Healthy Nuts

A 2018 study of more than 81,000 people found that those who consumed approximately a handful of mixed nuts and/or seeds per day decreased their risk of developing deadly heart problems by 40 percent. Some nuts are healthier for us than others. A few ounces of nuts each day before a meal are good to curb your appetite and a few ounces at night provide a healthy alternative snack.

1. Walnuts contain the most antioxidants compared to any other nut and also offer the healthiest kind of fat, omega-3 fatty acids, which prevent heart disease. Walnuts also contain iron, which supports oxygen-carrying red blood cells, calcium and zinc, which support the immune system, and vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant.
2. Chestnuts have the least calories at only 55 per ounce, but they also have the least protein and most carbohydrates. Chestnuts also provide a decent portion of manganese, which helps the body metabolize proteins and carbs.
3. Peanuts are actually legumes, since they grow underground, like beans. They contain 160 calories per ounce; have the most protein, and high amounts of healthy monounsaturated fats, considered to be one of the healthiest fats, since they lower cholesterol.

4. Pistachios are a great source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and heart-healthy fats. They contain more vitamin B6 than any other nut, which is important for blood sugar regulation and the formation of hemoglobin. They are also rich in potassium, with one ounce containing more potassium than half of a large banana.
5. Almonds contain more fiber than any other nut and are also the highest in Vitamin E. They also contain healthy fats, protein, and magnesium. They may help lower blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels.
6. Pecans provide many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also contain monounsaturated fats and they provide flavonoids, which are among the most anti-inflammatory of all antioxidants. They are high in calories at 200 per ounce.
7. Brazil Nuts are one of the richest sources of selenium and are high in monounsaturated fat. They are a great source of magnesium, zinc, calcium, vitamin E, and B vitamins.
8. Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts — approximately 82 percent of their fat is unsaturated fat, the majority being heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. They contain 160 calories per ounce and are slightly lower in protein than peanuts.
9. Hazelnuts contain a high amount of phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants that have been shown to help decrease blood cholesterol and inflammation. They are good for muscles, joints and digestion. Hazelnuts contain 180 calories per ounce and are high in monounsaturated fats and fiber.

10. Macadamia Nuts contain more monounsaturated fat per serving than any other nut, and they are a good source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Nuts to Food Allergies

Food allergies are less common in underdeveloped countries. Proponents of the hygiene hypothesis say that the relatively low incidence of childhood infections in developed countries contributes to an increased incidence of allergic diseases.

Harvard Medical School asserts that recent increases in peanut allergies, and the measures taken in response, show elements of mass psychogenic illness - hysterical reactions grossly out of proportion to the level of danger.

Only 150 people (children and adults) die each year in the US from all food allergies combined. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially documents 13 deaths (including six adults) due to peanuts between 1996 and 2006. Peanuts are legumes, not true nuts.

Four percent of adults and four percent of children have food allergies. Less than one percent (0.6) of people in the US have a peanut allergy. In France, the rate of peanut allergy is between .3 percent and .75 percent, Denmark is .2 to .4 percent; and Israel about .04 percent.

The exact cause of someone developing a peanut allergy is unknown.

Smelling the aroma of peanuts cannot cause an allergic reaction.

Highly refined peanut oil is purified, refined, bleached, and deodorized, which removes the allergic proteins from the oil.

A recent study showed 26.6% of children with a peanut or tree nut allergy outgrew their allergies, at an average age of 5.4 years old. Black children were less likely to outgrow their allergy than white children and boys were more likely to outgrow their allergy than girls.

The American Academy of Pediatrics used to instruct parents to avoid peanut use until their kids reached age 3, but that has been rescinded. A British study has found that consuming peanuts in infancy lowers the risk that a child will develop peanut allergies.

Headlines most often ignore that people who are allergic to peanuts are also often allergic to one or more tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, etc.).

A new study shows increased peanut consumption by pregnant mothers who were not nut allergic was associated with lower risk of peanut allergy in their offspring.

Nuts Are Healthy

Had been thinking about this and it seems to fit with peanut butter day. According to data analysis conducted by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, those who ate nuts nearly every day were 20 percent less likely to die in the course of two 30-year cohort studies.

Nut eaters were almost 30 percent less likely to die of heart disease and more than 10 percent less likely to die of cancer than those who never ate them, even after adjusting for other lifestyle factors. The nut eaters were also slimmer and had lower rates of type 2 diabetes.

The study found that nuts, such as almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, and peanuts delivered the health and longevity benefits in direct proportion to consumption.

Researchers tracked the health of 119,000 men and women for 30 years and included detailed dietary questionnaires every four years.  “What we find is regular nut consumers are actually lighter; there is less obesity in that group,” said Charles Fuchs, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center at Dana-Farber and senior author of the paper.

Previous studies have also pointed to a correlation between eating nuts and lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, and diverticulitis. Higher nut consumption also has been linked to reductions in cholesterol levels, inflammation, and insulin resistance. It is nuts not to eat nuts.

