, the scarlet roots of bloodroot were thought to treat diseases of the circulatory system. And since ginseng root looks like a human being, it was thought to aid and strengthen all parts of the human body. Indeed, the very word “ginseng” comes from the Chinese word for “man-root.”

But the doctrine of signatures is controversial and based on theory over scientific fact. So is it true that walnuts are actually good for brain health? What other walnut health benefits are there? And are walnuts good for the environment?

What Are Walnuts?

If you’re a word lover, you might enjoy adding “juglandaceous” to your vocabulary, in case you were missing a word for “of or pertaining to walnuts.” Walnuts are proud members of the Juglans genus, along with about 20 other tree species, including hickories and pecans.

Technically, walnuts can be classified as nuts or dry drupes, which is science’s alliterative way of talking about fruits with a single seed and a dry husk. Walnuts grow in groups of two or three and range between 1.5 and 2 inches in circumference.

The nut of the walnut forms inside a soft green outer husk and a hard shell. Crack that shell open carefully enough, and you’ll behold a whole walnut that resembles a human brain — including wrinkles, folds, and ridges.

Types of Walnuts

There are two main types of walnuts that you’re likely to encounter in your culinary adventures: English walnuts (also known as Persian), and black walnuts.

English or Persian Walnuts

English walnuts are the kind most walnut-eaters are familiar with, as they’re the type you’re likely to see in grocery stores. They have a sweet, mild flavor, and feature prominently in desserts, salads, and many savory dishes.

Although Persian walnuts originated in what is now Iran, they’re often referred to as English walnuts because they were brought to England by the Romans and traded throughout Europe. Since then, their popularity has led to them being grown commercially worldwide.

In the US, English walnut trees grow best in USDA Zones 4–8 (a classification system that tells farmers and gardeners which plants are hardy enough to thrive in various locations). More than 99% of US commercially grown English walnuts come from California, which supplies about half of the world’s walnut trade. Romania has become the main producer and exporter of walnuts in Europe.

Black Walnuts

Black walnuts are native to North America, and almost all of them come from trees growing in the wild rather than in commercial orchards. Since black walnut trees don’t grow in neat, evenly-spaced rows, they’re harvested by hand rather than by machine. The largest black walnut processor is Hammons Black Walnuts in Missouri.

Black walnuts are bolder and sweeter than English walnuts, with a distinctive earthy or musky flavor.

These nuts were and are an important part of Indigenous diets in the regions where they grow. It takes a lot of effort to harvest and remove their tough green husks and then crack open their extremely hard, black-ridged shells. There are even specialty nutcrackers made just for black walnuts.

In addition to eating black walnuts, you can use them for their oil, and for making deep black or brown dyes.

Walnut Nutrition

Like other tree nuts, walnuts have been an important source of plant-based fat and protein throughout much of recorded human history. They contain polyunsaturated fat in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, including roughly 2.5 grams per ounce of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega-3s can also reduce the risk of heart disease and contribute to brain and immune health, as well as bringing anti-inflammatory benefits to the body.

Walnuts are high in B vitamins and are a rich source of minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and copper. Of all the tree nuts, walnuts are antioxidant champs, with higher concentrations than any other commonly consumed tree nut. As a whole plant food, they’re also a solid source of fiber.

Black walnuts may pack an even more potent nutritional punch. They’re higher in zinc and selenium than English walnuts and contain more antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The Health Benefits of Walnuts

Measuring the amounts of nutrients found in walnuts is all well and good, but what’s the effect of all that nutritional goodness on human health? There’s some powerful evidence showing that eating walnuts can benefit your heart, digestive system, and, yes, your brain. They may also be able to fight cancer and decrease chronic inflammation.

Walnuts and Heart Health

A 2013 clinical trial found that people who added walnuts to their diet improved the health of their blood vessels. The addition also improved their cholesterol efflux, a process by which the body removes excess cholesterol from blood vessels. Both of these outcomes are beneficial for heart health.

A large study published in 2018 looked at health and dietary outcomes for over 200,000 participants, none of whom had heart disease at the start of the study. After following them for 25 years, about 14,000 of the participants experienced coronary events (heart attacks and strokes). But those who ate at least one serving of walnuts per week had a 13–26% lower risk of heart disease.

Since walnuts are high in calories, some people worry that they might contribute to weight gain and thus increase the risk of heart disease. A 2018 meta-analysis addressed that very concern.

Researchers looked at 26 studies that included over 1,000 participants, to see the effect that walnuts had on lipid levels, weight, and other heart disease risk factors. Their analysis showed that, on average, walnuts actually lowered total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and didn’t impact weight one way or the other.

Walnuts and Digestion

Walnuts can help to improve your gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

A 2018 study found that when healthy people started eating just 43 grams of walnuts a day, after eight weeks, their gut microbiomes became healthier and more diverse.

Another 2018 study found that eating walnuts increased concentrations of beneficial bacteria that produce a substance called butyrate, which is good for intestinal health. Additionally, walnuts can reduce the number of harmful substances produced by certain bacteria that can cause inflammation and increase “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Walnuts and Brain Health

Now we get to the brain. Are walnuts good for cognitive health?

A 2014 review article concluded that walnuts should be included in prevention strategies against the epidemic of cognitive decline and dementia. The phytochemical substances present in walnuts not only decrease oxidative stress and inflammation in brain cells but also boost communication between neurons, stimulate the formation of new neurons, and assist in the removal of harmful proteins associated with the development of dementia.

While human studies have repeatedly shown that diets that include walnuts are associated with improved cognitive performance and better memory, a 2020 mouse study explored the possible mechanisms for this. The study found that walnuts’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties suppressed the production of free radicals and enhanced antioxidant protection, consequently lowering the risk of brain degeneration. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

A 2022 article also reviewed some of the ways walnuts are known to combat neuroinflammation, a major contributor both to aging in general and to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s in particular. It quickly got technical on me, with phrases such as “inhibition of peripheral inflammation mediated by macrophages.” But the bottom line is that walnuts appear to reduce neuroinflammation through a number of synergistic biochemical mechanisms.

Walnuts and Cancer

A 2019 clinical trial studied the impact of walnut consumption on breast cancer growth and survival. Women with confirmed breast cancer cases were divided into two groups, one whose members began eating two ounces of walnuts daily after their initial biopsy, and a control group that did not change their diet.

After about two weeks, further samples were taken from the tumors. In the walnut-consuming group, the expression of 456 specific genes in the tumor was significantly altered to encourage cancer cell death and suppress cell growth and migration processes. This supports the idea that eating walnuts could potentially slow the growth of cancer cells and increase breast cancer survival rates.

A 2020 study found that black walnuts also demonstrate impressive anticancer activity, thanks to compounds such as penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose and quercetin 3-β-d-glucoside. I tried to remember the names of these compounds by putting them to the tune of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” but I couldn’t get the syllables to match.

Walnuts and Inflammation

Black walnuts, in particular, show amazing anti-inflammatory powers. Two cultivars, named Surprise and Sparrow, demonstrated the ability to suppress inflammatory human white blood cells in a 2019 test-tube study.

But common English walnuts are no slouches in the anti-inflammatory department, either. In 2020, researchers published the results of a two-year trial in which one group of older adults consumed roughly 15% of their daily calories from walnuts, while others ate a similar but walnut-free diet. They found that the walnuts had a health-promoting effect on several inflammatory molecules implicated in cardiovascular disease.

Walnuts may battle inflammation through a compound known as ellagitannins, which can do some very cool anti-inflammatory things. It breaks down in your body to release another compound called ellagic acid. And your gut bacteria then transform this into substances called urolithins, which may have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Are Walnuts Sustainable?

In general, nuts and other plant-based protein sources produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based food products. The main issue for walnuts is their need for water since half the English walnuts consumed in the world are grown in California — a state perennially vulnerable to drought.

Each pound of walnuts takes about 1,260 gallons of water, which is less than a pound of almonds or beef (which is kind of in a class by itself, requiring 2,400 gallons of water per pound), but still quite a bit — especially in a water-poor region.

However, walnut trees can also benefit the environment in some important ways. Walnut plantations studied in China increased soil carbon and promoted microbial growth and activities.

And black walnuts are potentially even more sustainable, at least on a small scale, since they are wild-grown and harvested by hand. They require no pesticides and don’t need fossil-fuel-driven machines for harvesting.

Walnut shells also have many industrial uses, some of which are being explored to replace less environmentally friendly alternatives. For example, the shells are being added to substances called geopolymers that can make highly effective insulation.

Walnut shells also have uses as gardening mulch and ground cover, animal bedding, ingredients in the manufacture of activated carbon, abrasive elements in cleaning products, and an energy source for bioethanol production.

Walnuts for the Win

Walnuts are an important tree nut and have been for thousands of years. And while they do use a lot of water, walnuts can also be good for the environment by pulling carbon into the soil. Their impressive nutritional profile makes them a standout for both culinary purposes and medicinal uses. Walnuts are a rich source of healthy fats and protein. And they’ve been found to have benefits for heart, brain, and digestive health, as well as in fighting cancer and inflammation.

For more on how to choose, store, and use walnuts in recipes, check out our article here.

Tell us in the comments:

• How often do you eat walnuts?
• What are your favorite ways to enjoy them?
• What surprised you the most about the health benefits of walnuts?

Featured Image: iStock.com/aslanyus

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• You Won’t Believe How Healthy Nuts Are for You
• Are Hazelnuts Good for You? How & Why to Use Hazelnuts

The post Walnuts: Understanding Their Benefits, Nutrition, and Sustainability appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Millennia later, walnuts have seamlessly transitioned from “the food of gods” to modern superfoods, thanks to science-backed research proving their remarkable nutritional benefits. Beyond taste, walnuts boast an exceptional nutritional profile, containing one of the best vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids. They’re also good sources of vitamin E, B vitamins, and minerals like magnesium, potassium, copper, and zinc.

A 2023 analysis of recent US dietary patterns found that many people are not consuming enough nutrients such as magnesium, fiber, and potassium. For kicks, the researchers asked their computer what would happen if those people added just ¼ cup or about 12–14 halves of walnuts a day to their usual diets, with no other changes. Even that tiny change improved their diet quality and brought their levels of under-consumed nutrients into the “adequate” range.

So what types of walnuts are out there? And if you want to add walnuts to your daily diet (and eat like a Roman god), what are some of the best ways to do so?

Types of Walnuts

There are two main types of walnuts you may encounter in stores and farm stands: English (aka Persian) walnuts and black walnuts. The walnuts you find in the grocery store are almost certainly the English kind. They’re also the ones most often used in cooking, especially in baked goods. They have a soft shell that’s pretty easy to crack with a regular nutcracker.

Black walnuts are the Fort Knox of nuts. They have an extremely hard shell and require industrial-strength tools to open. A friend with a black walnut tree harvests them by spreading them on his driveway and running his truck back and forth over them until the green hulls split open. (He says you can also use a grout mixing bit attached to a corded power drill, but the truck is more fun.)

While there are traditional walnut recipes that include black walnuts or their flour, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch Black John cake, black walnuts are now mainly used in complementary medicine. They’ve been shown to reduce inflammation, which is an underlying cause and contributor to many chronic diseases.

You can also buy or make black walnut oil for sauces and dressings. Handle with care, though; the oil can stain your skin, and the stains can last for weeks, regardless of how much you scrub.

You can easily find shelled English walnuts in most grocery stores. But the unshelled ones are a bit harder to find, especially black walnuts (unless you have your own tree). Look in the bulk bins of natural food stores or in specialty and farmers markets.

How to Store Walnuts

Because walnuts are high in oil, they can go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for a long period of time. If you’re unsure if they’re still good, give that walnut a sniff. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and have a slightly sweet taste. Rancid walnuts, on the other hand, smell like paint thinner (I’m happy to report that I don’t know what paint thinner tastes like); please don’t eat them.

To keep your walnuts from turning into turpentine, keep them cool, cold, or even frozen. After buying a bag of walnuts, store them unopened in their original packaging. Once you’ve opened the bag, or if you got scoops of them from a bulk bin, keep them in an airtight container. (Here’s a set that we recommend.)

Keep walnuts whole until you’re ready to use them. The happy life span of a chopped walnut is quite short as rancidity is caused by oxidation, and the more exposed surfaces, the quicker the oxygen in the air will turn the oil into something akin to an industrial solvent.

Frozen walnuts can last up to a year or even longer. When you’re ready to use them, transfer them to a refrigerator to thaw, where they’ll remain fresh for up to three months. (Unless, of course, that refrigerator is in a spaceship traveling at the speed of light, in which case something weird happens to time, according to this movie I watched in middle school.)

In the fridge, keep your walnuts separate from strong-smelling foods to prevent them from taking on unwanted flavors. (“Hey, who wants a Fudgy Chocolate Chip and Walnut and Garlic Pesto Brownie?”)

How to Toast Walnuts

Raw walnuts are awesome, and I would never argue with anyone who says that. At the same time, toasting your walnuts can enhance their natural flavor and impart them with a satisfying crunch that goes really well in many dishes.

There are a couple of techniques you can use to toast your walnuts. One is to place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350° F (175° C) oven for 8–10 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown.

Here’s a short video demonstrating this process, courtesy of the folks at the California Walnut Board:

If you want a more intimate and hands-on experience of walnut toasting, you can toss them in a pan on your stovetop for 2–5 minutes. Since they burn easily, toss and stir often and use medium heat (or even a bit lower, depending on your stove). Do not get distracted, even if your child or significant other comes in, puts on oven mitts, and pretends to be a lobster. Also, make sure not to overcrowd the pan to ensure even roasting.

Walnut Uses

Walnuts just want to be your friend, and they’ll happily fit into both sweet and savory recipes. Here are some sweet ways to include walnuts in your diet:

• Baked goods
• As a topping for oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothie bowls
• Nut and seed butters
• In granola

And if it’s savory you’re after, here are a bunch of options:

• Mixed with lentils for fillings in tacos or veggie burgers
• As a topping for salad
• Blended into dressings, sauces, and spreads
• Stuffed into vegetables
• In a vegan charcuterie board
• In homemade crackers

Walnut Recipes

Walnuts are so much more than just your average tree nut. They’re a delicious and crunchy topping to add to your morning oats or salad. They make an excellent base for sweet or savory sauces and spreads. And they add a bonus bit of texture and nutrition to delectable baked goods. From dressings to brownies to porridge, there’s something for everyone in this walnut recipe roundup!

1. Walnut Apple Amaranth Porridge

Walnut Apple Amaranth Porridge is a harmonious blend of naturally sweet apple, nutty amaranth, and buttery walnuts creating a warm breakfast that is equal parts cozy and nutritious. Plus, the satisfying crunch of walnuts in your porridge not only adds a delightful texture but also offers a healthy source of fats and protein. This fall-themed porridge will keep you full and satisfied, making breakfast time an autumn delight!

2. Roasted Fig and Walnut Arugula Salad with Wheat Berries and Vegan Feta

Walnuts are the pièce de résistance in this Roasted Fig and Walnut Arugula Salad with Wheat Berries and Vegan Feta. With so many delicious ingredients, walnuts not only tie all of them together but also manage to stand out in the crowd, too. They add a significant helping of omega-3 fatty acids along with essential minerals, including magnesium, manganese, and copper. Meanwhile, you’ll also experience a sweetness from the roasted fig, bitterness from the arugula, and tanginess from the vegan feta. This walnut salad recipe is a veritable feast for your taste buds!

3. Apple Walnut Sage Dressing

Plant-based dressings like this sweet and savory Apple Walnut Dressing are incredibly versatile — and much healthier than a store-bought salad dressing. You can easily make this dressing with whole foods and without oil (thanks to walnuts!). This walnut recipe is also super fast to make, usually coming together in minutes. Plus, it’s nutrient-packed, making plant-based meals extra scrumptious. The versatility of walnuts never ceases to amaze!

4. Walnut Pesto Angel Hair Pasta

Introducing Walnut Pesto Angel Hair Pasta! The combination of kale, avocado, basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast makes the pesto super nourishing. And it’s even more elevated when you add omega-3-rich walnuts to it. Walnuts offer the perfect balance of nutty flavor and buttery texture, which makes them a fantastic addition to plant-based sauces and dressings. Altogether, with warm angel hair pasta, you’ll get a comforting, wholesome, and flavorful dish the whole family will love!

5. Vegan Walnut Parmesan

This Vegan Walnut Parmesan offers a similar flavor profile to traditional parmesan cheese, thanks in part to walnuts’ healthy fats carrying the nutritional yeast’s umami flavor! Seasoned with umami flavors from the nutritional yeast, onion powder, and garlic powder, this walnut and sunflower seed parmesan is an easy-to-sprinkle and delicious-to-devour plant-based condiment. It’s a wonderful complement to many dishes, including pasta, steamed vegetables, casseroles, and stews — or anything that calls for a crumbly cheese topping.

6. Cashew Walnut Butter

Making homemade nut butter can be one of the most simple yet rewarding things you can do to better your health. Plus, it’s fun and delicious! This recipe combines cashews and walnuts, resulting in a creamy, slightly sweet, and buttery spread. You can also stir in chia or hemp seeds or add cacao powder for a chocolate-infused nut butter.

7. Fudgy Chocolate Chip and Walnut Brownies

What’s better than a warm fudgy brownie? If you guessed a warm fudgy brownie with walnuts, you’d be correct! These Fudgy Chocolate Chip and Walnut Brownies may seem too good to be true, but you certainly can have your (plant-based) brownie and eat it, too. Made with fiber-rich oat flour, fair-trade dark chocolate, applesauce, and mashed banana, these brownies will have you coming back for more with their dense, fudgy texture. Make these walnut brownie recipes anytime for a naturally sweet treat you’ll be excited to sink your teeth into!

