Friday, December 9, 2011

Why Nuts Are So Healthy For Midlife Women

!±8± Why Nuts Are So Healthy For Midlife Women

Surely you've heard the buzz about how nuts are now a healthy snack. If you follow the Mediterranean diet it recommends nuts and seeds as part of the plan. I love nuts but aside from healthy fats-the very thing that we were warned against for so long-I wondered what all the fuss was. So I put on my research hat and found out.

Nuts and seed it turns out contain an important amino acid called arginine. It's needed to make nitric oxide which helps blood flow. Arginine also plays a role in keeping our arterial walls flexible which helps prevent atherosclerosis.

They are also loaded with phytonutrients which provide antioxidants and you know how important those are.

Now for the fats. Most of the fat found in nuts is monounsaturated, some is polyunsaturated, and in the case of some like walnuts a good portion is Omega 3, another thing you know is really important to get daily. Yes there is some saturated fat in nuts but not enough to make them an inflammatory food. And we now know that inflammation in the body is responsible for most all of the symptoms we associate with aging.

Jonny Bowden, in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth cites the Lyon Diet Heart Study. For 4 years people who had a heart attack were counseled either to follow the standard post-heart attack dietary advice-reduced sat fat-or follow the Mediterranean diet-which as I mentioned earlier advocates nuts and seeds in the diet. At the follow up those following the Med diet experienced 70% less heart disease-3X the reduction in risk achieved by statin drugs by the way. And their overall death rate was 45% lower.

So which nuts are the best? I couldn't find a nut that wasn't full of health benefits.

Not all nuts have the same benefits because they are comprised of different phytonutrients so it's best to include a wide variety of nuts in your diet. Like how? Like pine nuts in tomato sauce or a salad with sun-dried tomatoes. Like sliced or whole almonds in your yogurt, cashews or sesame seeds in your stir fries. Walnuts are considered brain food because of their Omega 3 content but are also rich in minerals, fiber, and protein.

Brazil nuts, the nut everyone seems to leave in a nut mix, are the best source of selenium bar none. They also have protein and calcium + two grams of fiber per ounce.

Yes cashews are ok and are lower in calories than some nuts contrary to what you might think. They are slightly higher in carbs though not enough to take them off your snack list because of the fiber, protein and fat that balances out the carbohydrate.

Almonds are a nut even diabetes can eat freely as they have only trace amounts of carbs and are a great source of protein with 3 grams of fiber per ounce.

So how many nuts/seeds can we eat? An ounce a day seems to give us cardio protective benefits.

One word of caution on one of America's favorite nuts-the Macadamia. They are heart healthy because 80% of their fat is monounsaturated, more than olive oil. But they are a higher calorie nut-about 200 cals per ounce. So munching is encouraged but don't open a jar and mindlessly munch.

Don't forget seeds. Pumpkin seeds roasted and seasoned with tamari or a spice mix make a great snack and they are yummy in salads or salsa.

Oh, in case you're wondering about pistachios, skip the red dye-do they sell those anymore?-and enjoy their higher than normal potassium to sodium ratio. What's that mean? It means they can help normalize blood pressure by maintaining water balance in the body. Unsalted please to get this benefit.

Nut butters are great but don't buy the mass produced junk with added sugar and often trans fats. Look for a machine where you can grind nuts and get a fresh batch of real nut butter or look for a brand that says nothing but the nuts are in this jar.

So what's the weight loss connection? Their monounsaturated fats mean nuts are a super healthy source of fat. These are fats that rev our metabolism and are readily accessible to the body as energy. Nuts also help us feel full for longer. If a handful--the suggested amount for a snack--seems like not enough try eating them more slowly. Add an apple or pear or eat your apple with a nut butter to extend your snacking pleasure. Either way nuts are a healthy food for all of us at midlife.