Peanuts and Almonds are not Nuts

Notwithstanding the above, peanuts are not nuts. They are legumes. The plant has seeds that grow inside pods such as peas or beans. Nuts grow on trees, peanuts grow underground. Peanut seeds flower above ground and then migrate underground to reach maturity. Peanuts are also called goobers, goober peas, groundnuts, earthnuts, monkey nuts, and grass nuts.

Also, almonds are not nuts. An almond is the seed of the fruit of the almond tree. The tree bears fruits with a seed within. Fruits with these characteristics are called drupes. A drupe is a fruit that has an outer fleshy part surrounding a shell that contains a seed. Other drupes include fruits from walnut trees and coconut trees. The seed inside the almond fruit is called an almond nut, even though it is not a nut. A nut is a hard shelled fruit that doesn't open to release its seed.

Clean Houses Cause Allergies

Here is another one of those studies that makes me wonder. It contends that children who grow up in hygienic households develop more allergies, eczema, and other disorders that result from a depressed antibody response. Scientists have theorized that children from middle class and affluent families have weaker immune systems because they live in cleaner homes.

Besides increases in medicated and vaccinated children in the past 20 years, the number of children with allergies has also doubled, with the sharpest increase among the middle classes.

Their study examined 8,306 patients, 776 of which had some form of reaction to peanuts, and the findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Lead study author, allergist Dr Sandy Yip, said, ‘Overall household income is only associated with peanut sensitization in children aged one to nine years. This may indicate that development of peanut sensitization at a young age is related to affluence, but those developed later in life are not.’ Am not sure of the relationship between dust bunnies and peanuts, but why take chances. Was going to clean my house today, but think it might be healthier if I wait a few weeks.

Nuts to You

Nuts can  reduce the risk of diabetes and bring down cholesterol and you only need just a handful of nuts a day, raw if possible.

Tree nuts are increasingly regarded as wonder foods that lower the risk of heart disease, some forms of cancer and type 2 diabetes while providing essential vitamins and minerals including niacin, zinc, folic acid, selenium and magnesium.

They contain more unsaturated fats than animal proteins and can cut levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol, according to numerous studies. Their mix of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fiber will help you feel full and suppress your appetite. The fat content helps release satiety hormones in the digestive system, which also helps to curb hunger, and lessen your desire to overeat later in the day.

Almonds are rich in vitamin E.

Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, a vital mineral and antioxidant. Just two Brazil nuts a day may prevent heart disease and prostate cancer and can also enhance mood.

Cashews are high in magnesium and are good sources of phytochemicals and antioxidants.

Hazelnuts, the most fiber-rich of all the nuts, contain significant levels of B-group vitamins including folate and vitamin B6.

Macadamia nuts are high in healthy mono-unsaturated fats, contain all the essential amino acids and have been shown to lower blood cholesterol.

Pecans reduce cholesterol and may delay age-related muscle nerve degeneration.

Pine nuts - the edible seeds of pine trees, removed from pine cones - contain zinc, niacin and manganese and are rich in mono-unsaturated acids.

Pistachios are packed with protein, vitamin E and are an excellent source of copper and manganese.

Walnuts are loaded with natural plant omega-3s called alphalinoleic acid or ALA.

Peanuts, technically legumes but commonly referred to as nuts, are high in vitamin E, folate (for brain development) and may reduce cognitive decline. Be healthy, go nuts.

What's in a Name, 5

One of the characters in the Peanuts universe was “555 95472,” or “5” for short. Introduced in September 1963, 5 explained that his father was so upset about people being seen as “just a number,” he renamed the entire family as a series of digits.

The family’s last name is taken from their ZIP Code, though when spoken, 5 insists there’s an accent on the 4. The ZIP Code, by the way, is the real one for Sebastopol, California, where Charles Schulz lived at the time.

5’s sisters 3 and 4 made a few appearances in the strip before disappearing, but 5 was occasionally a background character until 1981. You’ve probably seen 3, 4, and 5 already and didn’t even know it. All three appear in the famous dance sequence in 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. 3 and 4 are the twin girls in purple dresses, while 5 is the spiky-haired kid in orange.

Nine Interesting Food Facts

1 Apple is made of 25% air, that is why they float.
2 Avocado has the highest protein and oil content of all fruits.
3 Carrots were originally purple in color, changing in the 17th Century to orange with newer varieties.
4 Cherries are a member of the rose family.
5 Corn always has an even number of ears. It only makes up about 8% of the weight in a box of corn flakes.
6 Honey is the only edible food for humans that will never go bad.
7 Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.
8 Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.
9 Pear is a fruit that ripens from the inside out.

What's in a Name, Sparky

The 1920s comic strip, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, strip gave us the nickname "Sparky," from the name of Barney's horse, Sparkplug.

Billy DeBeck wrote the strip about a community of backwoods hillbillies and moonshiners. In a 1923 strip Barney tells someone to, "Get that stupid look offa your pan. You gimme the heeby jeebys!" It meant, 'a feeling of discomfort'.

Other phrases coined by DeBeck: 'horsefeathers', 'hotsie-totsie', and 'googly-eyed' after Barney Google, who had huge, bulbous eyes.

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz was nicknamed Sparky - and that ain't no horsefeathers.