Sunday, September 12, 2010

Go nuts about nuts!



By JANE NEPOMUCENO
September 2, 2010, 6:16pm
If you live in the Philippines, you wouldn’t find it surprising to see different kinds of nuts – peanuts, cashew, pili – sold in the streets and not in stores and supermarkets. Whether it’s plain, sweetened or sugared, salted or cooked with garlic, Filipinos consider nuts as a healthy snack or in some cases pulutan.
However, few people realize the health benefits that these nuts have. Generally, nuts are rich in protein and healthy oils as well as an assortment of other vitamins and minerals. All nuts also contain fiber and unsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol.
For the health conscious, nuts can be included in a healthy diet to make use of its fiber content that can sweep away fat from the body. Fiber also makes one feel full, allowing a person to eat lesser and less often.
Eating nuts also reduces the risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack. Nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids that help prevent dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in many fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Among the nuts peddled in Philippine streets, peanuts are the most common. Though technically legumes, peanuts are classified as nuts because they behave like nuts than other legumes. And just like most nuts, peanuts can be eaten by hand, plain or included in many dishes.
Pili nuts, on the other hand, are abundant in Bicol, a province in the southern part of the Philippines.  Considered as a native delicacy, pili nuts are highly marketed because they can be made into candies, baked goodies and can be eaten raw or roasted. 
These nuts are high in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Among nuts, pili nuts have the highest oil content, over 70 percent, and are comparable to the expensive almonds.
Though not native to the Philippines unlike pili, cashew nuts have joined the bandwagon of nuts to be peddled in the streets. Sometimes called nature's vitamin pill, cashew nuts which are actually seeds, now rank number one among nut crops in the world with 4.1 billion pounds produced in 2002.
These nuts have been used to promote wellness for centuries as they contain five grams of protein per ounce and high levels of the essential minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese.
All these nuts can be easily accessed and can be included in every person’s regular diet to make use of their health benefits. But eat them in moderation; nuts go with calories that you wouldn’t want to put too much into your body.

Published in Manila Bulletin September 3, 2010.

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