Nuts are amongst the best foods you can eat, especially when they replace processed foods in your diet. But which ones are the most useful for your body? Here are our five favorites, ranking amongst the healthiest nuts on the planet.

First and foremost, all nuts are beneficial to your health as they are simply bursting with energy giving nutrients. They are all about the same calorie count, and all contain a lot of nutrients and fat - but not just any fat - the good, healthy fats we need in our diet. All nuts contain more or less all the healthy essentials such as antioxidants, proteins, fiber, vitamins, minerals, good fats... the list goes on. Here we’re going to list our top five most beneficial nuts for your health, all of which are bursting with things that your body needs to feel great!

Eat them as they are 


Nuts should ideally be eaten in their natural form, as they then retain most of all of the best nutrients and vitamins. But if you prefer salted or roasted nuts, you don’t need to be sad! Salted nuts do not lose their good qualities simply because they are salted, it is the salt itself that isn’t so good for the body. When roasted or processed, the nuts certainly lose some of their goodness, but most of their useful nutrients remain.

Five Favourites

What are the healthiest nuts? Walnuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews are our favourites. 

1. WALNUTS


What: Walnuts are a miracle nut. They have a high content of healthy fats and fiber. And also contain more antioxidants than most other nuts.

Why: You want to be mentally alert, increasing your metabolism and be full of energy, sleep well and reduce the risk of inflammation in the body.

Bonus: Walnuts are equally good, and even better than oily fish when it comes to omega-3 quantities! Perfect if you don’t like fish, take a handful of walnuts instead. According to recent findings, Walnuts can also be good for aiding sleep.

Did you know …We call walnut a nut, although it actually is a stone fruit?


2. ALMOND

Why: Vitamin-rich and packed with minerals. Contains the super trio of nutrients and minerals -magnesium, calcium and vitamin D, helpful to repair our bones.

When:Eat it all the time, but especially during cold periods as it strengthens the immune system. Almonds are also the perfect nut when you’re getting those small pangs of hunger. Almonds have an excellent satiating effect and there are studies that show that almonds can contribute to extra fast weight loss if you eat a handful a day to supplement an otherwise low calorie diet. Crunch on some almonds when you have been training hard since the protein in almonds also helps to build up muscles.

How: Keep the inner skin on, as it contains lots of antioxidants! Almonds are also an excellent nut when cooking or baking.

3. MACADAMIA

Why: High carbohydrate content, Fiber and Iron.

What: Macadamia nuts are the "Rolls-Royce" of nuts. An exclusive nut that is only grown in a few places in the world (like Australia) and because one tree will only ever produce a harvest of approximately five kilograms of nuts the prices go up accordingly! Meanwhile, the uses for the macadamia nut are great, and many believe that just the macadamia is al so the tastiest of all healthy nuts. The Macadamia nut is the fattiest (good fat!) of all nuts; it contains omega-7 fatty acid that is relatively rare in other nuts.

How: Eat it roasted or just as it is.

4. PISTACHIO


Why: Contains more nutrients, fiber, protein and more fat than most other nuts.


What: There are studies suggesting that pistachio nuts are not only healthy and good for you, but very effective when you want to lose weight. Other studies state that pistachio nuts also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Does your blood sugar go up and down like a roller-coaster? Try to eat some pistachios per day! Pistachio nuts are, like walnuts, actually not a nut but a stone fruit, and it is the green seed, or core (if you will) that we eat. Pistachio nuts also called pistachios almond or green almonds.

Tip: Do you find it hard to open the shell of pistachios? Poke the half-shell from an already opened pistachio into the small crack! Clever, eh? The nut opens!

5. CASHEW NUTS

Why: Full of minerals. Low in fat (46%), making it the most low-fat of all the nuts, but nevertheless containing a lot of nutrients.

What: The perfect snacks when you are hungry and want to eat something that keeps you full for a long time. Moreover, it strengthens, like almonds, your immune system and helps to build up your body. As the cashew contains little fat (for a nut that is) it also fits perfectly when you want to lose weight because it is thanks to its high zinc content that it can increase your body’s rate of burning calories.

How: Eat about 100 grams when you want a hearty snack.

Nuts are super energy-boosting

There are very few foods on earth that are bursting with energy as nuts are! Perhaps it may be down te the way they grow and survive? As they fall from the tree, they drill down into the soil, taking root. Once seated, they blow up the hard shell, suck up nutrients from the soil and begin the strenuous path to the topsoil, where they receive help from the sun to grow into a new plant. Ouff! Such a process requires energy. By eating nuts, we absorb all of this super energy!

Attitude

We know now that Nuts are healthy verified by both scientists, nutritionists and people in general. But as recently as five, or six years ago, the general belief that nuts were useless. Most were terrified of fat - and nuts that are high in fat. Nuts were therefore only eaten at Christmas. Now we know better, and have a good knowledge of the complete good qualities they have. As a snack, chopped in salads...eat them when and how you want. Just make sure that you eat them!