Go Nuts with Walnuts!

From ancient Rome to contemporary kitchens, walnuts have stood the test of time. Their impressive nutritional profile makes them an easy choice for health-conscious people, and their nutty, earthy taste ensures that even gourmands will enjoy dishes that feature walnuts. In a nutshell — ha! — whether you’re cooking sweet or savory recipes, consider walnuts as a lovely addition to everyday and festive meals.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever eaten a dish made with black walnuts?

• What are your favorite ways to eat English walnuts?

• Which walnut recipe will you try next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Gokcemim

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• You Won’t Believe How Healthy Nuts Are for You
• Healthy Crunchy Snacks to Beat Those Potato Chip Cravings

The post Nuts About Walnuts: 7 Tasty Recipes to Try appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

If you said “hazelnuts,” that’s probably because you read the title of this article. If you asked the question randomly on the street, you’d probably get responses like “peanuts” (which aren’t actually nuts, but whatever), almonds, pecans, and pistachios. (You’d also get some funny looks, depending on the street.)

My point is, you probably won’t come across a lot of people for whom “hazelnuts” are top of mind. Compared to those other nuts, they just don’t get a lot of popular attention. Which is weird, considering that hazelnuts are, economically, the second largest nut crop in the world, after almonds. And like a lot of nuts, they have significant health benefits when eaten in moderation (and — spoiler alert — not turned into cookies, pastries, and sugary spreads).

When people think of hazelnuts at all, they usually think about hazelnuts’ buddy-buddy relationship with chocolate, or as a flavoring added to mask the poor quality of cheap coffee. But once you cut through the nutty clutter and focus on the nuts themselves, you’ll see that they live up to the “superfood” status often conferred on tree nuts.

In this article, you’ll find out more about the underappreciated hazelnut, and learn just how good it can be for you. You’ll discover some of the environmental and ethical issues around hazelnut production, and find out how to source hazelnuts that don’t harm people or the Earth. And you’ll find out how to incorporate more hazelnuts into your diet, starting with some yummy recipes.

What Are Hazelnuts?

Hazelnuts are a type of tree nut, just like almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. They’re also called filberts and cobnuts, although no less an authority than the Oregon Filbert Commission decided in 1981 to refer to them as hazelnuts rather than filberts.

Like other tree nuts, hazelnuts are protected by a shell inside a fleshy husk. Unlike walnuts, cashews, and pecans, hazelnuts seem to want to be consumed; they drop free of the husk when mature and are a lot easier to crack than other nuts. Hazelnut fans describe their taste as nutty, sweet, and a bit earthy, with an almost buttery texture.

Hazelnuts come from the hazel tree, a member of the birch family. The botanical name for the plant is Corylus avellana. In Greek, korylos means “helmet,” which is a pretty good visual for the husk of a mature nut. The second half of the name derives from Avella Vecchia, the city near Naples where lots of hazelnut trees were cultivated back in toga time.

Not to throw shade on almonds and cashews (they need lots of sunlight, after all), but unlike those more popular nuts, hazelnuts are considered “true nuts,” botanically speaking. What this means is, a hazelnut is a dry fruit consisting of a single seed covered by a hard shell. Almonds and cashews are technically drupes, just like stone fruit. So, botanical bragging rights go to the hazelnut, which, fortunately, is far too classy to make a fuss about its pedigree.

Hazelnut Nutrition Facts

Like most nuts, hazelnuts are nutrient-dense foods. They’re rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants (principally caffeic acid and quercetin, among others). They’re also high in vitamin E, tocopherols, and phytosterols.

The skin of the hazelnut is especially good for us, containing a robust selection of polyphenols, dietary fiber, and natural antioxidants. Sadly, it’s often removed during processing and discarded as “agro-waste.”

Hazelnuts also provide us with l-arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is one of the compounds most associated with cardiovascular health, as it protects the endothelial lining of blood vessels and causes your arteries to relax, allowing more blood flow and lessening blood pressure.

And hazelnuts are a good source of several key minerals, including magnesium, copper, phosphorus, and manganese. Even skinless, they’re a good source of fiber, too.

Hazelnut Benefits

As something of a forgotten nut, hazelnuts haven’t gotten the same scientific love and attention as, say, walnuts. So some of the conclusions we might draw about the health benefits of hazelnuts must be accompanied by a disclaimer: the number, size, and quality of these studies mean that there’s more work to do in discovering the true health potential of the hazelnut.

That said, here’s what we do know.

Hazelnuts and Type 2 Diabetes

Hazelnuts are among the nuts whose consumption is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Like other nuts studied, hazelnuts aid in glycemic control, helping people avoid blood sugar spikes and dips throughout the day. In some trials, hazelnuts were the clear winners, lowering fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (both markers for diabetes) twice as effectively as walnuts, and more than four times better than almonds.

Are Hazelnuts Anti-Inflammatory?

We’ve known for a while that many commonly eaten nuts can help our bodies reduce inflammation, which is a root cause of many chronic disease processes. Given how rich hazelnuts are in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant phenolic compounds, it seems logical that they would display powerful anti-inflammatory properties. And indeed, that’s what researchers are finding.

One 2012 study that will make lots of people happy found that a combination of cocoa cream, sterols, soluble fiber, and hazelnuts reduced inflammatory biomarkers (and cholesterol) in adults with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

A 2019 study reported that adding 40 grams of hazelnuts a day (about 260 calories) upregulated up to a dozen genes responsible for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. And a nice bonus was, the hazelnut group didn’t gain weight compared to controls. The researchers theorized that it was the anti-inflammatory effect on all those genes that might have enabled the hazelnut-munching participants to consume more calories without the scale heading upward.

Are Hazelnuts Good for Your Heart?

While walnuts, almonds, and pistachios have long been known to protect against cardiovascular disease, there hadn’t been much research specifically on hazelnuts until 2013. In that year, researchers put 21 volunteers with high cholesterol on a four-week hazelnut-heavy diet, with the nuts making up about 20% of their daily calories.

Before and after, the volunteers followed their normal diets, which were the same number of calories but did not include hazelnuts. Their cardiovascular risk factors decreased significantly when tested at the end of the hazelnut month, compared with the hazelnut-free diets they consumed before and after the trial period. Their blood flow increased by over 50% as measured by flow-mediated dilation, and their cholesterol markers improved as well, with total and “bad” LDL going down while the “good” HDL went up. That’s very impressive, but it was a tiny study, with just a few participants.

In 2016, a meta-analysis of nine similar studies of small groups of people consuming unusually large quantities of hazelnuts for one to three months found that the nuts did lower LDL and total cholesterol — with no impact on BMI.

And building on that cocoa-hazelnut study from 2012, researchers in 2018 gave 61 healthy participants breakfasts that included either hazelnuts, cocoa, both together, or neither, for two weeks. Those eating just unpeeled hazelnuts saw their HDL (good) cholesterol rise by an average of 7%, and some measures of blood flow rose by 25–65% with hazelnuts and cocoa together.

Hazelnut Gut Benefits

All the fiber found in hazelnuts and other nuts seems to provide a yummy prebiotic diet for many of our beneficial gut microbes. And to thank us, those microbes work to make us healthy as well.

A 2018 study looked at differences in the intestinal bacteria populations in children with and without high cholesterol, and found that those with high cholesterol had a lot of not-so-friendly bacteria. After eight weeks of the children eating hazelnuts with the skins on, those bacteria were less abundant and replaced by more beneficial strains.

Antioxidant Effects of Hazelnuts

Researchers are always looking for ways to block the production of nasty compounds called advanced glycation end-products, which are known by the appropriate acronym “AGEs” because they can prematurely age us, as well as contribute to oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and worsening of complications of diabetes. A 2021 test-tube study produced data suggesting that polyphenol-rich compounds derived from hazelnut skin can inhibit the formation of AGEs.

Ethical Considerations with Hazelnuts

While hazelnuts can grow in many different regions of the world, the majority of the world’s hazelnuts — about 75% — are produced in Turkey. And the Turkish hazelnut industry has not always been known for fair and safe conditions for workers, or for environmental sustainability.

Hazelnut Industry Labor Practices

The Turkish farms that produce most of the nuts that go into confections manufactured by Nutella, Nestlé, and Godiva have been found to exploit Syrian migrants. The work of growing and harvesting hazelnuts is dangerous, often with tether ropes required due to the steep terrain, and many laborers receive much less pay than they were promised. Human rights investigators have reported widespread poor treatment and outright harassment of workers, including children.

Some foundations and certification companies are working on changing that. Olam Food Ingredients (OFI), a large global distributor of nuts, sets targets for their supply chain partners via their Hazelnut Trail initiative. The Happy Hazelnut project is also working on socially and environmentally responsible hazelnut production, as is UTZ/Rainforest Alliance.

Hazelnuts’ Sustainability

You may want to avoid purchasing hazelnut products like Nutella. Not just because it’s a fairly unhealthy processed food, full of sugar, palm oil, and milk, but because hazelnuts grown for Nutella, in both Turkey and Italy, are usually grown in giant monocultures.

These monocultures often come at a significant cost to the environment. The intensive use of chemicals is threatening the viability of many local organic farms — depleting the soil, and contaminating the land, air, and water with pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

The environmental unsustainability of hazelnut production in Turkey is beginning to worry some of the biggest brands in the hazelnut industry. Ferrero, which owns Nutella and related brands Kinder Chocolate and Ferrero Rocher and uses about 25% of the world’s hazelnuts in its products, sees falling production from climate change and erratic weather as a significant threat to its bottom line. So much so, that they are now talking about implementing regenerative agriculture in hazelnut farming, to enhance biodiversity and improve soil health.

Where to Find Hazelnuts

To recap: hazelnuts are really good for us when consumed in their unprocessed form (especially with the skin still on), yet much of the world’s hazelnuts are grown in ways that harm the environment and workers, and are put into products that aren’t exactly healthy for consumers. So how can you ethically source hazelnuts that are good for you, other people, and the planet?

You can find raw or roasted hazelnuts at grocery and health food stores, as well as online. However, you may want to pay attention to where they are sourced from. If you live in North America, look for whole hazelnuts that were grown in the US or Canada. There are native species of hazelnuts available, many of which are produced in Oregon or British Columbia.

Because they’re relatively easy to grow and start producing nuts within four or so years of being planted, hazelnut trees are growing in popularity with farmers. You may also be able to find locally sourced whole hazelnuts at some farmers markets.

Be aware that conventionally grown hazelnuts on US and Canadian farms may still be grown with pesticides that are damaging to pollinators, farmworkers, and the environment, so look for organic and/or fair trade varieties when possible. Or choose whole hazelnuts from Turkey (over Italy), if they’re UTZ, Fair Trade, or Happy Hazelnut certified.

You can buy hazelnuts both in and out of the shell. Out of the shell, they’re either roasted or raw. And you may want to avoid processed or artificially flavored hazelnut products, not just because they can compromise your health, but because there may be less transparency in terms of their supply chain.

How to Use Hazelnuts

You can eat hazelnuts by themselves as a snack (a serving size is considered to be about one ounce, or roughly 21 hazelnuts), or combine them with some dark chocolate. Remember, cocoa and hazelnuts appear to pack a synergistic health punch — one of the most popular scientific findings around!

You can also buy commercial hazelnut butter, or make your own. Here’s an in-depth guide to making your own nut or seed butter.

You can bake hazelnuts into baked goods for a treat, or add them to your breakfast by sprinkling them over plant-based yogurt, stirring them into your oatmeal, or decorating the top of your smoothie bowl.

Hazelnuts also add flavor and crunch to savory holiday side dishes like green bean casserole or stuffing. You can blend them into sauces and dips, just like cashews and almonds, and sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over salads and pasta dishes. And if granola or trail mix is your thing, hazelnuts make a nice addition to those concoctions as well.

Hazelnut Recipes

The humble hazelnut might be the underdog of the healthy nut collective, but these recipes showcase the hazelnut’s superstar abilities in three different ways. Whether you’re looking to use these magnificent nuts in sweet or savory recipes, we’ve got something for you!

1. Two-Ingredient Hazelnut Milk

Hazelnuts offer a different flavor experience than almond or soy milk, so our Two-Ingredient Hazelnut Milk would be a great addition to your plant-based recipe repertoire if you’re looking to expand your plant milk palate. Plus, it really is as simple as it sounds to make! Although hazelnuts naturally have a slightly sweet flavor, this nut milk works well in both sweet and savory recipes. Try it in your favorite dessert recipe or as a part of a creamy soup or casserole.

2. Hazelnut Pesto

Hazelnuts add a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to what might just be our favorite pesto yet. They pair well with the rich avocado, peppery basil, and earthy kale, and also give this bold and vibrant spread the perfect bite and texture, similar to grated parmesan cheese. We wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes your favorite pesto, too!

3. Hazelnut Semifreddo

Plant-based yogurt and hazelnuts transform into silky and creamy ice cream to create a dessert that hits the spot when you’re craving an extra special healthy treat. Hazelnuts’ nutty and sweet flavor as well as their buttery texture make this Hazelnut Semifreddo a downright delight. Enjoy every last bite of this naturally sweet dessert that’s rich in healthy fats and phytonutrients!

Give Hazelnuts a Try!

Hazelnuts are an underappreciated food with an impressive nutritional profile. They offer a number of health benefits and can contribute to chronic disease prevention, especially in regard to metabolic health. You can find hazelnuts in stores, online, or sometimes even at farmers markets. You can lessen the environmental and human impact of monocrop hazelnut farms by opting for organically grown and/or fair trade options, and you can do a good deed for your health by avoiding highly processed foods containing hazelnuts or hazelnut flavoring.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you have any favorite ways to eat hazelnuts?
• What are your favorite nuts?
• Which hazelnut recipe will you try next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/KVLADIMIRV

Read Next:

• You Won’t Believe How Healthy Nuts Are for You
• The Truth About Chocolate: How to Choose Healthy and Ethically Produced Cacao Products

The post Are Hazelnuts Good for You? How & Why to Use Hazelnuts appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

After wandering around the bridge for a few days, Isaac is confronted by a soldier: “What are you doing here?” Flustered, he blurts out the truth about his dream. The soldier laughs in derision: “Are you so naive to believe in dreams? I keep having a dream that if I travel to Krakow and dig underneath the house of a man named Isaac, I shall find a treasure. Do you think I’m going to travel 300 miles just because of a silly dream?” Stunned, Isaac returns home, gets a shovel, and discovers a treasure buried under his own house.

I can tell a similar story about superfoods. When we hear that term, most of us think of the fruits, roots, or leaves of exotic species found in what for many of us are far away, inaccessible places — high in the Himalayas (like goji berries) or deep in the Amazon basin (like açai berries). And while longevity-enhancing, disease-fighting, and health-promoting plants can be found all over our planet, many of those that deserve superfood status have been right under our noses all along.

Real Superfoods Are Also Affordable

Every few years, it seems, some hot, new “superfoods” hit the market. They might show up in a host of powdered supplements, or trendy dishes like açai bowls. Many natural foods stores and upscale supermarket chain stores will advertise these products in commercials and weekly flyers.

I’m not saying these products lack nutritional value. They may very well perform as promised. The issue is that they are typically quite expensive for the average person.

Ginseng, for example, can cost $1 per gram or more. That’s around 50 times more than a super-healthy commonplace spice like oregano, which goes for around two cents per gram.

The high prices of exotically sourced superfoods may reflect their scarcity due to the labor that goes into growing and harvesting them, and the overhead gleaned by distributors and marketers who see the potential for huge financial returns. And in terms of environmental costs, they often leave a larger carbon footprint than locally sourced foods and ingredients.

No doubt these foods are potent, but how “super” is a food that only the wealthiest can afford? The problem isn’t just that ordinary citizens in developed countries can’t access the wondrous properties of ginseng, noni, or acai. It’s also that these foods are often taken from indigenous communities who may rely upon them for their own nutritional needs. And that increased demand for exports can lead to land use change and water depletion, damaging indigenous ecosystems.

So it’s important for us to discover the truth — that we already have access to many truly remarkable superfoods right under our noses. In this article, I’ll show you what they are, why they’re so super, and how to utilize real superfoods in your daily meals.

What Is a Real Superfood?

Superman can fly. Elastigirl can stretch her limbs. Aquaman can shoot water from his hands. Superheroes all, right? But what about Batman? He just has a ton of money, a cool car, a secret cave, is trained to fight well, and (at least in the TV show that aired when I was growing up) cartoon words like “Boff!” and “Pow” appear in the air when he hits people. Does that make him a superhero?

My point is, there’s no universally accepted, clear-cut definition of a superhero (or a superfood), and no definitive list of them. So that means I get to define the term for the purposes of this article.

Here’s my best shot at defining a real superfood: Superfoods are inherently foods that have extensive health benefits beyond just providing basic nutrition. They are exceptionally nutrient-dense, meaning you get a lot of nutrients per weight, volume, or calorie. And because they deliver high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they also have disease-fighting power.

So far, that also tracks with the exotic superfoods that have the biggest marketing budgets. But I want to add one more qualification — nutrients per penny.

The Most Nutrient-Dense Foods for Your Money

As far as I’m concerned, the real superfoods are the ones that do the most good for the most people.

