There's a good reason that people take nuts in food boxes when they go hiking.Nuts provide shrength-giving energy because,thanks to their mix of fat and protein,they're a "slow-burning" food.For the same reason,they're friendly to your blood sugar.
Nuts provide a hard-to find nutrient--vitamin E,which may help fight bone and ung cancers.Brazil nuts are selenium superstars,providing as 200 times more of the minceral than any other nut.Selenium has been linked to prevention of both cancer and heart disease.Almonds provide bone-building calcium.Hazelnuts and cashews contain the most copper,a much-needed nutrient for people with diabetes (a kind of disease).
Yes,nuts are high in fat,but it's mostly "good" fat.Good fat may reduce insulin resistance.Good fat,of course,also improves heart health.In studies,people who ate as few as 5 ounces (150 g) of nuts as part of an overall heart-healthy diet lowered their risk of developing heart disease by 35 percent compard to those who ate nuts less than once a month.
If you eat nuts frequently,you may also be damping down chronic inflammation in your body,which can help reduce your risk of both diabetes and heart disease.And the protein in most nuts may make a heart attack less likely.
Some nuts,including peanuts,walnuts,and almonds,also contain plant sterols,which have been shown to lower cholesterol and heart disease risk.Like fish,walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fats,another shot in the arm against heart disease.Peanuts aren't teachnically nuts at all.Unlike nuts that grow on trees,they grow undergroung, but for health,they rank right up there with all the aboveground nuts.