Why raw nuts and seeds

You may have heard that nuts are good for you. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans and other nuts—along with seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower—are loaded with healthy unsaturated fats. These fats are healthy because they provide the nutrition your body needs.

Nuts deliver quality nutrition because they are high in the Omega-6 fats. Omega oils and fats are thought to:

• Increase your brain function
• Protect your cardiovascular system
• Improve your eyesight
• Maintain normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels
• Promote smooth skin
• Soothe aching joints
• Speed recovery from athletic workouts

However, even though raw nuts and seeds can be good for you, a typical American diet is already heavily slated towards Omega 6 due to high consumption of cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, whole-grain breads, baked goods, and margarine. 

The problem is that your ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should be 2:1.   Unfortunately, most Americans ratios run anywhere from 3:1 up to 50:1.

You can balance out your Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio by increasing your consumption of fish, taking Omega-3 capsules, or by selecting walnuts, which contain some Omega 3 oils.  

What you must bear in mind is that adding nuts to your diet means you will need to cut down on some other Omega-6 food.  For instance, instead of eating eight ounces of cereal for breakfast you could have four ounces of cereal along with three ounces of raw almonds, nuts and seeds.  Omega Mix Blend is ideal for this.

If you are struggling to shed extra pounds, eating nuts may not be advisable until you reach your ideal weight.  On the other hand, if you’re training for a triathlon and burning calories like crazy, nuts and seeds make an excellent snack.

But before you reach for a can of roasted cashews, you should know that there’s a huge difference between raw nuts and seeds and roasted ones.

All those beneficial Omega oils in nuts and seeds are destroyed by air, oxygen, and heat. Most nuts that you buy are roasted, which turns perfectly good Omega oil into a toxic fat that is harmful to your health. 

Ninety-percent of the nuts you see on supermarket shelves are roasted.  Why do roasted nuts dominate the market when they’re not nearly as healthy as raw nuts? Because they have a longer shelf life. 

Gerry Morton, CEO of EnergyFirst, suggests the following ways in which you can gain the healthy benefits of raw nuts and seeds:

• Sprinkle EnergyFirst Omega Mix over a salad for a deliciously nutty taste.
• Measure out one, two or three ounce servings of raw nuts and seeds and package them in small baggies instead of just grabbing a handful. That way, you can control the amount you eat.
• Add sliced walnuts or pecans to brown rice or couscous while cooking.
• Make your own custom blended trail mix by buying your favorite dried fruits and blending them with your favorite raw nuts and seeds.
• Stir raw chopped almonds, filberts or brazil nuts into yogurt.
• Spread thin smears of raw nut butter on apple slices.

Consumed in moderation, raw almonds, nuts and seeds can add crunch and variety to food as they nourish your body with healthy essential fats.