That means they’re not only super healthy, but also affordable, easy to use, and widely accessible. Real superfoods provide antioxidants, flavonoids, and micronutrients that are stunningly powerful in fighting chronic diseases like cancer, dementia, heart disease — and even wrinkles.

These nutritional powerhouses can boost your immune system, improve your digestion, give you better energy, and even contribute to a more satisfying sex life. They can be grown and harvested in ways that benefit the people who share their ecosystem. And you likely already have some of them sitting in your pantry or refrigerator, just waiting to be used and appreciated.

Top Superfoods Worth Knowing About & Their Health Benefits

Strap in for a whirlwind tour of nine separate categories of real superfoods. We’ll just take a quick peek at each category — some of the health benefits of superfoods, a couple of prominent nutrients, and some ideas about how to use them.

(Doing them all justice would take a whole book — so it’s a good thing Food Revolution Network’s The Real Superfoods Cookbook will be coming out in 2023. Join our email list for updates about how to preorder it!)

Leafy Greens

The leafy green superfood category includes lettuces, cruciferous greens like arugula and kale, taproot greens like radish and beet, and greens from the chicory and amaranth families.

Low in calories and rich in fiber, leafy greens are packed with carotenoids and antioxidants and full of vitamins such as vitamins A, E, and K1, as well as B vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium. They also boast high concentrations of dietary nitrates (not to be confused with the nitrites and nitrates that are added to processed meats), which are natural vasodilators that are good for your arteries and protect your heart.

In addition to promoting cardiovascular health, leafy greens also fight cancer, protect your brain from dementia, and combat type 2 diabetes.

You can add leafy greens to your diet in many wonderful ways. Salads, stir-fries, and steamed side dishes put them front and center. Soups, stews, and casseroles can incorporate them as supporting actors. And for picky eaters, you can even hide them in smoothies and dips.

Mushrooms

In addition to ordinary white button mushrooms, you can also find brown mushrooms, larger portobello mushrooms, and other mushrooms such as shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle.

While they’re all great in their own ways, it turns out that those commonplace (and usually much less costly) white button mushrooms are one of the most nutritionally potent superfoods you can eat. Low in calories and high in protein, mushrooms are also incredibly high in antioxidants, packed with B vitamins (and even vitamin D when they’re exposed to the sun while growing), and high in minerals such as selenium, potassium, and copper. They also contain two types of important dietary fibers: beta-glucans and chitin.

Mushrooms offer numerous health benefits, too. Thanks to their particular kinds of fiber, they promote gut health. One study of over 2,000 Chinese women found that eating just a third of an ounce of cooked mushrooms (approximately half a button mushroom) daily cut their risk of breast cancer by 64%. Mushrooms also protect your brain and heart, support your immune system, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Mushrooms add a rich umami flavor to dishes, which makes them an excellent addition to soups, stews, and stir-fries. You can even use them as the basis for veggie burgers and other meat analogs. They’re also tasty when grilled, used in casseroles, and as a classic pizza topping.

Legumes

The legume family includes beans, lentils, peas, and even peanuts. They’re highly valued for their nutritional benefits all over the world and, in fact, Blue Zone research has identified them as the food group most highly correlated with human longevity.

Significant sources of dietary protein, legumes are high in fiber and resistant starch. They contain dozens of antioxidants, phytochemicals, and flavonoids, and are an excellent source of essential minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.

Legumes can extend your life through a variety of mechanisms. They protect against cancer, cognitive decline in the elderly, and heart disease. They also support healthy weight management, healthy digestion, and blood sugar regulation, all of which can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

In case I need to say it, dried legumes must be soaked and cooked or soaked, sprouted, and cooked before you eat them (except for lentils, which can skip the soaking step). Cooked legumes go well in soups and stews, casseroles, and salads. You can add them to pasta dishes and grain bowls, or blend them into dips and sauces (I’m looking at you, hummus). You can even use them in desserts like black bean brownies (seriously, it’s a thing!).

Berries

Delicious, colorful berries are also some of the healthiest foods you can find. And you don’t need to travel to the Amazon to find them. Popular berries include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries. And if you live in an area where wild berries grow, you might find other yummy and healthy berry varieties that will never make it to supermarket shelves.

Berries get many of their nutritional bragging rights from their huge antioxidant capacity. Those with dark blue or red hues signal the presence of anthocyanins, polyphenols, and antioxidants like resveratrol. Good sources of fiber, many berries are high in vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin K1.

Berries offer many health benefits. They can lift mood and help prevent depression, preserve cognitive function as you age, and prevent several neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. They also combat cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even acne.

One of the best ways to get berries into your diet is simply to pop them into your mouth. Fresh, sweet, juicy berries make one of the world’s all-time best snacks! You can eat them for dessert, either on their own or as part of a fruit salad or fruit compote. Berries also add sweetness and flavor to savory dishes (except for cranberries, which offer tartness). You can blend them into smoothies and smoothie bowls, freeze them into popsicles, and blend them into sauces, salad dressings, and dessert toppings.

Alliums

The alliums are better known as the pungent and culinarily indispensable onion and garlic family. They include onions and their relatives like leeks, scallions, shallots, and chives, in addition to several varieties of garlic.

Alliums’ best nutritional feature is the amazing amounts and activity of their antioxidants. Many of these are powered by the sulfur they contain in the form of organosulfur compounds (the source of their pungent aromas). Rich in soluble fibers such as fructans and inulin, alliums also provide a variety of vitamins, including B vitamins (especially folate) and vitamin C, and minerals such as potassium, selenium, and manganese. And in a neat trick, alliums help promote the bioavailability of other minerals, including iron and zinc.

Alliums are nutritionally versatile superfoods. They strengthen the immune system in its ability to fight infection, slow aging by combating inflammation, and protect against many cancers. They protect your heart and significantly lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. And their soluble fibers support a healthy gut.

The only place I can think of where you should absolutely not use onions or garlic is dessert. (I hear that garlic ice cream is a thing in Gilroy, California, but I have no plans to try it.) But just about any savory dish can be enhanced by the powerful flavors of cooked alliums.

Many dishes begin with a base of sautéed onions and/or garlic, or a variant like shallots or leeks. These include sauces, soups, and stews; stir-fries and scrambles; pasta dishes; and a variety of mains and sides from around the world. Cooked and raw alliums also add flavor to grain bowls and salads.

Herbs and Spices

Not only are many herbs and spices delicious and aromatic, but they’re among some of the healthiest foods ever studied. So in addition to making other healthy foods tastier, they provide giant nutritional benefits in their own right.

Common cooking herbs include parsley, basil, thyme, cilantro, dill, oregano, rosemary, mint, and sage. The most common spices you’ll find in any supermarket include black pepper, cinnamon, paprika, garlic and onion powder (alliums in the house!), powdered ginger, cloves, cumin, ground chili peppers, turmeric, and cardamom.

Their specific nutritional profiles vary, but most herbs and spices are superfoods in their own right, rich in antioxidants, which give them their disease-fighting properties. For example, chili peppers are an excellent source of antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids. Leafy herbs like parsley, cilantro, and basil contain high amounts of vitamins A and K1. Cumin is rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and manganese, and contains omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.

Like many superheroes, spices can sometimes bring out the best in each other. Black pepper combined with turmeric, for example, increases the bioavailability of curcumin (the active polyphenol in turmeric) by 2,000%.

Many herbs and spices contain compounds that soothe the GI tract and promote digestive health. Some protect against cancer, some support cardiovascular health, some protect the immune system, and some regulate blood sugar and prevent type 2 diabetes. And many have been used for centuries to reduce pain and inflammation. While specific herbs and spices have specific uses and benefits, the key thing here is variety. The more different kinds you use, the more superfood benefits you’ll get.

Use herbs and spices in your cooking to add flavor, from sweet to umami to herbaceous to spicy. You can keep dishes exciting while ditching the excess sugar, salt, and oil, making them healthier at the same time. Experiment with different flavor profiles and turn an ordinary dish into a gourmet one.

Certain herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and cardamom, also go well in sweet dishes like desserts, oatmeal and breakfast porridge, sauces, and hot drinks.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes may be some of the oldest foods known to humanity, and may also be major contributors to the resilience of some of the healthiest and most long-lived peoples in the world. Both the Okinawans, with the highest life expectancy of any group ever studied, and the Papua New Guinean highlanders, among whom many modern chronic diseases are practically unheard-of, get the majority of their calories from sweet potatoes.

There are several kinds of sweet potatoes, comprising two main classes — soft and firm. Within these classes, you can find orange, white, yellow, and purple-fleshed varieties. While their antioxidant content varies by color, they all provide a wealth of nutritional benefits.

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and resistant starch; antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene (which gives the orange ones their color, and which your body in its wisdom converts to vitamin A); and a bunch of B vitamins including pantothenic acid, niacin, and vitamin B6. They’re rich in minerals like manganese, magnesium, and copper, and contain a modest but still helpful amount of protein. Purple varieties of sweet potato also contain potent antioxidants called anthocyanins. To get the most nutrition from your sweet potatoes, eat them with the skin on.

The fiber in sweet potatoes (especially concentrated in the skin) can support a healthy gut microbiome. They support heart health, both by regulating blood pressure and lowering LDL cholesterol. They’re also good for your eyes, can support fertility, and provide nutrients essential for brain function. They contain a type of protein called sporamin, which has been studied for its ability to block the progression of certain types of cancer. And sweet potatoes are anti-inflammatory, thanks to all those antioxidants (especially the ones in the purple varieties).

You can bake sweet potatoes and serve them as a “boat” for all your favorite toppings. Prepare them as a seasonal side dish, in chilis and stews, in casseroles and grain bowls, with breakfast scrambles and hashes, and even in desserts like brownies and sweet potato pies.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds may be small, but they pack a giant health and nutritional punch. And many of them are alive, with the potential to turn into the next generation of the plant or tree that they come from. You can benefit from that concentrated life force by including nuts and seeds in your diet.

Technically, nuts are a kind of seed — ones with hard shells — but not all seeds are nuts. The common nuts you can find at many grocery stores include walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, chestnuts, and Brazil nuts. The seeds you’ll come across most frequently include sesame, sunflower, poppy, pumpkin, hemp, flax, and chia.

Nuts and seeds are rich in high-quality plant proteins and fiber, as well as healthy fats. Some seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids that are sometimes hard to source in a plant-based diet. They contain antioxidants like tocopherols and phytosterols — walnuts, pecans, and chestnuts have the most of these. And they’re a rich source of minerals like magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, and zinc. A single Brazil nut contains enough selenium to meet double your daily requirement!

Eating nuts and seeds can help you live longer. They may do this by reducing risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds have all been shown to suppress the mechanism by which cancer initiates and grows. And nuts can reduce A1c levels, the key marker for diabetes. Men who eat nuts, including peanuts, have shown a reduced risk of developing gallstones. And pistachios may improve the ability to have and maintain erections in men.

You can enjoy nuts and seeds raw or roasted, whole, chopped, as flour, and as nut butter. They’re great as a snack, by themselves or as part of a trail mix. You can sprinkle them over salads and stir-fries, and include them in desserts to provide fat without needing oil or dairy. You can blend them into sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads. And you can turn them into nut and seed milks, blend them into rich and delicious smoothies, and make them into nut cheeses and meat analogs.

Tea and Coffee

Tea and coffee are two of the most popular and most-consumed beverages in the world. And they’re among the healthiest as well. Even though coffee, in particular, gets a bad rap in some corners of the nutrition world, loads of recent research has shown that coffee — in moderation, and only if you can tolerate it without getting “jittery” — may be one of the best habits you can develop in pursuit of a long and vigorous life.

Commonly available teas include black, green, white, matcha, oolong, and herbal varieties. Except for herbal teas, of which there are many, all teas come from the same plant, with the colors and flavors of their leaves resulting from when they’re picked and how they’re processed. There are two main types of coffee — arabica, which is of higher quality and more expensive, and robusta, which can withstand less forgiving soils and climates but is generally considered to have a harsher taste.

The caffeine in coffee and tea has been shown to be anti-inflammatory. And both coffee and tea contain high concentrations of many antioxidants, including catechins, polyphenols, EGCG, vitamin C, and tannins. Matcha tea. in particular, contains about three times as many antioxidants as regular green tea, which is itself an antioxidant champ. Because most people don’t eat a varied diet rich in whole plant foods, the highest sources of antioxidants in many Western diets are actually tea and coffee.

Coffee and caffeinated tea (especially black and green varieties) support cardiovascular health by dilating blood vessels, allowing the heart to work less hard and reducing the risk of ischemic strokes developing from blood clots. Some herbal teas, including chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and valerian, among others, can help you relax and make it easier to fall asleep. Green tea may be a powerful cancer suppressor. Caffeinated tea and coffee also appear to significantly reduce the odds of developing dementia, and have been shown to be protective against Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

And drinks that naturally contain caffeine can help you be more active, which is associated with dozens of positive health outcomes.

You probably already have a good idea about how to get coffee and teas into your diet — drink them! Avoid adding sugar, for all the well-known reasons, and also cow’s milk, which can block antioxidant activity. Adding lemon to tea, on the other hand, can increase it.

In addition to drinking coffee and tea on their own, you can use them in a variety of beverage recipes, desserts, and even sauces.

Real Superfood Recipes

Supercharge your day with these tasty superfood recipes that are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a wholesome snack any day of the week.

Mighty Green Chia Pudding is a luscious and creamy delight that has four superfood ingredients to power you up for the day ahead. If pudding for breakfast isn’t your thing, it makes a scrumptious snack or dessert as well!

Sweet Potato Carrot Soup with Toasted Sunflower Seeds has bold flavors, bright colors, and numerous superfood ingredients for a soup that is creamy, comforting, and super nourishing.

And, our Superfood Bowl — which richly deserves its name — is a tasty and satisfying plant-based delight that is teeming with a whole lot of plant power!

1. Mighty Green Chia Pudding

Our Mighty Green Chia Pudding certainly lives up to its name. Green powder (which is optional) and organic spinach are blended with nutrient-rich chia seeds and creamy plant-based milk, then topped with antioxidant-rich blueberries and nutty omega-3-rich walnuts for a luscious green pudding that is super in more ways than one! Plus, this is a great alternative to your daily green smoothie.

2. Sweet Potato Carrot Soup with Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Sweet and super are two adjectives we can’t help but proclaim about this beautifully-hued bowl of goodness. Nutrient-rich carrots and sweet potatoes make for a velvety smooth texture when blended. The root veggies get their vibrant orange colors from carotenoids, compounds that act like antioxidants in the body, scavenging free radicals and protecting you from lifestyle diseases. They’re also both packed with fiber, making this soup not only super for your health, but super satisfying, too!

3. Superfood Bowl

This bowl includes almost every one of our top superfoods. Therefore, we’d say this is the ultimate plant-powered recipe any time you’re craving the super magic of plants! This scrumptious Superfood Bowl features quinoa, lentils, fresh herbs, cauliflower, mushrooms, kale, and a variety of seeds. With all of those powerful ingredients, it’s no surprise that this bowl is teeming with prebiotic fiber, healing phytonutrients, healthy fats, and plant-based protein for a meal that will ignite your superpowers!

Focus on the Real (and Affordable) Superfoods!

The term “superfood” is often used to refer to exotic foods that are high in antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds. But it’s usually at least in part a marketing term to get people on board with buying foods that may be unfamiliar (and that tend to be pricey and come with big marketing budgets).

Many ordinary plant-based foods are real superfoods, especially the most nutrient-dense ones that are disease fighters. Incorporating these accessible superfoods into your diet on a regular basis should give you at least as much benefit as spending the bulk of your grocery budget on exotic ones. I hope this article will guide you toward essential foods to keep in your meal rotations to optimize or improve your health.

Tell us in the comments:

• What categories of real superfoods do you already include in your diet on a regular basis?

• What category of superfoods surprised you the most by being so good for you?

• What category of superfoods do you want to include more of in your diet?

Feature Image: iStock.com/fcafotodigital

Read Next:

• How to Use GBOMBS: A Meal Plan & Recipes to Supercharge Your Diet
• Meet Moringa: What Is This Transformative Superfood Good For?

The post What Are the Real Superfoods? The Answers May Surprise You! appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

In many places, pumpkins have also become synonymous with the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. Some people even believe a Thanksgiving meal isn’t complete without a piece of pumpkin pie for dessert (Guilty!). And in the US, pumpkins are carved and turned into jack o’ lanterns, although the tradition actually started with the carving of other root veggies like turnips, potatoes, and beets.

In the Celtic tradition of Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”), people carved scary faces into vegetables to ward off demons and evil spirits. Upon immigration to the United States, many Celts began using pumpkins instead because they were bigger and sturdier than the vegetables they traditionally carved. Over time, these sources of protection became standard Halloween decorations.

While they may or may not protect you from evil spirits, pumpkins can help protect you from chronic disease. These edible gourds have a number of health benefits and are an easy and affordable way to boost your health and add color to your meals.

In this article, we’ll explore the health benefits of pumpkins and how to use them in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

Types of Pumpkin

Although they’re known for their vibrant orange color, pumpkins actually come in a variety of hues, including orange, yellow, green, blue, white, black, pink, and even multicolored stripes.

Pumpkins also come in a number of shapes and sizes beyond the typical jack o’ lantern style types you might see at the grocery store or pumpkin patch. They can range in size from a few inches across for mini pumpkin varieties to a few feet across like the giant pumpkins that are typically seen at state fairs in the United States.

