Health Notes #7

Going Nuts

Many people feel that nuts are not necessarily a healthy food. They are so high in fat -- right?

Listen to some of the evidence that has been coming in and see if there isn't good news in a nutshell.

A team of doctors at Loma Linda University did some special studies on 65 different kinds of foods and their frequency eaten. The one food that stood out above the rest in its link to good health was nuts. It was also the number one food among those who did not suffer heart attacks.

Recorded in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, it was noted that people who ate nuts five or more times a week were half as likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease as people who rarely or never ate them. In two studies, one with walnuts and the other with almonds, those tested came out 20+ points lower in total blood cholesterol within three weeks.

In Los Altos, California, 26 men and women with high cholesterol were given a few handfuls of almonds a day. Even though the fat calories in their diets rose from 30-37%, blood cholesterol levels fell an average of 24 points.

Please note that nuts are more than oil. A generous handful of nuts has as much fiber as two slices of good whole wheat bread. They get high marks when it comes to amino acid arginine, which protects arteries from injury and stops blood clots from forming.

Remember that when a food is good for you, and tastes good at the same time it's easy to overeat. Also, nuts roasted without any added oil are the best. We enjoy our nuts either raw or roasted under 200^O f. in the oven for about 2-1/2 hours, this way the oil in the nut stays unsaturated.

Sorry, but peanuts are classified as a legume and wouldn't come under the same nutty standards.

Nutty Recipes

Haystack Cookies

4 c. shredded coconut

¾ c. flour

1/3 c. rolled oats

3 c. chopped dates

1/3 tsp. salt

¾ c. cold water

¼ c. honey or orange juice

1-1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together well. Scoop, with an ice cream scoop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until brown (about 20 min.) at 350^o F.

Broccoli Almondine

3½ c. cooked brown rice

4½ c. slightly steamed broccoli (about 2 lbs. fresh)

1 Tbs. onion pwd.

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. garlic pwd.

4 c. Mushroom soup (reconstituted)

1-1½ c. chopped or sliced almonds

Steam broccoli flowers lightly until crispy tender. Combine all ingredients except broccoli and almonds in bowl and mix well. Gently fold in broccoli. Put into sprayed 8"X8" baking dish. Bake at 350^o F. for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with almonds and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Attitude is Everything
- Unknown -

'Taint what we have,
But what we give,
'Taint where we are,
But how we live,
'Taint what we do,
But how we do it,
That makes this life
Worth going through it.

Get your happiness out of your work or you will never know what real happiness is. --
Elbert Hubbard