Dr. Oz and Walnuts: Foods for Thought with the Brain in Mind
Dr. Oz is known for mentioning his favorite nuts for health on his show and he never fails to pick walnuts as his ‘nut of choice’.
Walnuts do contain nutrients and co-factors that are excellent for your health, but they are not the only ‘nut’ in town. If you restrict your intake of nuts to walnuts, then you are missing out on some of the finest bites and best sources of nutrition on the planet.
Being Italian, we know and love our pesto. Pesto is most often made with pine nuts, but you can use other nuts to vary the texture and flavor profile. Pine nuts tend to be expensive, but the buttery flavor makes them a delightful choice.
Put your pine nuts in pesto, pasta dishes, soups like the Greek soup with lemon and chicken, vegetable dishes, and highlight salads with these little gems.
Cashews are going to give you a variety of ways to enjoy this softer nut. If you are buying them and find them to be hard, you have been shopping at the wrong place. Cashews should be firm, yet soft. They make great nut milk, they are excellent when roasted, and when added to granola or a nut/fruit blend, they make a great snack. We also love our cashews when they are ground and turned into a spread.
Almonds are among the most popular nuts you will find. They are used in virtually every type of food dish from savory to sweets. You can roast them and add a coating of tamari or other flavoring to make them into a delightful snack or you can turn them into a brittle for that sweet treat at the end of the meal. Almond milk is gaining in popularity and it’s a great substitute for dairy.
Where is the best place to get your nuts? We would recommend Love Street Living Foods. You won’t find a rancid nut coming from this company. They supply some of the freshest raw foods and whole foods you will find anywhere, including raw nuts and nut butters and spreads.
Hazelnuts or filberts are common to those of us who live in Italy or the great Pacific Northwest. They pair well with chocolate. You can toast them and add them to brittle or any dessert or salad that deserves some crunchy goodness.
Fewer people like Brazil Nuts, but for those who do…it doesn’t take too many of these large treasures to satisfy our snacking hunger. I enjoy adding them to holiday blends.
I suppose that my favorite snacking nuts are pistachios. There’s something that entrances me about taking the little green jewel out of the shell and munching on one at a time. Pistachios are common in Middle Eastern desserts and I smile when I taste my baclava laden with honey and nuts.
I fell in love with the Wha Guru Chews when they first appeared on the health food scene in the late 1900’s with cashews, almonds, and other delicious ingredients for a chewy replacement for unhealthy sweets. You can make your own with any nut, seed, and base. I also can tell you that the Queen Bee Chews are delightful with nuts and richness in every individually-wrapped one. You can find these snacks in your local Whole Foods Markets or health food stores. There are dozens of healthy snacks with nuts now and your choices have expanded over the years.
Nuts are known to provide EFAs which in turn support the brain function to develop the powers of the Mind. The nuts offer healthy fats and provide other nutrients that will carry you through your day between meals. They are the perfect snack food to munch on to keep you focused and concentrating through your work day or playing outdoors for recreational activities. I used to keep nuts in the car for my children when they were young, so that when we were on the road; they would have a healthy snack anytime the need arose.
During the holidays, you can have nuts out on your tables and where ever people gather, so they can nibble while they visit with one another. They also make the perfect holiday gift for Foodies! If I had to choose between most gifts and nuts, I would prefer to get nuts for my presents.
I would think that doctors like Dr. Oz would appreciate more than just walnuts when it comes to promoting your health. I can tell you that my health improves enormously, because I eat my organic nuts! If I had to choose between a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts, I would ‘go nuts’ for the nuts.