There are four main species of pumpkins: Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita argyrosperma (formerly mixta), Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita maxima.

Cucurbita moschata

The Cucurbita moschata pumpkin variety also includes butternut squash. These are the types of pumpkins that are frequently used to make canned pumpkin. Fun fact — 85% of the world’s commercially produced pumpkin puree is made using Nestlé’s own brand of Dickinson pumpkins called Libby’s Select. Other typical C. moschata pumpkins include Crookneck, Seminole, Calabaza, and Buckskin.

Cucurbita argyrosperma

Cucurbita argyrosperma are also known as cushaw pumpkins. Their shape is more oblong than other pumpkin varieties, and many are green or striped rather than orange. Varieties of C. argyrosperma include Calabacita, Green Striped Cushaw, and Hopi Green.

Cucurbita pepo

Cucurbita pepo is the most common type of pumpkin and the one you’re likely the most familiar with. They’re also known as field pumpkins because they are often grown in corn fields as part of intercropping methods. Field pumpkins typically have smoother skin and are ideal for painting or carving. Some of the most popular varieties are Baby Bear, Munchkin, and New England Pie.

Cucurbita maxima

Finally, there’s Cucurbita maxima, which includes some of the widest diversity of pumpkins and squashes. This is where you’ll get the most color variety and the largest pumpkins. The world record for the largest pumpkin ever recorded was 2,703 lbs from a Cucurbita maxima variety called Werner. Other varieties of this species include Big Max, Dill’s Atlantic Giant, and Cinderella, so named because of its resemblance to Cinderella’s pumpkin-turned-carriage from the Disney film.

Pumpkins Have Been Used for Survival and Medicine

Pumpkins were essential to North American Indigenous diets beginning thousands of years ago. They were one of the earliest cultivated vegetables, with beginnings in the Oaxacan region of Mexico. In addition to the flesh, pumpkin seeds were also eaten and used for their health benefits.

When the Pilgrims came to America, pumpkins became a critical and nutritious food for them, as well. Without pumpkins, many of the early settlers might not have survived.

One of the first American folk songs has these lyrics: “We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon; If it was not for pumpkins we would be undoon.”

Most parts of the pumpkin plant, especially the seeds, flesh, and yellow blossoms, are still used in traditional systems of medicine today. And many people in the Global South consume pumpkin regularly as a staple food to get a significant amount of the energy and nutrients they need to survive.

Are Pumpkin Seeds and Pepitas the Same Thing?

Pumpkin seeds and pepitas are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually slightly different foods.

Pumpkin seeds are what you might find when you dig into a carving pumpkin or most pumpkin varieties sold at stores. They’re the pumpkin seeds that are sold with their white shells intact.

Pepitas, on the other hand, are a type of pumpkin seed only found in specific varieties of pumpkin originating in the Styrian region of Austria. You can find pepitas in oilseed pumpkins (also known as naked seed pumpkins), which are usually of the Cucurbita pepo variety. These shell-free (they grow that way) pumpkin seeds are used to make, you guessed it, pumpkin seed oil. But the seeds themselves are also a highly regarded snack food and are often found in Mexican cuisine.

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts

Both pumpkin flesh and pumpkin seeds are potent sources of nutrition. Pumpkin fruit is an excellent source of B vitamins and vitamin E, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Pumpkins are rich in phytochemicals like cucurbitacins, saponins, carotenoids, phytosterols, and polyphenols. They also contain vitamin C, potassium, and the carotenoid and antioxidant beta-carotene, which gives orange pumpkins their color.

In one cup of cooked pumpkin, you’ll find the following nutrients:

• Calories 49 kcal
• Protein 1.8 g
• Carbohydrates 12 g
• Fat .2 g
• Fiber 2.7 g
• Vitamin A 245% DV
• Vitamin C 19% DV
• Vitamin E 10% DV
• Riboflavin 11% DV
• Copper 11% DV
• Magnesium 6% DV
• Potassium 16% DV
• Iron 8% DV

And in one ounce of pumpkin seeds you’ll find:

• Calories 146 kcal
• Protein 9.2 g
• Carbohydrates 3.8 g
• Fat 11.8 g
• Fiber 1.1 g
• Vitamin K 17% DV
• Riboflavin 5% DV
• Copper 19% DV
• Magnesium 37% DV
• Phosphorus 33% DV
• Iron 23% DV
• Zinc 14% DV
• Manganese 42% DV

Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkins & Pumpkin Seeds

Some varieties of pumpkin are gourds, and others are squash. Gourds have a harder outer shell and little edible flesh on the inside, while squashes are more tender and have softer flesh. Believe it or not, a pumpkin is technically a fruit because it starts from a flower, much like a tomato or pepper. But most people consider it a vegetable because of its squash-like flavor, although there are sweeter varieties of pumpkin out there.

Whether you consider it a fruit, vegetable, or both, the fact that it’s either is enough to know pumpkins are good for you. Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, including pumpkins, is associated with lower mortality rates and chronic disease prevention. But what are the specific health benefits of pumpkins and their seeds?

Let’s take a look at why they deserve so much more culinary attention than just as a holiday pie filling.

1. Pumpkin and Brain Health

The carotenoids in pumpkin flesh may have a powerful impact on your brain.

One in vitro study demonstrated that pumpkin pulp could be protective against mycotoxins crossing the blood-brain barrier, as is seen in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Pumpkin carotenoid extract was used on cells treated with mycotoxins, and the cells showed a reduction in multiple markers of inflammation. It’s possible this may be because pumpkins contain the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is found in much lower levels in people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

2. Pumpkin and Overactive Bladder Disorders

Urinary dysfunction is a common concern with increasing age. Pumpkin seed oil may help with overactive bladder disorders, specifically nocturia (or waking up to use the bathroom at night). One 2014 study in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine showed improved bladder function and a reduction in the severity of self-assessed symptoms within 12 weeks when the participants took 10 grams of pumpkin seed oil per day.

Another study on the effect of benign prostate enlargement and urinary retention also showed improvement with pumpkin seed oil. Although you may not want to include oil in your diet, you may still be able to reap these benefits by consuming whole pumpkin seeds with their natural oils intact.

3. Is Pumpkin Good for Your Eyes?

The beta-carotene and other carotenoids found in pumpkin, like lutein and zeaxanthin, are important for eye health.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ½ cup of canned pumpkin contains more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A — which aids vision, particularly in dim light.

The lutein and zeaxanthin in pumpkin also protect your eyes from oxidative stress and have been studied for their protective effects on macular degeneration and cataracts.

4. Antimicrobial, Antibacterial, and Antiparasitic Effects of Pumpkin

Pumpkins may also have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that can help protect against infectious diseases. One 2017 in vitro study found that pumpkin peel and puree extracts showed evidence of preventing the growth and division of bacteria. (They also had the same effect on cancer cells, which we’ll talk more about in the next section). Other in vitro studies also showed pumpkin extracts were effective against specific strains of harmful bacteria, including staph, E. coli, and salmonella.

Pumpkin seeds and seed extract have also been recommended as home remedies for deworming and parasitic infections in both people and animals. Multiple studies have tested the effectiveness of pumpkin seeds and their extracts and shown a reduction in the number of parasitic worms and their eggs. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

5. Pumpkin and Cancer

Pumpkin seeds and flesh are packed with antioxidants, and eating both of them often may help treat or reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

One in vitro study on cancer cells of the breast, prostate, and colon found that pumpkin seed extract inhibited cancer cell growth by up to 50% and may be a potential treatment for hormone-related cancers. A similar study on thyroid cancer cells also showed pumpkin seed extract initiated cancer cell death and may also work in conjunction with the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel.

Pumpkins contain cucurbitacin, a type of phytochemical unique to the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. To demonstrate the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of this compound, extracts of Cucurbita pepo were used on colon cancer cells. The result was a reduction in the amount of inflammatory cytokine secretion, which has been associated with cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.

6. Is Pumpkin Good for Diabetes?

Eating pumpkins and pumpkin seeds can have a variety of beneficial effects for people with type 2 diabetes and blood sugar problems.

In one study on critically ill diabetes patients, pumpkin was shown to help reduce high blood sugar levels quickly. Each subject was given five grams of freeze-dried powder from the C. maxima pumpkin species for three days. In those three days alone, blood glucose decreased by an average of 36 mg/dL total. That is a significant amount considering one unit of insulin will drop blood sugar by 50 mg/dL.

A 2013 animal study published in the Journal of the Formosan Medical Association also found that raw pumpkin seeds’ tocopherol content mediated blood sugar levels and improved oxidative stress status and pancreatic markers.

How to Use Pumpkin & Pumpkin Seeds in Recipes

Although they’re convenient, you may want to avoid canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie mixes. Many of them contain added sugars, natural flavors, and other additives. The cans may also have BPA linings, which can leach into the food. If you do want to use canned pumpkin for a recipe, make sure to read the ingredients and look for BPA-free cans.

If a recipe calls for canned pumpkin, you can use fresh pumpkin instead (although you may need to steam or boil it first to get the right consistency).

You can also use substitute pumpkin puree for butter or oil in baking recipes. Using pumpkin in baked goods will give them a moist texture along with a subtle pumpkin flavor (unless you also add pumpkin pie spice to the mix).

Though they’re edible, it’s best not to use the large variety of pumpkin — the orange jack-o’-lantern pumpkins — for baking because this variety is stringy, with less flavor. But you can save their seeds, roast them, and use the flesh in stews and curries as you might use white and sweet potatoes.

The smaller and sweeter “pie pumpkins” or “sugar pumpkins” are best for baking and most recipes. (In the northern hemisphere, you can usually find these in grocery stores from late September into December.)

Pumpkin seeds and pepitas can be eaten on their own as a healthy snack or sprinkled over salads, oatmeal, chia pudding, and plant-based yogurt. You can also use them as a garnish for soups, chilis, and grain bowls. Or bake them into homemade crackers, muffins, and other baked goods.

You can store many uncut pumpkins in a cool, dark place for up to two months after harvest. Once cut, you can store pumpkin in the fridge for four to five days in an airtight container.

What About Pumpkin Spice & Pumpkin Flavored Food?

Come September, many grocery stores and coffee chains start offering pumpkin- or pumpkin spice-flavored products. The pumpkin spice craze seems to have started back in 2003 with the introduction of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL as it’s often abbreviated). The PSL’s popularity launched a thousand pumpkin-flavored ships with everything from pumpkin spice coffee creamers to the junk food abomination that nobody asked for — Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles.

While jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon might seem like a fun way of getting into the fall season, the reality is that most of these foods are processed and full of added sugar, dairy, flavorings, and colorings. Even if you ask for a dairy-free PSL, without whole milk and whipped cream, Starbucks’ pumpkin spice mix is made with condensed milk.

To add insult to injury, the majority of pumpkin-flavored products don’t even contain any actual pumpkin. Instead, they add caramel coloring (which is made from high fructose corn syrup) and pumpkin pie spices. Even Starbucks didn’t start including real pumpkin in their drink recipe until 2015.

This is not to say that you can’t enjoy pumpkin and the flavors of fall at all. There are plenty of ways to make dairy-free and whole food versions of pumpkin-spiced food and drinks, including the PSL. Below, you’ll find a few delicious recipes made with real pumpkin and pumpkin seeds that are healthy and affordable.

4 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for You to Try

We love pumpkin, yes we do, we love pumpkin — how about you? In case that didn’t make things obvious, we are delighted to share with you some of our favorite pumpkin recipes.

Starting off with superfood pumpkin seeds, Pumpkin Seed Poppers burst with nutrients, textures, and flavors. Enjoy them solo as an easy and scrumptious appetizer or on top of pasta, salads, or your favorite Italian-inspired grain bowl.

Pumpkin lends a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to an already savory, nourishing bowl of plant-based comfort in our Hearty Pumpkin Chili.

And our Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl is an exciting twist on the traditional fruit-based smoothie bowl. Delicate pumpkin, warm pumpkin pie spice, and crunchy amaranth will have you falling in love with the versatility of pumpkin in no time!

Pumpkin Millet Granola takes a slight departure from the granola you might be used to, but this highly craveable snack (or breakfast) will be all the rage among die-hard pumpkin spice lovers everywhere!

1. Pumpkin Seed Poppers

Get creative in the kitchen with Pumpkin Seed Poppers. These bite-sized appetizers come with plenty of fiber, magnesium, and tryptophan, plus lots of flavor. Pumpkin seeds bring even more to the party since they are a rich source of zinc, B vitamins, and protein. What’s more, these tasty poppers are very fast to prepare when you have leftover brown rice or quinoa, as well as some roasted red peppers on hand.

2. Hearty Pumpkin Chili

Hearty Pumpkin Chili checks all the chili boxes, plus it goes the extra mile by including nutrient-rich pumpkin. Pumpkin’s sweet flavor and smooth texture stack up well to the heartiness of the beans and the robust acidity of the tomatoes. If you’re a chili lover like us, you’ll appreciate the bold spices, rich texture, and, of course, the surplus of plant-powered nutrients! Go ahead and savor every wholesome, nourishing, delicious, and satisfying bite!

3. Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl

Pumpkin takes center stage in this perfectly spiced Pumpkin Spice and Amaranth Smoothie Bowl. Its beautiful vibrant orange color will have you on the edge of your seat as you dive in for the signature taste of the autumn season. This may sound like the perfect smoothie bowl for the fall season (and it is!), but it can certainly be enjoyed year-round. Pumpkin is chock-full of beta-carotene, B vitamins, and vitamin E, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus to prime you for whatever the day brings.

4. Pumpkin Millet Granola

Loaded with oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and a touch of pumpkin pie spice, you’ll love having this granola on hand for healthy plant-based breakfasts and snacking. Plus, satisfyingly sweet and crunchy Pumpkin Millet Granola is packed with zinc and magnesium, fiber, B vitamins, and protein. Happy nibbling!

Make Pumpkin Part of Your Meals in a Healthy and Affordable Way

Pumpkins are valuable functional foods with an abundance of health benefits. They’ve been used medicinally and culinarily for thousands of years and across cultures.

Although pumpkin- and pumpkin spice-flavored foods are seemingly everywhere in the fall, it’s best to stay away from the pumpkin-flavored Pringles, Pop-Tarts, and store-bought pumpkin spice lattes. They are all high in sugar and flavorings and may not actually contain any pumpkin at all. Instead, enjoy pumpkins and pumpkin seeds in their whole food form to reap the benefits of their protective nature and scare away chronic and infectious diseases.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you know of any other health benefits of pumpkin?
• Do you have any creative or unique ways to use pumpkin?
• What are your favorite healthy pumpkin recipes?

Featured image: iStock.com/fotokris

Read Next:

• Top Health Benefits of Squash + How to Prepare and Eat It
• 10 Vegan Halloween Recipes That Are Surprisingly Healthy (and Delicious!)

The post Proven Health Benefits of Pumpkins and Pumpkin Seeds & How to Use Them in Your Diet appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

When you go to the grocery store and see a bag of cashews going for around $15 a pound or more, you might also resent the high price. But when you learn how cashews are processed, so you can eat them for a snack or turn them into creamy plant-based sauces and dips, you’ll have a new appreciation for how much they cost.

Many plant-based eaters depend upon cashews for raising their culinary game. From cashew butter to cashew milk to cashew cheese and yogurt, to Indian, Southeast Asian, and African dishes enhanced by crunchy and creamy cashew pieces, this drupe has enabled dairy-free cooks to mimic much of the richness of cow’s milk without harming animals or degrading the environment.

And they’re not only versatile and delicious — as unofficial members of the nut family — cashews also pack a nutritional punch.

But cashews have a somber side, too, as we’ve learned by paying attention to their production and where they come from — and the ethical issues that surround their journey from tree to table. In this article, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of cashews, from their health benefits and culinary uses to ethical and sustainability concerns.

Where Do Cashews Come From?

As you might expect, cashews come from the cashew tree, a tropical plant that originated in Brazil and has been cultivated in many other tropical regions of the globe. Vietnam and India are considered the top producers of cashews, but that’s a misleading designation. Poorer countries like Ivory Coast, Burundi, and Benin are among the largest exporters of cashews. But they are not considered producers because what they export has to undergo extensive processing before it reaches edible form.

It turns out that cashews aren’t really nuts. Rather, they’re drupe seeds, like almonds — and plum and peach pits. To further muddle things up, these nuts-that-aren’t-really-nuts grow at the bottom of a fruit called a “cashew apple,” which isn’t really a fruit, but what’s known as a “false fruit” because it doesn’t form from the ovary of the plant.

The cashew apple is also edible but rarely exported since it has a short shelf life and doesn’t travel well. Within its countries of origin, the cashew apple is often juiced or dried, cooked into curries, fermented into vinegar, or used to make preserves, chutneys, and jams. In the Indian state of Goa, it’s fermented and distilled to make a seriously alcoholic drink known as feni. And it has many medicinal uses as well.

At the base of the cashew apple grows a kidney-bean-shaped hard shell with a single seed inside. That seed is the cashew “nut,” but don’t even think about picking it, cracking it open, and eating it like you would a walnut or pecan. As I said, that nut needs to be processed almost beyond recognition.

Now that we’re staring directly at the weirdness of this plant, guess what it’s related to botanically. If you said “poison ivy,” you’d be right. And as we’ll see a little later, that fact is why cashews represent huge occupational challenges for the workers who process them for our benefit.

Cashew Nutrition Facts

Cashews are a good source of plant-based protein. They’re also pretty high in fat, providing a mix of saturated and unsaturated fats. And like other plant-based sources of fat, cashews reduce your risk of premature death when you substitute them for animal-based fats.

