Most of us don’t eat very many nuts and seeds every day. When we think of healthy eating, we usually think of fruits and vegetables, wheat bran, and salmon fillets. While it is true these can all be healthy, nuts, and seeds can also be very beneficial to our health. If you find yourself reaching for a can of nuts when you want a snack or searching for the healthiest nuts and seeds nuts for weight loss; here are thirteen healthiest nuts and seeds you should eat every day.
Table of Contents
Healthy Nuts and Seeds:
1. Chia seeds
If you’re not a fish lover, getting the omega-3 fatty acids your brain needs for a healthy function can fill you with dread. Fish oil pills are great, but those nasty fish burps can come back to haunt us.
Luckily, just two tablespoons of chia seeds can equal the omega-3s of 4 ounces of salmon. They’re also easy to use, pop them in a pudding, or mix with water and use them in place of eggs. You’ll never have to face down another piece of fish again.
2. Pistachios
These low-calorie snacks are a powerhouse of nutrition. They contain a range of vitamins and minerals, from the B6 needed for the improved mood to the potassium you need to achieve normal blood pressure. Pistachios may even help with losing weight, so don’t be afraid to grab an extra handful at snack time.
What’s more, pistachios may help reduce the rise in blood sugar after a meal. According to the study, consumption of pistachios after a meal reduce the risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD).
3. Flax seeds
This healthiest seeds, a great source of omega-3s. Flax seeds also have anti-oxidants that may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease. Flax seeds have been well known for their health benefits for thousands of years, so much so that King Charlemagne, a Babylonian ruler, once ordered his citizens to consume it.
4. Walnuts
These nuts have almost magical qualities. They have been found to help with certain mood disorders with their healthy helpings of omega-3, may help in weight loss by replacing our more calorie-dense favorites, and also give you a host of other nutrients like vitamin E, and folate. These healthiest nuts are an excellent snack for nut lovers.
Walnuts also have vitamin B, which is known for helping create beautiful and glowing skin. Because of walnuts vitamin B contain, it is considered as one of the anti-aging food for younger-looking skin.
Related: 15 Anti-Aging Foods For Younger Looking Skin
5. Sesame Seeds
Often thought of as nothing more than a garnish for Asian style meals, sesame seeds are actually a boon for your health. Sesame seeds contain phytosterols, a compound that lowers cholesterol.
Sesame seeds can help balance your hormones, and may even help in the fight against cancer. For such a small seed, they can also pack a serious nutritional punch with an array of different vitamins and minerals. All in all, it’s the healthiest seeds to have in your diet if you want to stay healthy!
6. Cashews
Cashews are one of the lowest fiber nuts, but they make up for it with their gift of better heart health. Cashews are good for the entire cardiovascular system and are especially known for arginine, which protects the inner lining of the arteries.
This healthiest nut contains several important nutrients and research indicates that they may improve blood lipid levels and reduce blood pressure. As tasty as they are, you can’t go wrong with a good handful of cashews for a snack!
7. Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are an often overlooked snack, but we should really include them in our daily health routines. Pumpkin seeds are especially good news for men, as they can improve prostate health.
They are also good for bladder health and come filled with anti-oxidants in every crunchy bite. Roast them and snack on them, but don’t go overboard. A 1-ounce serving contains 175 calories, so too many can lead to weight gain.
8. Hazelnuts
This healthiest nut carries many of the same benefits of other nuts—high fiber, filled with “Good” fats that we need more of, and plenty of the vitamins and minerals we need. It’s also really good food for people with diabetes.
A 2015 study that was meant to look at how tree nuts impacted heart health discovered accidentally that nuts are even better for people with diabetes than for the heart. People who eat more nuts have lower blood lipids than people who don’t. That’s good news for nut lovers, and for the humble hazelnut.
Another study found that a hazelnut-rich diet reduced total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. It also lowered markers of inflammation and improved blood vessel function.
9. Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds aren’t well known as a nutritional powerhouse, because of the stigma of the plant they come from. Hemp seeds have both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron and zinc.
Hemp seeds are so healthy they have been used in China as a medicine for thousands of years. It’s a great healthiest seeds that are rapidly growing in popularity as taboos lift.
10. Macadamia nuts
These delicious nuts are becoming popular with chefs around the world, because of its unique properties. Oil made from these nuts is healthier than olive oil and other “good” oils to cook with but have a better flavor and a higher smoke point.
As for the nuts themselves, they have all the benefits nuts in general have, as well as extra flavonoids, the same compounds found in red wine that help fight off free radicals. Great for your body, for your taste buds, and for your cooking, Macadamia nuts are an overall winner.
11. Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds contain a few nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere in your diet. We don’t need a lot of copper and selenium, but without them, our bodies could be in big trouble. Not only do sunflower seeds offer these and other trace minerals, but they are also high in fiber, protein, and good fats.
12. Brazil Nuts
Probably, most of us know the Brazil nuts nutrition and health benefits. Remember the selenium found in sunflower seeds? Brazil nuts are actually the largest known natural source for selenium in the world.
Because of this, brazil nuts are really great for your immune system, and also for your thyroid. Eating just 5-6 a day can give you all the selenium you need for good health.
Related: Health Benefits of Brazil Nuts
13. Pecans
Last but not least, pecans contain 19 different nutrients your body needs to be healthy, and once again has many of the benefits of other nuts. They can help with the brain, heart, and even bone health. Mix a few into your daily snack of nuts and enjoy even better health.
We are often taught to be afraid of nuts because of their high-fat content, but though they do have fat, those fats are the good kind we simply don’t get enough of in our diets. Replace your bag of chips or extra french fries with these healthiest nuts, and get the more nutritional punch for your favorite snack. You’ll lose weight by swapping nuts and seeds for unhealthy snacks and gain so much more in vitamins and minerals.