Why Nuts Are So Healthy For Midlife Women

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Mayan Chocolate- More Than Candy

!±8± Mayan Chocolate- More Than Candy

According to the Maya chocolate was given to the people after the Sovereign Plumed Serpent God created them from maize. "Ek Chuah" the God of Cocoa is honored in a festival every April with the sacrifice of a cocoa colored dog. The Spaniards noted that priests would pierce their earlobes and let the blood drip on the cocoa as a sacrifice. Also sacrificial victims were served cocoa to comfort them in the "Mexica" region before they were sacrificed in an annual festival.

Archeologist's tell us that the Olmec, which is the parent of the Maya, were the first to use cocoa around 19000 BC to 400 BC. The Mayan word for chocolate was xocoatl. They also made a Maya Chocolate drink called chocolate made of roasted cocoa beans, water and spice. Maya also used cocoa beans as currency. Because of the cocoa beans value they were given as gifts for special events and religious ceremonies. Mayan Merchants would trade cocoa beans for commodities such as jade, cloth and ceremonial feathers. Maya farmers would transport their cocoa beans for trade by strapping large baskets to their backs and canoing to various markets. 100 cocoa beans could buy a slave.

Until contact with the Europeans in 1519 cocoa was reserved for adult males including priests, high government officials, military officers, distinguished warriors and sacrificial beings. Women and children were often excluded because cocoa was found intoxicating and valuable. There were archaeological sites where cocoa offerings were found made to the dead.

The Ancient Maya called the cocoa tree "cacahuatquchtl" stating that was the only tree worth naming. They felt the tree was from the gods and that the cocoa pods were the god's gifts to humans. Mayan chocolate is mentioned in the hieroglyphics and were depicted with images on their and religious implements and architectural structures.

In 4 surviving texts found from the post-classical Mayan period Mayan chocolate was referred to as food to the gods. Mayan chocolate was instrumental in many of the religious and ceremonial practices. The Mayans were the originators of brewing a bitter Mayan chocolate drink with the Cacao beans. Mayan texts describe the drink made from Mayan chocolate as a luxury only afforded to the nobility and wealthy to enjoy. The ancient texts also described how the Mayan chocolate was prepared. It varied in preparation from a refined drink to porridge mixed with corn meal. Pictures on various artifacts show cocoa being poured from one vessel to another to produce froth. Spices such as chili were also added to cocoa mixtures.

Traditionally the Mayan did not use sugar and milk in their chocolate drinks. The Europeans are the ones that added that to chocolate drinking. However I did find a recipe or two entitled Mayan Hot Chocolate that I would like to share: Of course it is not traditionally Mayan but they look interesting:

2 cups boiling water

1 chile pepper cut in half, seeds removed (with gloves)

5 cups light cream or whole or nonfat milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 to 2 cinnamon sticks

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or

3 tablets Mexican chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar or honey, or to taste

l tablespoon almonds or hazelnuts, ground extra fine

Whipped cream

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add Chile pepper to boiling water. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Remove chile pepper; strain water and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream or milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick until bubbles appear around the edge. Reduce heat to low; add chocolate and sugar or honey; whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted and sugar dissolves. Turn off heat; remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Add Chile-infused water, a little at a time, tasting to make sure the flavor isn't too strong. If chocolate is too thick, thin with a little more milk.

Serve in small cups and offer ground almonds or hazelnuts and whipped cream.

Hot Chocolate Mayan Style

2 ounces (squares) bitter unsweetened bakers' chocolate

1-cup hot water

3 tablespoons honey

Dash salt

3 cups hot milk

4 sticks cinnamon bark

Chop the chocolate and heat it in the water until melted. Add honey, salt, and beat the hot chocolate water with a balloon wire whip as you add th warmed milk. To make it more frothy and give more food value, you can beat up an egg or two, add hot chocolate to it, then pour it into the chocolate cooking pot and continue to whip, (but this isn't authentic). Serve the hot chocolate in mugs with cinnamon-bark stick stirrers in each.( Purists will tell you cinnamon bark was not indigenous to Maya culture.)


Mayan Chocolate- More Than Candy

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