Cashews are about the micronutrients as much as the macros. They’re a good source of vitamin K and B vitamins, as well as important minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese. They’re also a decent source of the elusive mineral selenium. And in a victory for those of us who prefer roasted nuts (and drupes!) to raw ones, it appears that roasting cashews actually increases their antioxidant power.

Cashews also contain so-called “antinutrients” like lectins, phytates, and oxalates, which, despite what some wellness influencers claim, are not a problem for most people. If you want to maximize mineral absorption, you can neutralize the effect of these compounds by soaking your cashews for a few hours, or eating them with allium vegetables (such as onions and garlic) or foods containing vitamin C.

If you’re looking to lose weight, keep in mind that the high-fat content of cashews, coupled with their very low water content, means they are high in calories. In fact, an ounce of cashews delivers a whopping 155 calories, which comes out to almost 2,500 calories per pound. And given that they’re often roasted and salted to make them even more delicious, they’re pretty darn easy to overeat.

Health Benefits of Cashews

What do we know about how eating cashews can support your health?

Cashews and Heart Health

For starters, cashews appear to promote cardiovascular health. A 2017 study of American adults with high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol found that when they ate more cashews, their LDL levels dropped while their HDL (“good”) cholesterol remained constant.

In an Iranian study of type 2 diabetics published in 2019, one group was asked to consume 10% of their calories from cashews. The control group ate the same number of calories, but without the cashews. The cashew group didn’t gain weight but did see their cholesterol shift to a much more favorable ratio of “good” to “bad” cholesterol.

A meta-analysis of five other modest studies on cashews and cardiac health published that same year found that cashew consumption was correlated with lower triglyceride levels and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Cashews and Bone Health

The nutrients in cashews, and particularly the minerals magnesium and copper, appear to support bone and joint health, too. Male rats with chemically-induced osteoarthritis (ugh — our view on the use of animals in medical research is here) who were fed cashew nuts demonstrated fewer and less severe “pain-like behaviors” and had improved pain-related biomarkers.

Are Cashews Good for Your Brain?

Also thanks to their tryptophan content, cashews may protect the brain and nervous system from the effects of aging — specifically, they may slow cognitive decline.

Cashews and Depression

Cashews may also help enhance your mood, and not just because they’re so darn yummy. They’re one of the richest sources of the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin — one of the body’s endogenous antidepressants. The magnesium in cashews also fights depression and anxiety through its positive effects on the nervous system. It’s also crucial for maintaining stable blood sugar levels (which are also relevant to your mood).

What About Cashew Allergies?

Tree nuts represent one of the seven major allergenic food categories. Despite not being true tree nuts, cashews can still be potent allergens, causing severe reactions in susceptible people that can persist long-term, compared with some other food allergies. Both children and adults can be affected.

While the prevalence of cashew allergy appears to be increasing, it’s still relatively uncommon. A 2021 study of over 500 children with food allergies found that just over 3% of them showed sensitivity to cashews. The percentage among the general population is likely far lower.

With a couple of exceptions, cashews are good for the people eating them. But what about their effects on the planet and agricultural workers?

Are Cashews Sustainable?

Cashews perform surprisingly well in most measures of sustainability. In terms of water use, they’re just a little less thirsty than almonds, which are among the crops requiring the most hydration. But unlike almonds grown in the US, cashews are mostly harvested from trees in their natural environment, the tropics. So they receive their water allotment from rain (also known as “green water”) rather than the underground aquifers that supply the almond trees in drought-prone California.

True, that means the cashews consumed in the US are imports, which adds to their carbon footprint. But this is offset somewhat by the trees’ ability to sequester carbon in their biomass and in the soil.

Dairy substitutes made from cashews, such as milk, yogurt, spreads, and cheeses, are far more environmentally friendly than their dairy counterparts, especially when you consider greenhouse gas emissions.

Adding to the cashew advantage, the by-products of cashew processing have many other uses. The shell oil (which, confusingly, isn’t an oil, but rather a mixture of cardol and anacardic acid) appears in over 200 different patents. It’s an ingredient in things that must resist friction, heat, and acids, such as brake linings and clutch plates for the automotive industry, and also helps make glue and lightweight carbon-composite products such as rockets and high-end kayaks.

Cashew wood is also remarkably insect-resistant and favored for packing crates and bookcases. And the gum of the cashew tree works as an insect-repellent glue in bookbinding.

Should You Buy Organic Cashews?

Another plus for the planet is that a lot of cashew farming in Vietnam, Thailand, and India (major suppliers of the US market) occurs on “small, often wild or naturalized plantations” that don’t use any fertilizers or pesticides.

This doesn’t mean that the cashews you buy are guaranteed to be organic, though. There is a trend to apply pesticides even to naturally pest-resistant cashews, as they’ve been shown to slightly increase yield. The good news is that cashew nuts naturally have two protective coverings — the outer shell and the inner “testa” layer — shielding them from the direct application of pesticides. FDA testing did not find pesticide residue in most of the cashews it sampled. And so, you don’t have to buy organic cashews to avoid pesticides — although buying organic is generally better for people and the planet.

Overall, cashews are relatively sustainable, especially in comparison to meat and dairy.

Cashew Ethics

But while cashews can be nutritious and environmentally sustainable, the cashew industry is unfortunately notable for its track record of harming workers. To understand the scope and severity of the problem, let’s first look at what has to happen for cashews to get from a tree to your mouth.

Cashew Processing

First, it’s extremely labor intensive to harvest the nuts. Each cashew apple has one nut, which workers must harvest by hand. (One of the reasons they’re so expensive compared to many other nuts.)

The main issue, however, is that the cashews are toxic to the touch before and during processing. The shell that surrounds each cashew nut contains the toxic oil urushiol, which is the active ingredient in poison ivy. When urushiol touches human skin, it causes rashes, itching, blistering, and swelling.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the shell is also a source of phenolic resin, which contains formaldehyde and anacardic acid, which is also a powerful skin irritant.

Cashew nut consumers don’t have to worry about any of these compounds because they’re removed during processing. Once the shells are peeled, dried, and subjected to heat, there are no more toxins.

Harmful Effects on Cashew Workers

Unfortunately, the workers doing the cutting, peeling, drying, and heating of cashew processing experience all these side effects during their long daily shifts. Since they’re paid when they meet production quotas, rather than an hourly wage, they have to rush just to make the equivalent of $2–3 per day. And rushing while hand-cutting or peeling the fragile drupes leads to nasty skin burns.

Gloves would help but are not common for three reasons. First, the factories that employ the cashew processors (who are nearly all women) force them to pay for their own gloves. Second, the thin gloves that workers can afford often break, rendering them useless. And third, the women say that gloves make the work harder, slow them down, and keep them from earning what they need to feed their families.

Here’s an 8-minute heartbreaking video that shows why cashews are so expensive. And it illustrates the effects of cashew processing on a group of women in Sri Lanka. Trigger Warning: it shows disturbing images of the skin damage the women experience due to constant exposure to the corrosive oils and acids in the cashew shells.

Other Cashew Industry Labor Issues

As you can imagine, the only people who take such jobs are those with few other options. In fact, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report from 2011 revealed that Vietnamese cashew processing facilities were forced-labor camps for those convicted of being drug addicts. TIME magazine reported that prisoners who resisted were “beaten with truncheons, given electric shocks, locked in isolation, deprived of food and water, and obliged to work even longer hours…”

And very few workers are covered by health insurance, even when such coverage is mandatory by the government.

In response to all this, there are now global campaigns working to end the horrific practices of the “blood cashew” industry.

Fair-Trade Cashews

Not all cashew plantations and processing plants engage in the heinous — and profitable — practices described above. If you want to enjoy cashews and cashew products without contributing to the mistreatment of workers, you can.

One fair-trade cashew brand that I like is Beyond the Nut — and you can receive 10% off your first order from them with the code FOODREV10. Another fair-trade cashew brand you might want to check out is Uprise Foods, which you can purchase on Amazon here. These companies work with facilities that provide a fair wage, provide castor oil for workers to coat their skin to prevent weeping sores (while keeping their hands nimble enough to do the work), and give back to the local communities to help lift them out of poverty.

How to Store Cashews

Once you’ve bought fair-trade cashews, make sure you store them properly so you can enjoy them. It’s best to keep them in an airtight container — glass jars and silicone bags work nicely. If you have a large quantity that you aren’t going to use up quickly, store them in your refrigerator or freezer, where they can last for up to six months.

If you keep cashews in your pantry, make sure to protect them from light and heat; that way, you can enjoy them for up to three months.

Like other nuts (and drupes!), cashews can go bad if stored for too long in unfavorable conditions. Cashews will go rancid when exposed to light, air, and heat for too long. You’ll know if your cashews are ready for the compost if they have a harsh and bitter taste or an odor that reminds you of old paint or nail polish remover.

How to Use Cashews

You can, of course, snack on cashews all by themselves. You can also add them to recipes or use them as toppings for both sweet and savory dishes.

Here are some typical uses for cashews:

• On their own or on a charcuterie board as a snack; raw or roasted with herbs, spices, or even lemon juice
• Mixed into trail mix, granola, or energy balls
• Cashew butter
• Made into another sauce or condiment like cashew sour cream or a cashew spread
• Cashew cheese
• Used as a topping for stir-fry and other Asian dishes
• As a topping for plant-based yogurt or oatmeal
• Made into cashew milk or yogurt

Cashew Recipes

Homemade yogurt is an economical, nutritious, and delicious base in a range of recipes. Cashew cheese in an already-tasty, feeds-a-crowd veggie casserole, ups the “everyone will love this” quotient, just about ensuring that not a bite will go to waste. And, seasoned and roasted cashews become that special something that will delight your taste buds — a few will go a long way, either as a snack or in elevating your favorite dishes (plus, they store well!).

1. Easy Homemade Cashew Yogurt

This super simple, five-ingredient, plant-based yogurt will get you excited to be in the kitchen! Because cashews have a decent amount of plant-based fat, they create that creamy mouthfeel of traditional yogurt. Easy Homemade Cashew Yogurt is certainly worth the wait while healthy bacteria do their job making it nice and tangy. Check out the Chef’s Notes for all the ways you can use this creamy treat.

2. Broccoli Potato Casserole with Cashew Cheese

Cashews are a magical plant-based ingredient that easily blends into a silky and creamy dairy-free cheese or sauce to enhance just about any recipe. In Broccoli Potato Casserole with Cashew Cheese — a comforting, creamy, and mouthwatering meal — they are truly a game changer! This wholesomely cheesy casserole is an ideal plant-based dish for the entire family!

3. Chili-Spiced Roasted Cashews

Their slightly sweet yet neutral flavor makes cashews a perfect vehicle for the creative use of your favorite flavors, herbs, and spices (and roasting them makes them even more deliciously nutty!). Here, fresh lime, fragrant chili powder, and robust tones of garlic make way for a slightly sweet and savory snack — for any time a crunchy craving hits. What’s more, you can add them to your favorite savory plant-based dishes for an extra kick of flavor and crunch!

Enjoy Cashews Responsibly

The cashew is a delicious “nut” that can be enjoyed as is, and also makes a versatile substitute for dairy. It’s healthy and nutritious, though some people need to avoid it because of allergies. And because cashew processing plants have a track record of mistreating and underpaying their employees, I recommend choosing only fair-trade certified cashews, even if they cost a bit more than regular brands.

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite nut (or drupe)?
• Have you used cashews to replace dairy products? If so, how did it work?
• What cashew recipe will you try?

Feature Image: iStock.com/Altayb

Read Next:

• Are Almonds Sustainable?
• The Truth About Palm Oil: The Dark Side You Probably Don’t Know

The post Are Cashews Healthy, Ethical, or Sustainable? appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

The game show Supermarket Sweep featured contestants frantically filling their shopping carts with the most expensive items they could find. The player whose checkout total was highest won the game. Old footage shows people racing up and down aisles, hoisting frozen turkeys and hams into their carts, and then searching the shelves for the special items that conferred bonus points and boosted their totals.

In a 2015 retrospective, Supermarket Sweep host David Ruprecht revealed the secret to winning the game. While the hams and turkeys were more expensive than most of the other products in the store, they had a couple of significant drawbacks. First, they were heavy and required a lot of energy to lift and toss. Second, they took up a lot of space in the carts, which prevented the players from adding more items.

Those who won the $5,000 grand prize generally avoided the meat section entirely, and instead headed for the personal care aisle, where they grabbed dozens of cartons and bottles of beauty products. They were light and small, easy to hold and maneuver, and they cost much more per weight and volume than items in the meat or deli sections.

Without even knowing it, you play your own version of Supermarket Sweep whenever you eat. Instead of a cart, you have a stomach that can hold only so much food. And you have a bewildering array of options for what to put in that stomach. The question is, what’s your strategy for deciding what to chew and swallow, and what to leave alone?

There’s no single right answer. For some people, cost per calorie is the most important factor. For others, taste matters most. Habit also plays a large role, as does convenience.

If you want your best shot at living a long and healthy life, however, there’s another metric to take into account as you design your diet — nutrient density. In other words, the foods that give you the most nutritional value per weight, volume, and energy (calories) are the ones that warrant your attention.

Maximizing Nutrition

Frequent Food Revolution Summit presenter (and the author of the foreword to my book, 31-Day Food Revolution), Joel Fuhrman, MD, bases his dietary philosophy on maximizing nutritional value. That’s how he formulated his Nutritarian Diet, and how he came up with the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) score that rates common supermarket foods based on how much nutrition they deliver per calorie.

But I don’t expect you to memorize the ANDI ranking of every SKU in your local grocery store, nor do you need to pull up an app every time you go shopping. Instead, Dr. Fuhrman came up with a simple acronym to help you remember what types of foods to prioritize if you want to win the Nutritarian Supermarket Sweep: GBOMBS.

Dropping GBOMBS

Dr. Fuhrman came up with the acronym GBOMBS to help you remember the healthiest and best cancer-fighting foods you can eat. All GBOMBS are whole, plant-based foods high in nutritional value.

So what are these GBOMBS? The GBOMBS acronym stands for Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. You may be familiar with GBOMBS already if you know Dr. Fuhrman’s work or have heard of or seen them on our website. You may even have a sense of why these foods are such powerful allies in the quest to keep your body cancer-free. (If not, I’ll recap some of their health benefits below — for details, check out Dr. Fuhrman’s full-length GBOMBS article here.)

But knowing that they’re really good for you won’t automatically help you incorporate GBOMBS into your diet on a regular basis. After all, there are those other considerations to take into account and sometimes overcome, like cost, convenience, taste, and habit.

In this article, we’ll look at how to get your GBOMBS every day — at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and even in between). You’ll discover how to take these simple, plant-based foods and turn them into whole meals, or base an entire meal around one, some, or all of them.

The GBOMBS Formula: Nutritional Density Over Calories

The term GBOMBS highlights six types of whole, plant-based foods full of peak nutritional value. Thanks to their high antioxidant content, these foods can help your body to heal, achieve optimal weight, and even slow the aging process.

Dr. Fuhrman advises that people base their diet around unprocessed plant-derived foods, such as vegetables, legumes, onions, mushrooms, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, and intact whole grains; with attention to consuming G-BOMBS almost every day.

If you enjoy algebra, here’s Dr. Fuhrman’s longevity formula for estimating the quality of your diet:

H = N/C (Health = Nutrients/Calories)

By nutrients, Fuhrman is referring to micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that your body requires to function optimally. Calories are the macronutrients — carbohydrates, fats, and protein (plus alcohol, which technically gets included since it provides calories, even though it has no real nutritional value). So the more nutrients in a given amount of calories, the healthier the diet, according to the Nutritarian Philosophy. This high nutrient intake also helps prevent overeating and addictive behaviors.

GBOMBS are the Olympic champions of health, according to Dr. Fuhrman. These foods contain not only essential vitamins and minerals, but also hundreds of naturally-occurring phytonutrients that may protect against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and other chronic health conditions.

GBOMBS and Weight Loss

They also are hugely important if you’re interested in losing weight or maintaining a lean body. By focusing on nutrient density over calories, you may not need to count calories but can instead depend on your body’s innate satiety signals to let you know when to stop eating. Indeed, most GBOMBS are naturally low in calories, and since you aren’t consuming “empty calories” (devoid of nutritional value), every calorie counts.

The only whole plant foods you may need to eat in moderation, if you’re looking to lose weight, are nuts, seeds, coconuts, and avocados because they’re high in fat and therefore high in calories. And of these foods, only seeds are represented in the GBOMBS list, because they have the most documented anticancer benefits.

Benefits of GBOMBS

Pretty much all plant foods deliver healthy nutrition, so let’s take a moment to see why these particular food categories are extra good for you.

Greens

Greens are a GBOMBS food with a wealth of antioxidants like chlorophyll, isothiocyanates, and isoflavones, all of which contribute to the rich hues found in leafy greens. (I know they’re called greens, but just to keep things interesting, some of them are more purple or red, like purple cabbage and red lettuce).

The isothiocyanates in cruciferous greens such as cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, and chard are precursors to the powerful antioxidant sulforaphane, which is one of the most potent cancer-fighters ever studied. Many are also high in folate and vitamin K, which can help protect your brain, bones, blood, and even DNA.

Beans

Beans are the food most associated with longevity around the world. High in fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus, beans not only help prevent cancer, but also benefit heart health, weight loss, and blood sugar management. They are the lowest glycemic, carbohydrate-rich food. An added bonus is that they’re relatively inexpensive, and so can help you get more from your food budget. These are also reasons why beans are a major source of nutrition worldwide.

Onions

Onions and their cousins in the allium family, including garlic, chives, and leeks, have been used both culinarily and as medicine for thousands of years. Their strong odors arise from organosulfur compounds (based on the element sulfur), which serve to protect the plants from predators. In an ironic twist, those compounds also seem to protect the health of those predators (that is, us).

Onions have antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting, and potentially anti-aging properties.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms, which are not plants but fungi, are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Being from a different kingdom, they provide some valuable nutrients that aren’t so common in many plants. These include the antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione, which appear to help boost our mood, as well as beta-glucan fiber, which fights inflammation in the gut-brain axis.

Mushrooms are also one of the few foods that may provide a source of vitamin D if they’re exposed to sunlight while growing. All told, mushrooms a powerful GBOMBS food that can benefit your heart, brain, gut, immune system, and cells.

While white button mushrooms are among the most nutritionally potent cancer fighters, a group of mushrooms known as medicinal mushrooms are now being studied, with great interest, for their potential as immune modulators. These include maitake, reishi, himematsutake, turkey tail, shiitake, lion’s mane, zhu ling, meshimakobu, and Chaga. I know that’s a lot to remember (and buy and eat!), so I’m happy to tell you that Dr. Fuhrman has formulated a supplement, Immune Biotect, that contains a proprietary blend of all those mushrooms.

Berries

When it comes to real food, the more colorful, the better. And a greater variety of colors is even better still. One way to tell if you’re getting a full range of these amazing nutrients is if you’re “eating the rainbow” on a regular basis. And berries, with their rich reds and blues and purples and yellows, are some of the most colorful and healthy foods you can eat.

In addition to being great sources of vitamin C, folate, and potassium, berries are also high in antioxidants and polyphenols like anthocyanins and resveratrol. These compounds help fight oxidative stress in the body, which is often responsible for inflammation and chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. While eating fresh or frozen berries is the best way to get these wonderful benefits, you may also choose to supplement with Dr. Fuhrman’s Berry Boost Superfood Powder.

Seeds

Seeds are phytonutrient powerhouses containing tocopherols, phytosterols, vitamin E, vitamin B6, folate, and phenolic compounds. They’re also high in fiber and minerals like magnesium and manganese.

Some seeds, such as chia and flax, also contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, which aren’t always easy to come by on a plant-based diet. Seeds deliver many health benefits, including fighting cancer and stabilizing blood sugar, and they can also help improve mood and athletic performance.

How to Incorporate GBOMBS Into Daily Meals

Incorporating GBOMBS into your daily meals can be as simple or complicated as you like. If you’re just starting out, one way to get into the GBOMBS habit is to make sure to eat from one category each day. Get on a roll, and work your way up from there.

If you’re more ambitious or already familiar with GBOMBS in your diet, you can up your game by choosing one to include at each meal. Once you’re a GBOMBS pro, see if you can incorporate all six into each day. And if you’re an overachiever, try to get all six into one meal!

GBOMBS Meal Plan & Shopping List

To make eating GBOMBS daily even easier, we’ve put together a 3-day meal plan for you to try! In it, you’ll find GBOMBS recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, along with a GBOMBs shopping list of all the ingredients you’ll need to make each recipe. You can download and print the PDFs of the meal plan and shopping list below.

Download our 3-Day GBOMBS Meal Guide and Shopping List here:

GBOMBS 3-Day Meal Plan Guide

GBOMBS Shopping List

GBOMBS for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!

Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds are some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Their nutritional profiles rank them at the top of the ANDI score, with the most nutrients for the fewest calories. And even though, with the exception of seeds, they’re low in calories, their water and fiber content makes them filling, so eating them can help you lose weight and keep it off without needing to count calories or worry about portion sizes.

Incorporating GBOMBS regularly into your diet and planning meals around them can help you get the most out of these incredible superfoods. I hope this meal guide and shopping list will help you keep GBOMBS at the forefront of your diet.

Tell us in the comments:

• Which of the GBOMBS do you like the most?
• Which of the GBOMBS do you want to eat more of?
• Have you ever eaten a meal that included all six GBOMBS?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Minadezhda

The post How to Use GBOMBS: A Meal Plan & Recipes to Supercharge Your Diet appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Comedian Mitch Hedberg wondered about sesame seeds a lot. Primarily, he was concerned about how they stick to hamburger buns. Do they have adhesive backing on just one side? And who has the time to peel and stick all those tiny seeds to the buns?

Hedberg’s musings about sesame seeds were limited to their relationship to buns because he’d probably never seen them in any other context. Had he grown up in the Middle East or East Asia, though, his sesame set would have featured jokes about foods like tahini, halvah, sushi, and sukiyaki. In recent decades, the tiny and tasty seeds have grown in global popularity and versatility as their cuisines of origin have jumped borders and gone international.

While an individual sesame seed may be small, don’t underestimate the nutritional value of a bunch of them. And if you haven’t experienced the wonders of sesame beyond a bun or an everything bagel, you may enjoy getting to know the much bigger and more delicious world of sesame seeds and sesame products.

In this article, we’ll say “open sesame” to the mystery of the “Queen of Oilseeds.” We’ll explore their health benefits, find out about potential downsides, and brainstorm delicious and creative ways to include sesame seeds and sesame products in your diet.

Ready? With all due respect to Big Bird and Grover (insert Sesame Street theme song music here), let me tell you how to get, how to get to sesame seed.

What Is Sesame?

Archeological evidence suggests that sesame is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. The oldest sesame seeds found in an archeological context come from the Indus Valley site at Harappa, now in Pakistan, which dates back 4,000–4,600 years. (I can only imagine how hard it would be to find a seed that old in a giant mound of earth. Hopefully one of the diggers didn’t just drop one from between their teeth after lunch.)

Sesame seeds come from the Sesame or Sesamum indicum L. plant, an oilseed crop of the family Pedaliaceae, which to my surprise did not include unicycle ferns or penny-farthing thistles. A prolific producer, one sesame seedpod can produce hundreds of seeds. Botanists think the plant originated in what is now India or Africa; and considering that it still grows wild in Africa, that’s probably a solid guess.

Sesame was likely domesticated somewhere on the Indian subcontinent and probably spread from there to Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE (that’s a lot of sesame spread!) The Babylonians used the seeds to make the only kind of oil they cooked with, and news of the innovation got to Egypt around 500 years later. By 200 BCE, the Chinese had been growing sesame long enough to make it a common staple crop.

To this day, in some cultures, sesame is regarded as the “Queen of Oilseeds” due to its ability to stay fresh and tasty for a long time, resisting oxidation and rancidity.

Hulled vs Unhulled Sesame Seeds

When you buy sesame seeds, you can get them either hulled or unhulled. The hulls are the shells, or outer coverings, of the seed. Hulled sesame seeds have had this covering removed, and unhulled sesame seeds have an intact outer shell.

When shopping for sesame seeds, you might see them characterized as black, brown, or white. Black and brown sesame seeds are the unhulled version (the outer coating is actually kind of golden brown) of seeds, while white sesame seeds are the hulled ones.

Black and brown sesame seeds boast a nutty taste and slightly sweet flavor and aroma that you can enhance by toasting. White seeds — the ones you’ll typically find in a Western grocery store — have a milder flavor.

Black sesame seeds show up often in Asian cuisine. These have a stronger, earthier, and sometimes bitter flavor, along with a crunchier texture.

Other Sesame Seed Products

Cultures around the world have turned raw or roasted sesame seeds into flavorful and versatile ingredients, as well as cherished items of various cuisines.

Tahini

The Middle East gave us tahini, a condiment or sauce used in Middle Eastern cooking. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, either raw or roasted. Tahini is also considered a type of seed butter and is vegan.

There are many uses for tahini, but if you’re a traditionalist, you can drizzle tahini over falafel. You can also include it as a whole-foods fat source in dressings, sauces, and dips. Classic hummus consists of two main ingredients — chickpeas and tahini — along with flavorings like garlic and an acid like lemon juice.

You can buy a bottle of tahini at your leisure, as it’s shelf-stable until opened, for at least a year or two. Once opened, keep your tahini refrigerated so the oil doesn’t separate, and use it within 3–6 months (our recipes below will ensure that it doesn’t last that long). If you’re not sure if your tahini is still viable, check for a rancid odor, or mold forming on the inside of the jar or lid. Homemade tahini may go bad faster; you can slow this down by storing it in an airtight container. And make it in small batches so you can use it up before it turns towards sesame seed heaven, or wherever it is that sesame seeds go when their edible life is drawing to a close.

Sesame Paste

An Asian take on tahini (or is tahini a Middle Eastern take on sesame paste?), sesame paste comes from toasted, unhulled sesame seeds. Sesame paste uses abound in Chinese and other Asian cuisines — use it in soups, as well as noodle and rice dishes.

Sesame paste is typically darker in color than tahini and has roughly the same consistency. But you can also store it like tahini: you can keep sesame paste in its original airtight jar for up to two years, and once opened, refrigerate it and use it within six months.

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is a staple cooking oil and condiment ingredient in many Asian cuisines. If you use oil, you can use light sesame oil as a neutral cooking oil, and reserve toasted sesame oil as a flavoring for sauces, soups, and other dishes. With sesame oil, the darker the color, the stronger the flavor.

Both types of sesame oil are highly stable and resist oxidation. You can store light sesame oil for up to a year at room temperature. Toasted sesame oil has a slightly shorter shelf life, but will still last for many months if you keep it refrigerated.

If you choose to use sesame oil, do so in moderation, as it’s very high in omega-6 fatty acids. While both omega-6s and omega-3s are essential nutrients, most people consume way more omega-6s than omega-3s, and it’s important to even out the ratio.

Halvah

Halvah is a Middle Eastern dessert that traditionally consists of ground sesame seeds, sugar, and other sweeteners and flavorings, such as honey, pistachios, and chocolate. The texture is solid, almost like a block of fudge, but when you break or bite into it, you’ll find it somewhat crumbly and chalky.

You don’t have to refrigerate halvah, but many people do because the cold keeps it firmer. Unrefrigerated, it will last up to six months, but realistically, if you like it you’ll find it hard not to gobble it up well before then.

Note that some halvah brands use refined sweeteners and natural flavorings, so make sure to read the ingredients before purchasing.

Sesame Flour

Sesame flour is a gluten-free baking flour made from raw, unhulled, and ground sesame seeds. You can use it just like almond flour in gluten-free crackers, breads, batters, and various baked goods.

Some varieties are labeled “defatted,” which just means the seeds are cold-pressed to remove the oil before they’re ground. Sesame flour, defatted or whole, lasts about 6–12 months at room temperature.

Sesame Seed Nutrition

All sesame seeds are good sources of protein, healthy carbohydrates, fiber, fatty acids, B vitamins, and minerals like copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Unhulled seeds contain more calcium, iron, potassium, and other minerals, while hulled seeds are slightly higher in folate and have a higher fat concentration and higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A and E.

All types of sesame seeds are high in phytochemicals, including the lignans sesamin and sesamolin (“S is for sesamolin, that’s good enough for me”) that act like antioxidants, scavenging free radicals and reducing inflammation. If you really want to get your antioxidants on, go for the black sesame seeds, which are often studied for their potent health benefits thanks to their stronger antioxidant activity.

Sesame Nutrition Facts

You can see a comparison of the different kinds of sesame products’ nutrition below:

• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, whole, dried: 51.6 calories, 1.59g protein, 4.5g fat, 2.1g total carbohydrates, 1.06 fiber (Source: USDA)
• 2 tablespoons of tahini: 190 calories, 5g protein, 16g fat, 6g carbohydrates, 3g fiber (Source: USDA)
• 1 ounce of halvah: 159 calories, 6g protein, 8g fat, 13g carbohydrates, 2g fiber (Source: USDA)
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil: 120 calories, 0g protein, 13.6g fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0g fiber (Source: USDA)
• 1 ounce of sesame flour: 94 calories, 14.2g protein, .5g fat, 10g carbohydrates, 0g fiber (Source: USDA)

Benefits of Sesame Seeds

Science is catching up on centuries of folk wisdom regarding the health benefits of sesame seeds.

Anti-Arthritic Benefits

A 2019 study out of Iran found that supplementation with sesamin reduced inflammatory biomarkers in women with rheumatoid arthritis. Those in the sesamin group also reported less pain than those given a placebo.

Anti-inflammatory Benefits

A 2021 meta-analysis of seven studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of sesame consumption showed that eating sesame seeds reduced some inflammatory biomarkers. It’s not clear whether these effects will be more pronounced and widespread through the consumption of seeds, oil, or supplements; like almost every nutrition study ever written, the paper ends with a call for further research.

Sesame seeds also seem to be protective of the heart. The lignan sesamin apparently does a lot of the heavy lifting here. As one study put it, there’s evidence that the compound is “anti-hypertensive, anti-atherogenic, anti-thrombotic, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity,” which I’d pay good money to hear Big Bird and Elmo sing as a duet, with Zoe translating for the rest of us: “against high blood pressure, against injuries to blood vessel walls, against dangerous blood clots, against diabetes, and against gaining too much weight.”

Lowering LDL Cholesterol

A small 2014 study of men suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee found that 40 grams per day of sesame seeds lowered their total cholesterol, and more significantly, their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Sesame oil also passed that test, decreasing LDL levels while maintaining the “good” HDL cholesterol levels in humans and laboratory rats, mice, and rabbits. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

Anticancer Benefits

Sesame seeds may also fight cancer, thanks partly to the potent antioxidant lignans sesamin and sesamol. And sesamol’s big brother sesamolin has been shown to induce apoptosis (a process whereby damaged cells essentially self-destruct for the good of the organism; something that stops working in cancerous cells) in leukemia, lymphoma, and colon cancer cells.

Good for Athletic Performance

Sesame seeds can improve athletic performance, according to a 2017 study conducted with 20 ​teenage Brazilian football players (you may know the game as soccer). Half the players consumed two tablespoons of sesame seeds a day during 28 days of hard training, and the other half received a placebo.

How do you create a placebo that will fool people into thinking they’re eating sesame seeds when they’re not? I’m glad you asked — I had the same question. The trick, according to the study, was to grind the actual sesame seeds into a paste and sweeten them with honey. The placebo then consisted of honey, maltodextrin, cow’s milk, and artificial caramel food coloring. There — now you can open a restaurant called Placebo Sesame Cafe.

The young athletes who consumed the actual sesame seeds experienced less muscle damage, less oxidative stress, less systemic inflammation, and improved aerobic performance.

Brain Benefits

Sesame seeds may be good for your brain and nervous system. Black sesame seeds appear to contain a compound that interferes with amyloid plaque formation in the brain, the very process associated with the ravages of Alzheimer’s. In 2020, a team of Japanese researchers showed that sesaminol prevented cellular changes associated with Parkinson’s disease in test tube studies.

Another team out of Japan found that 12 weeks of supplementation with sesamin and another compound, astaxanthin, improved cognitive function in people aged 50–79 who exhibited symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. Specifically, those taking the active supplements gained in psychomotor and processing speeds compared to placebo controls.

Antidiabetic Benefits

To round out the research on sesame, it also appears to help prevent and manage diabetes due to its hypoglycemic effects. A 2021 meta-analysis of the eight randomized controlled trials of sesame compounds on blood glucose found that they significantly decreased fasting blood sugar. And a 2019 clinical trial out of Pakistan used white sesame oil not only to lower fasting blood sugar and A1C levels in type 2 diabetics but to improve their liver and kidney functions as well.

Sesame Risks

With sesame seeds, it’s not always a sunny day where the air is sweet.

Sesame Allergy

Sesame has become a major allergen over the past two decades, likely due to the increased use of sesame seed and oil-containing products in Europe and North America.

Sesame’s status as the ninth major food allergen was codified by the US government’s Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act on April 23, 2021. (I hope the position of US Acronymer Laureate pays well, it’s an important job —  “Food Allergy Research and Treatment — no, that won’t work…”) The required labeling of products that contain sesame or have been manufactured or packaged anywhere near sesame went into effect on January 1, 2023.

In Israel, a country that takes its sesame seriously, only cow’s milk was found to be a more common cause of anaphylaxis (that’s an extreme allergic reaction that involves all sorts of unpleasant and potentially life-threatening symptoms, including facial swelling, heart palpitations, and inability to breath). Sesame’s place near the top of this list is probably due to near-universal early exposure and heavy consumption of sesame-containing foods in Israel.

Not every allergic reaction to sesame is so severe; sometimes all a sufferer might experience is a mild case of hives. But if you have a sesame allergy, it is recommended to keep an epinephrine injection device like an Epi-pen with you at all times, as epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis regardless of the trigger. And of course, avoid eating sesame seeds in any form.

Oxalates

Oxalates are compounds in certain foods that, consumed in very high amounts, could predispose you to calcium-oxalate kidney stones, which are what you should see pictured when you look up “No fun” in the dictionary. And sesame seeds contain a heck of a lot of oxalates: according to food science, almost 2,800 milligrams of oxalic acid per 100 grams of sesame seeds.

Arguably, this level of oxalate exposure becomes a problem if you’re consuming sesame seeds by the bucketful. But 100 grams is actually a lot of sesame seeds — around half a cup — and as most servings of sesame seeds tend to be a single tablespoon (15 grams) or less, using the seeds as a topping or condiment doesn’t really raise oxalate alarms.

And other sesame products contain much lower amounts of oxalate due to heating and processing, which destroys them. The good news is that because sesame seeds are also high in potassium, calcium, and phytochemicals, all of which moderate the effects of oxalates, they’re generally not a problem for most people.

See our article here for more on oxalates.

Phytoestrogens

Sesame seeds contain lignans, which are types of phytoestrogens. Estrogen is a hormone found in animal-derived foods, and phytoestrogens are plant compounds that look and act enough like true estrogen to be able to bind to estrogen receptors in your body.

The similarities have caused some food writers and bloggers to worry about the effects of these lignans and other phytoestrogens on our sex hormones.

The best-known phytoestrogen controversy is over soy and the development of “man boobs” — which turns out to have no real basis in fact. (For more on the truth about soy, see this article.)

There doesn’t appear to be an evidentiary basis for phytoestrogen concerns in sesame seeds, either. Studies show that while phytoestrogens do bind to estrogen receptors in the body, their estrogenic activity is much weaker than true estrogen, and they may actually block or even oppose the effects of estrogen in some tissues. Think of a piece of gum fitting into a keyhole; as you cram it in, it takes on something of the shape of the key, but it doesn’t open the door. And it makes it harder for a real key to open the door, too.

In addition to their potentially beneficial antiestrogenic effects on some tissues, phytoestrogens offer a number of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, reducing the frequency of hot flashes in menopausal women, and reducing the risk of hormone associated cancers.

Acrylamide

Roasted sesame seeds and related products may contain acrylamide, a potential carcinogen that is formed in certain foods during cooking or processing at high temperatures.

Acrylamide formation may be a result of the Maillard reaction, which is browning from cooking or processing due to a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, and not the nasty look you get when you surprise a duck.

Roasted or toasted sesame products — which can include seeds, tahini, sesame paste, halvah, and sesame oil — have been found to contain varying amounts of acrylamide. A few are high enough that the state of California puts a Prop 65 warning on them, signifying that prolonged exposure may increase the risk of cancer.

The testing of sesame products in Turkey, however, found that traditional sesame foods like halvah and tahini have low levels of acrylamide, and that you’re more likely to be exposed to high levels from foods like french fries and baked goods.

You can take steps to limit your exposure to acrylamide. If you stir-fry with sesame oil, heat the pan at most to 170°C (338°F), and don’t use toasted sesame oil for frying. Even better, replace the oil in your stir-fries with water or broth. And add a small amount of cold sesame oil after the dish has been prepared if you want that rich and nutty sesame flavor with minimal acrylamide exposure.

The best way to avoid acrylamides from sesame seeds is to eat them raw, and use sesame products like raw tahini — either store-bought or homemade.

How to Store & Use Sesame Seeds

Even though they resist rancidity better than most other seeds and nuts, sesame seeds aren’t fully immune to spoilage. Because of their high oil content, hulled sesame seeds are kept best refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container after opening. You can keep them for up to three months without refrigeration, up to six months in the fridge, and up to a year in the freezer.

Sesame seeds enhance both savory and sweet dishes. You can sprinkle them on just about anything — oatmeal, power bowls, stir-fries, noodle dishes, salads, appetizers, side dishes, and soups.

Would you like to get your mouth watering with all the great ways you can add sesame seeds to your menu? If so, let’s not waste any time — here are some sesame and tahini recipes that will nourish your body and delight your palate.

Sesame Recipes

Tahini is an essential ingredient in any plant-based kitchen because of its versatility — it can add creamy texture, nutty flavor, and essential nutrients to just about any dish. Sesame Sunflower Chia Bites incorporate nutrient-packed seeds with tahini, making them a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you energized and satisfied. Sesame seeds not only give the Asian Black Rice Salad a finishing touch of color, but add calcium and phytonutrients to boot, plus some fun crunch! Finally, the Turmeric Tahini Sauce gets its scrumptious flavor and creamy texture from dreamy tahini.

1. Sesame Sunflower Chia Bites

Sesame Sunflower Chia Bites boast nutrient-packed seeds, including pumpkin and sesame, making them a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you energized and satisfied. What’s more, sesame seeds are jam-packed with calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. The bites are sweetened with whole pitted dates that complement the nutty flavor of sesame and sunflower seeds perfectly.

2. Asian Black Rice Salad

Get ready to wow your guests at that summer picnic with the Asian Black Rice Salad. It’s bursting with color, flavor, and fun textures from the carrots, cabbage, and cashews. The addition of sesame seeds not only gives the Asian Black Rice Salad a finishing touch of color, but also adds calcium and phytonutrients, plus more fun crunch!

3. Turmeric Tahini Sauce

Turmeric Tahini Sauce is slightly nutty, very creamy, and packed with nutrition thanks to the tahini. The turmeric adds just a bit of earthiness along with anti-inflammatory compounds, and lemon adds some zest as well as vitamin C. This tahini recipe just might become your new favorite addition to drizzle on top of salads, grain bowls, and steamed veggies!

Sesame and Tahini Are Good for You!

Sesame seeds are a versatile food that offers considerable health benefits. While there are a few considerations when eating sesame seeds or sesame products, they’re safe and ultimately beneficial for most people. You can enjoy many types of sesame products as part of a wide variety of dishes and cuisines, in whole, paste, oil, or flour form. Sesame seeds can be a delicious and nutritious addition to a well-balanced diet.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you eat sesame seeds or sesame seed products like tahini?
• What was your first non-bun or bagel exposure to sesame seeds?
• What sesame products have you tried, and which is your favorite?

Feature Image: LiudmilaChernetska

Read Next:

• 9 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds and How to Eat Them
• Are Flaxseeds Good for You? — And the Best Ways to Eat Them
• All About Hemp Seeds — A Nutritionally Dense Superfood

The post What Is Sesame? Explore the Benefits & Uses of Sesame Seeds and Tahini appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Elvis sure could sing, but he was not what most people would consider a connoisseur of wholesome food. According to biographers, he was extremely fond of a sandwich consisting of two large slices of bread, sliced banana, peanut butter, and bacon, all fried in bacon grease — an oversized sandwich that comes in at around 8,000 calories. This is not, needless to say, a recipe that you would ever find on the Food Revolution Network website.

But that doesn’t mean we need to throw out the whole idea of nut and seed butters. Done right, they can be a delicious and versatile part of a healthy diet. After all, nuts and seeds provide myriad health benefits, as we’ll see below. And for many people, the main way to enjoy these benefits is through nut butters or seed butters. The spreadable pastes are used as sandwich fillings, sauce thickeners, baking ingredients, and in countless other ways.

While peanut butter has been touted as an inexpensive protein source the world over, some nut butters can be quite expensive. And some commercial varieties contain additional ingredients that, like Elvis’s bacon, may be questionable for your health.

Another strike against commercial nut and seed butters is that once they are ground, the fats begin to degrade and can go rancid. Fresh is best, but with store-bought butters, that may not be an option.

If you want fresh, delicious, affordable, and clean nut and seed butters, your best bet is probably to make your own. In this article, you’ll discover exactly how — and get some amazing recipes for homemade butters that can add health to your life and deliciousity (yes, spellcheck, that really is a word!) to your kitchen.

Types of Nut and Seeds

You can make nut butter or seed butter out of pretty much any food that’s eaten like a nut or seed. The most common, of course, is peanut butter, which isn’t a nut at all, but a legume.

I’ve known this for years, but only in writing this article did I realize that I wasn’t actually sure about the difference. It turns out that a nut is a fruit with a single seed, while legumes are fruits with multiple seeds. So almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts are all single inside their hulls, while peanuts typically occur in pairs or even trios inside their shells, more like their legume siblings peas, beans, and lentils.

Nuts

Now you know why peanuts aren’t botanically considered to be nuts. But along with peanuts, almost any nut can be turned into a nut butter, including almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and macadamia nuts. 

Seeds

What about seeds? Nuts have seeds, but aren’t seeds? Oh dear, more taxonomic confusion. While not getting deep into the biology of plant reproduction (this is a family-friendly website, after all), we can keep it simple by saying that nuts have hard shells (called pericarps) that we have to work to crack open, while seeds are encased in seed coats that are relatively easy to remove. Sunflowers blur the line, but in many cultures, (including American baseball) popping handfuls of sunflower seeds in the mouth and expertly spitting out the shells is a fine art. No nutcracker required.

There are a bunch of seeds that are commonly made into seed butters, like sunflower, pumpkin, sesame (it even has its own special name: tahini), poppy, watermelon, hemp, and flax. One seed hasn’t yet made the cut, but is often included whole in seed butter mixtures: chia.

Seed butters tend to have stronger flavors than nut butters and often benefit from being blended with other seeds or nuts, rather than remaining as a single seed variety. And seed-only butters are often popular alternatives for people with nut allergies.

Nut & Seed Butter Nutrition

Perhaps unsurprisingly, nut and seed butters have a similar nutritional profile to their whole food forms. Nuts and seeds are good sources of plant-based protein, which is one reason that Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, 19th-century health food proponent and plant-based advocate, pushed for the commercial processing of peanuts into peanut butter to replace cow butter in the American diet.

Nuts and seeds are also high in fat, which from their perspective provides food for the growing plant embryo, and from our perspective, makes them creamy and delicious. The majority of the fats are what are commonly considered the “good kinds,” poly- and monounsaturated — although some do contain small amounts of problematic saturated fats. A few kinds of seeds, such as chia and flax, are also rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Nuts and seeds, like many whole plant foods, are high in fiber and rich in minerals like magnesium and manganese. They’re also phytonutrient powerhouses, containing tocopherols, phytosterols, vitamin E, vitamin B6, folate, and phenolic compounds. And Brazil nuts are fantastically high in selenium.

Some nuts are more nutritionally dense than others, as you can see in this nutritional comparison table of some of the most popular nut and seed butters. All nuts (other than chestnuts) are high in fat and calories. On the upside, their high fat and calorie content makes them a good substitute for dairy in some recipes. And they can be a replacement for butter, or used in place of bottled oils, for baked goods. On the upside of that upside, most nuts and seed butters are much lower in saturated fat than dairy. For example, an ounce of peanut butter contains 2.9 grams of saturated fat, which is less than half the amount in an ounce of cheddar cheese.

The downside of all that fat is, that’s a lot of fat. And since fats are more than twice the caloric density of carbohydrates and proteins, that translates into a high-calorie content. If you’re trying to keep off excess weight, or wanting to follow a low-fat diet, you may want to watch the serving sizes of your nuts, seeds, and seed and nut butters.

Why Make Your Own Nut or Seed Butter

With all those convenient commercial jars of seed or nut butters available in stores, why bother making your own?

 1. Control the ingredients

One big reason is to keep out ingredients that can harm your health and the environment. The mainstream brands of peanut butter, like Skippy and Jif, for example, contain added sugar and salt, as well as GMO oils.

The most popular added oil, palm oil, keeps the natural peanut oil from separating, so you don’t have to stir the jar’s contents before spreading. That’s a nice feature, but the palm oil industry is responsible for some of the world’s worst environmental damage, as well as racial and economic injustices, since it developed into an international power in the late 19th century. (If you want motivation to stop eating foods containing palm oil, check out the book Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up in Everything — and Endangered the World, by Jocelyn Zuckerman.)

2. Cut down on plastic

Another reason to make your own is that many commercial nut butters are sold in plastic jars. There is concern that the plasticizers and chemicals like BPA (in the plastic jars and lids) could leach into the food.

3. Save money

Another consideration is price. With the exception of peanut butter, most other commercial nut and seed butters can get expensive. Peanuts are the cheapest option because they require less water and are less expensive to grow than tree nuts. According to the National Peanut Board, admittedly not the most neutral source, growing an ounce of peanuts requires 4.7 gallons of water, compared to 80.4 and 73.5 gallons for shelled almonds and walnuts, respectively. Being legumes, peanuts also replenish soil nitrogen, thus restoring fertility without the need for large quantities of fertilizer. So farmers can pass along all these savings to you.

Whatever the nuts or seeds cost, commercial butters add manufacturing and marketing costs (not to mention profit) on top. So no matter what nut or seed (or legume) you use, making your own butter will probably end up being cheaper than buying it.

One blogger calculated the savings of homemade vs. commercial almond butter over the course of a year, and found that a family consuming three pounds of almond butter a week (which is an awful lot of almond butter, unless you’re the Duggars) could save precisely $954.72 by grinding their own.

4. Get creative

Another reason to go the homemade route is to indulge your inner chef. You can get creative with taste and texture and produce the seed butter or nut butter mix that you and yours prefer. Of course, your own nut and seed butter ingredient lists will be simpler and healthier than store-bought (unless you add things like rapeseed oil or mono and diglycerides, which, to be fair, you’ll be hard-pressed to find at your local natural foods store). But that leaves room for some cool added flavors. Here’s a shortlist to get you inspired:

• Cocoa powder
• Natural sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, and date sugar
• Spices like chile powder, cinnamon, and cardamom
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon zest
• Additional nuts or seeds to boost nutrition or add a different flavor

And since your hand is on the food processor or blender button, you get to determine exactly how smooth or crunchy the texture will be.

How to Make Nut or Seed Butter

Your first decision is whether to roast your nuts and seeds, or go the raw route. If raw, will you grind the nuts and seeds as they are, or soak or sprout them first? Soaking them in water for a few hours, or overnight, will help you remove any paper skins, like those on peanuts and almonds, and give your finished butter a creamier texture. And sprouting nuts and seeds provides added nutritional benefits.

On the other hand, even lightly roasting helps to release the natural oils in nuts and seeds, which makes them easier to blend — and can bring out their natural flavor. It also makes your home smell like a made-for-television Thanksgiving movie, especially the ones where a jaded, burned-out ad agency executive moves to New Hampshire to take care of her convalescing mother and discovers the joys of family, romance, and wood-burning stoves.

Then comes the easy part: toss the nuts or seeds into a food processor or blender (it’s a bit like the scenic route versus the autobahn, but both will get you there) along with any additional ingredients (salt is always optional).

Blend until the mixture reaches your desired consistency, and then store your butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can use a mason jar, or any other glass container. Avoid plastic, especially if the friction from blending or processing has heated up the butter. Refrigerated, the natural nut and seed butter can stay fresh for three to four weeks.

How to Use Nut and Seed Butters

Once you’ve got your jar of seed butter or nut butter lounging comfortably in the fridge, what then? I’d recommend that, most of the time, you avoid the strategy of eating all of it directly from the jar with a spoon (or worse, your fingers). That leaves several perfectly good options for how to use your seed and nut butters:

• Spread it on whole-grain or sprouted toast — and even crudités like carrots and celery.
• Follow the hallowed PB&J template by spreading it on your favorite bread along with natural fruit preserves or fresh fruit. Elvis may not have known when to stop, but his use of sliced bananas was truly inspired.
• Add oomph to smoothie bowls, açaí bowls, and oatmeal by drizzling your nut butter on top.
• Mix it into smoothies for more creaminess and flavor.
• Drizzle some sweet nut or seed butter over Apple Nachos Supreme, or use it as a dip for other fresh fruit.
• Use it in homemade baked goods.
• Make an Asian stir-fry or plant-based pasta sauce (cashew butter, in particular, makes a good base for a cream sauce).

5 Nut and Seed Butter Recipes

You’ll find a variety of nut and seed butter blends below, starting with the basics like Creamy Almond Butter and Naturally Sweet Sunflower Butter. Then moving on to fancier, yet still easy-to-make, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and Omega-3 Seedy Nut Butter. And, if you’re looking for an essential mineral boost (hello, selenium, magnesium, and zinc!) delivered in a spoonful of creamy deliciousness, then jump straight to the Brazil Cashew Nut Butter blend. Or, create your own blends using some of the recipe guidance below. The only thing we ask is that you consider sharing your nut butter blending experience with us!

1. Creamy Almond Butter

Almonds deliver an impressive amount of nutrition, including calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, and heart-healthy fats. Making your own almond butter is cost-effective and simple. It just requires a little bit of patience to get those almonds to the creamy consistency you know and love. But, trust us, it’s worth it in the end!

2. Naturally Sweet Sunflower Butter

Seeds can create the same heavenly creamy butter as nuts, thanks to their high-fat content. Seed butters are a great option if you’re allergic to nuts or simply want to add a little variety to your diet. You can make sunflower seed butter with raw sunflower seeds, but we decided to roast them. This allows their natural oils to release, which contributes to the creamy texture.

3. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Get ready for a delightfully sweet and nutty aroma that will permeate your home as you roast the hazelnuts for this blend. It might bring the store-bought version — full of processed sugar, palm oil, and milk powder — to mind, but this spread won’t harm your health or the environment. Wholesome ingredients like hazelnuts, date paste, and organic cacao powder create a delicious treat that’s kind to your body and the planet.

4. Omega-3 Seedy Nut Butter

This omega-powered creamy treat contains walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds — four plant-based ingredients that provide plenty of omega-3 fatty acids as well as phytonutrients, fiber, calcium, iron, and protein. Enjoy it as a dip with your favorite fruit or veggies — apples and carrots would both make tasty, crisp companions.

5. Brazil Cashew Nut Butter

The mild, buttery flavor of Brazil nuts makes them an excellent choice for delicious nut butter. And since they’re exceptionally high in selenium (more than any other nut), a little bit goes a long way in terms of nutrition. We’ve blended in some creamy cashew butter to help balance it out with other essential nutrients like magnesium and zinc.

Get Spreading!

Nut and seed butters are delicious and nutritious foods that serve many functions in a healthy diet. Making your own can protect you from harmful ingredients, save you money, and encourage creativity. There are so many different nuts and seeds to experiment with, in various combinations, and with various added flavors, that you may find yourself with a new hobby: DIYing a popular pantry staple in your own kitchen.

And as long as you leave out the bacon and the frying, you may find that, like Elvis, you “can’t help falling in love” with homemade nut butters and seed butters.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you eat nuts and seeds? Why or why not?
• If you use nut or seed butters, which are your favorites?
• What kind of nut or seed butter would you like to make at home?

Read Next:

• Is Peanut Butter Good for You? Everything You Need to Know
• You Won’t Believe How Healthy Nuts Are for You

The post How to Make Nut & Seed Butters appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

But today’s popularity pales in comparison with flax’s glory days, which began about 30,000 years ago and only began to wane with the rise of the cotton gin. Flax has been a staple crop for much of Asia, Europe, and the Americas for a long time, thanks to its uses as a food, oil, and fiber.

Its botanical name, Linum usitatissimum L, contains two clues as to how revered the plant used to be. Usitatissimum, which I can’t say five times fast, means “most useful” in Latin. And in “linum,” you’ll recognize the word linen, the fabric made from flax fibers. But if you look even deeper, you’ll discover that we also get the English word “line” (as in cable or rope) from this amazing plant. So next time you think in a linear fashion, admire the lining of a dress or blazer, or step out in Western duds for some line dancing, think of flax.

In terms of its use as an edible plant, flax is most commonly used in its whole food form. However, flax is also sometimes taken as a supplement and sold as flax oil, each of which has a variety of different health uses.

But despite all the talk about flaxseed benefits, some people also have concerns about certain compounds found in them, specifically “anti-nutrients” and potentially toxic compounds.

So, are flaxseeds good for you? Or should you avoid them? And, how can you effectively use flaxseeds to gain the most health benefits from them?

What Is Flax?

Flaxseeds are the seed of the flax plant. The plant itself produces beautiful blue flowers, which in turn become pea-sized capsules, each of which contains around six seeds. Flaxseed is also known as linseed, and these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. However, flaxseed refers to flax when it’s eaten by humans, whereas linseed denotes the plant’s industrial purposes.

Flax is one of the oldest grown crops, and it continues to be cultivated for both animals and humans around the world. Most flax (linseed) is grown in Russia, India, and Europe, and turned into linen fabric.

During the 19th century, flax was also grown in nearly every US state east of the Mississippi River. Although today, it’s almost exclusively grown in Minnesota and North Dakota for oil and seeds.

You’ll find two main types of flaxseeds in stores: golden and brown. While the most obvious difference between them is their color, the main nutritional difference is in the makeup of their overall oil content: alpha-linolenic acid or ALA (one of the omega-3 fatty acids associated with human health, along with EPA and DHA) comprises 59% of the total fat content in brown flaxseed and 51% of the total fat in golden flaxseed.

Flaxseed Nutrition

While flaxseeds are tiny, don’t let their size fool you. Even a small serving of flaxseeds contains a massive amount of nutrition. Just one tablespoon of whole flaxseed is a serving, in which you’ll find one gram of protein, three grams of fiber, a variety of B vitamins, around 10% of your daily needs for magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus, and a remarkable amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

Flaxseeds are also the richest source of precursors to lignans, a type of polyphenolic compound in plants that has potent antioxidant activity. Lignans may have anticancer and glucose control benefits and potentially play a role in reducing high LDL cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure.

When you eat flaxseeds, your gut bacteria convert these lignan precursors into the lignans enterolignan, enterodiol, and enterolactone (don’t they sound like secretive, morally neutral characters from the Lord of the Rings saga?). But individual differences in metabolism and individual gut health will determine their rate of conversion. Overall, taking this variable conversion into consideration, flaxseeds generate somewhere between 75–800 times more lignans than any other human food source.

As a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseeds contain around 2.3 grams of ALA per tablespoon. They serve as the best food source of these healthy fats for people who don’t consume fish or seafood.

However, flaxseeds are not a great source of the other omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA. While your body can convert some ALA to EPA and DHA, this conversion rate is generally low and varies between individuals. Some research suggests that women may be better at this conversion than men because of their naturally higher estrogen levels. But only 1–10% of ALA is converted into EPA, and 0.5-5% into DHA.

For more on omega-3 fatty acids, click here.

5 Major Health Benefits of Flaxseed

Adding even a small amount of flaxseeds to your lifestyle can really make a difference in the health department. Below are some of the main benefits that flaxseeds have to offer.

1. May have anticancer properties.

Flaxseeds are a rich source of compounds that offer potential anticancer properties, particularly their omega-3 fatty acids and the lignan precursors we discussed above.

Lignans have antiestrogen activity and are structurally similar to estrogen, with the ability to bind to cell receptors and reduce cell growth. Research shows that the combination of omega-3 fats and lignans may be especially beneficial in relation to diseases like breast cancer. And some animal studies have found that ALA may reduce the size, growth, and spread of breast cancer cells, as well as promote cancer cell death.

A 2018 lab study also found that the lignans in flaxseed helped improve the ability of chemotherapy agents to kill breast cancer cells, compared to the medication on its own.

Similarly, a 2019 study examined the effects of flaxseed oil on cancer cells in vitro, finding that its inclusion in a mixture of fatty acids reduced cancer cell growth and induced death in some of the cancerous cells.

2. May benefit heart health.

Some of the most common risk factors for heart disease include high cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to events like heart attacks and strokes. The omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and lignans in flaxseeds may offer a protective effect against these risk factors when consumed on a regular basis.

A 2015 randomized controlled trial found that the combination of ingesting 30 grams per day of flaxseed with cholesterol-lowering medications — primarily statins — for 12 months, was associated with a significant reduction in total and LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, compared to medication alone.

And in a 2019 randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial carried out among 80 hyperlipidemic and hypertensive adults, researchers found that eight weeks of supplementing 36 grams of flaxseed per day was effective for reducing waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL “bad” cholesterol compared to placebo.

Furthermore, consuming flaxseed could help lower high blood pressure for some people. A 2015 meta-analysis of 11 studies found that eating flaxseed appears to be most effective in lowering blood pressure when consumed daily as a whole food and for a period of at least three months. To make consuming the amount of flaxseed suggested for blood pressure benefits more achievable — which in some cases is 30 grams of milled flax meal per day, or around four tablespoons — some researchers suggest using them in baked goods like muffins.

As for atherosclerosis, a 2016 review concluded that regular inclusion of flaxseeds could slow the progression of — and even help to reverse — atherosclerosis among some people. In fact, the authors suggest that flaxseed could serve as an important prevention method for atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases.

3. May help balance mood.

Omega-3 fatty acids are very active in the brain and have been widely studied for their role in mental health, including improving symptoms of depression. One 2020 study among 60 depressed adult women, published in the International Journal of Food Properties, looked at the effectiveness of flaxseed oil in helping manage depression. They split the women into two groups, one that consumed a 1,000 mg flaxseed oil capsule twice a day for 10 weeks, and a placebo group. The researchers found that the intervention group experienced a reduction in depression symptoms as well as a significant increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentration. Higher levels of BDNF in the brain are associated with a reduced risk for depression and with increased capacity for learning, memory, and peak brain performance.

4. May offer anti-inflammatory benefits.

The omega-3s and lignans in flaxseeds also may help alleviate inflammation for some people, helping with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Raynaud’s phenomenon.

A 2016 review published in Nutrients looked at the effects of flaxseed consumption on the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP). The meta-analysis found that while flaxseed consumption didn’t affect CRP levels in the general population, it did appear to be an effective intervention in obese individuals.

5. May improve symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes.

Flaxseeds have antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycemic effects, thanks again to their lignan and omega-3 fatty acid content. Research has demonstrated that flaxseed consumption can help improve blood sugar control, potentially even delaying or helping to reverse the progression of type 2 diabetes in humans.

In a 2018 study published in Nutrition & Metabolism, researchers gave 53 obese patients with type 2 diabetes and constipation either 10 grams of flaxseed pre-mixed into cookies twice per day or placebo cookies for a period of 12 weeks (that must be a weird business: making placebo cookies for nutritional studies). Those who received the flaxseed cookies as a daily snack experienced a significant reduction in reported constipation symptoms and weight, as well as blood sugar and lipid levels.

Flaxseed Criticisms and Concerns

Despite all of the reasons to consider adding flaxseeds to your diet, they also come with some potential considerations.

Cyanogenic Glycosides

Flaxseeds (along with many other plant foods) contain cyanogenic glycosides, which are a group of natural substances that release small amounts of the toxic compound cyanide. These compounds break down in the presence of heat, such as during cooking. Those most likely to experience health problems from consuming cyanogenic glycosides generally have a poor-quality diet in general, lacking in iodine and high-quality protein sources, as well as overall calories. But for most of us, eating a moderate amount of flaxseeds — like one or two tablespoons per day — is not likely to pose any health problems.

On the other side of the coin, cyanogenic glycosides may not be totally bad, as some research suggests that they could actually have anti-tumor effects.

Phytates

Phytates, plant compounds that are sometimes described as “anti-nutrients,” are also found in flaxseeds. Some people worry that phytates inhibit absorption of other nutrients, particularly minerals like zinc, iron, and calcium, when consumed at the same time. But phytates may also offer some benefits to human health, such as anticancer and antioxidant activity.

Overall, phytates in flaxseeds are unlikely to have a negative effect on your nutritional status as long as you eat a well-balanced diet. And when you soak, cook, or ferment phytate-containing foods, much of the anti-nutrient content is eliminated anyway. For more on phytates, click here.

Cadmium

Cadmium, a heavy metal found in soil, can accumulate in flaxseeds. Some people find this concerning because cadmium is highly toxic to the human body. It sticks around in our bodies for decades because we don’t have an efficient way to get rid of it, and it may contribute to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

While vegans and vegetarians may have more overall cadmium intake from their diet, they appear to absorb less of it compared to meat-eaters. Why? While more research is needed, it appears that there’s something in plants that can inhibit cadmium absorption in the body. Plus, fiber and phytates in flax can actually help bind to and flush out excess cadmium (another benefit of phytates!).

Phytoestrogens

Some people are also fearful that eating flaxseeds might increase estrogen levels due to their high phytoestrogen content. However, research shows that the phytoestrogens and lignans in flax may actually team up to help balance estrogen levels, increasing or decreasing estrogen levels as needed. Plus, the phytoestrogens in flaxseed might actually block or antagonize the effects of estrogen in some tissues since they compete with the hormone for the same receptors.

Digestive Issues

Lastly, some people may experience digestive symptoms after consuming flaxseeds — including bloating, cramping, increased gas, diarrhea, or constipation. These digestive issues may come from the concentrated fiber and lignan content in flaxseeds. Fiber and lignans can act as a laxative, or contribute to constipation, depending on individual bowel health. If this is a problem for you, you can minimize the side effects by starting slowly, gradually increasing your intake to one or two daily tablespoons, and making sure to drink plenty of water.

Flaxseed Oil & Other Products

One problem with eating whole flaxseeds is that they can easily go in one end and out the other because of their sturdy hulls. But they won’t do your body any real good unless you can break them down. That’s why it’s often recommended to use ground flax or other flax products where the seeds have been crushed. Not only does this process help with digestion, but it ensures that you’ll reap all the health benefits of flaxseeds.

Besides whole flaxseeds, other major flax products are flaxseed oil, flax meal, and flax flour. You can make your own super-fresh flax meal by grinding whole flax seeds in a dedicated coffee grinder (but more about that in a minute).

Flaxseed Oil

Flaxseed oil is used as a food or supplement to obtain ALA omega-3s. But it doesn’t have quite the same nutrient profile as whole flax. Flax oil has little or none of the fiber of whole flaxseeds, and may have less of their precious lignans. But it does have a higher ALA content.

Keep in mind that flax oil — unlike flaxseeds — is not suitable for cooking or baking. This is because it’s cold-pressed and doesn’t have a high smoke point, which means that it’s more likely to go rancid when heated, producing harmful compounds.

You can usually find flax oil in the refrigerated section of natural foods stores and sometimes in other grocery stores and online marketplaces. However you obtain it, be sure to keep your flax oil in the fridge, in the dark, and as fresh as possible. It’s best to consume it well before its expiration date. The best brands will actually tell you the “press date” on the bottle, so you can aim to use it within a few months of when the flaxseeds were actually turned into oil.

Flax Meal

Flax meal, or ground flaxseeds, make it easier for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients found in flaxseeds. You can purchase pre-ground flaxseeds, but these are more prone to oxidation, and go rancid more quickly than whole flaxseeds — much like flax oil. Instead, I like to buy whole flaxseeds and grind them myself at home each week. (You can use a dedicated coffee or spice grinder for the job.) I then store the ground flaxseeds in the fridge and eat one to two tablespoons per day. You can sprinkle them on all kinds of dishes.

Flax Flour

Flax flour is ground down finer than flax meal. It’s also more nutritious than some of the other flours. Still, this is a more processed product, and it may be better to prioritize whole flaxseeds or flax meal. You can use both flax meal and flax flour, as a substitute for eggs or fat in some baked goods as well as a replacement for some of the flour.

Other Flax Products

When shopping, you might also find flax milk (which is usually just water, flax oil, and some things added to the mix to make it white, thicker, and flavored), flax cereal or granola, flax crackers, and flax-sourced protein powders (although these miss out on the goodness of flax oil, lignans, and fiber). Generally speaking, I say skip those or stick with homemade varieties, like our flax cracker recipe, below.

How to Store Flaxseeds

The high oil content of flaxseeds makes storage in the refrigerator or freezer essential to prevent rancidity and extend shelf life as long as possible. If your flaxseeds have gone bad, you’ll notice that they may smell sour or taste bitter.

If unopened, you can also store whole flaxseeds in your pantry, where they should last between six to twelve months. In a refrigerator or freezer, whole flaxseeds can last for up to a year in an airtight container.

It’s also best to store flax oil and flax meal in the fridge, and make sure to use them pretty quickly, so they don’t deteriorate.

How to Use Flaxseeds

It’s best to blend or grind whole flaxseeds, unless you’re sprouting or baking them, so you can digest them and reap their benefits. Ground flaxseeds go well in baked goods, homemade crackers, or granola, as well as sprinkled on salads, casseroles, yogurt, or oatmeal.

They’re also great in smoothies, mixed into salad dressings and veggie burger patties, and used as vegan eggs in pancakes and baked goods. For the equivalent of one egg, gently mix together one tablespoon of ground flax with 2.5 tablespoons of water and let your mixture sit for five minutes to gel. Then, use it in your recipe just as you would a non-vegan egg. This works well in many baked goods, though I can’t recommend it as a replacement for scrambled eggs!

Flax oil works well as a drizzle on salads, cooked leafy greens, baked potatoes, and cooked sweet potatoes. You can also use flax oil in homemade salad dressings or other sauces. And some people take flaxseed oil pills as a supplement or constipation aid.

Flax-Filled Recipes

Flax is not only nutritious, but it’s also versatile! From adding texture and flavor to smoothie bowls to creating crunchy and fun crackers to acting as the “egg” in plant-based burgers… Gee, is there anything flax can’t do? Enjoy these flavorful flaxseed recipes, and let us know what you think!

1. Berry Delicious Omega Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls make incorporating a tablespoon (or two!) of flax meal into your diet easy and fun! Sprinkle flaxseeds on top of a smoothie bowl or add to the base if you’d like to create a thicker consistency (since flax meal absorbs liquid). Enjoy maximizing your phytonutrients and omega-3 fatty acids in one creamy and satisfying meal!

2. 2-Ingredient Flax Crackers

If you haven’t tried making your own crackers yet, now is the time to see for yourself how the humble flaxseed can create a crunchy, savory snack. All you need is an oven for baking, a bowl for mixing, and a little muscle for rolling. Then bake, and voila! Crispy, nutritious crackers await you. Spread your favorite plant-based cheese or hummus on top, or make a “cracker sandwich” with veggies and bean spread. Yum!

3. Southwest Veggie Burgers

These burgers achieve “grillable” status thanks to the flax meal that helps to bind and hold them together. With one ingredient, you’re removing the saturated fat and animal protein found in eggs (along with the associated lifestyle diseases) and adding plenty of fiber, plant protein, and phytonutrients (that are health-promoting). Plus, these burgers are super tasty. It’s a win-win-win!

Flaxseeds Are Good for You

Flaxseeds are highly nutritious and have numerous health benefits and uses. The various forms — oil, meal, and flour — can all make a contribution to a healthy, balanced diet. Although some considerations surrounding compounds found in flaxseeds exist, the data shows that in most cases, there’s no need for concern.

The biggest problem is that whole seeds are hard to chew and are poorly digested. And flax oil and flaxseed meal deteriorate rapidly. But there’s an easy remedy for that! Grinding your own homemade flax meal with a dedicated spice or coffee grinder every week can give you a steady supply of fresh flax meal. And what an affordable and delicious way to add a stunning amount of nutritional goodness to your diet.

Tell us in the comments:

• How do you currently enjoy flaxseeds in your diet?
• Have you ever used flax oil?
• Do you have a dedicated flaxseed grinder at home?

Feature image: iStock.com/Karisssa

Read Next:

• 9 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds and How to Eat Them
• All About Hemp Seeds — A Nutritionally Dense Superfood

The post Are Flaxseeds Good for You? — And the Best Ways to Eat Them appeared first on Food Revolution Network.