Nuts and dry fruits are very common pieces of nourishment found in many food products these days. They are known for adding flavor to almost any kind of consumables. Apart from being just an ingredient in a variety of delicacies, they can also be a savory by themselves.
But it’s not just the visual appeal or the luscious nature that sets them apart as super foods.
Dry fruits hold a distinguished position in food market because of their high nutritious value. They are packed with various vital nutrients and most importantly, calories. They are highly rich in calories and can alleviate that tummy rumbling with hunger within a matter of minutes. One can also call them a pocket meal.
They are made by drying certain fruits to remove their water content. They shrink in size by dehydration and the result is dense packets of nutrients and energy.
Nuts on the other hand are the same thing but in the form of seeds of fruits. They too have all the same features of dry fruits.
Let’s discuss some of the health benefits of these super foods.
Improving Brain Function:
Dry fruits like almonds and walnuts are well known for their brain boosting ability since centuries.
They contain a decent dose of magnesium which works wonders for the brain. They also contain iron which through a chain of metabolic processes helps the brain cells receive good amount of oxygen.
The walnut, as one can see is also shaped like a brain. Wonder what nature is trying to tell us here.
Weight Loss:
Dry fruits are known to have a substantial amount of fiber content. It is a common thing to find the mentions of a fiber rich diet while trying to achieve weight loss. Fiber has the tendency to make one feel satiated and full apart from being beneficial for digestion. Dry fruits like walnuts, prunes, dates, raisins, apricots, etc. are well known to help slashing those pounds. Raisins particularly have a low salt content coupled with high iodine.
Almonds, on the contrary are low in calories but still extremely healthy. They are high in mono-saturated fats and antioxidants. This makes them ideal for weight loss regimes.
Supplementary Functions After The Workout
We all have fantasized about having a physique like the ancient Gods of Greece. Their enthralling charm and radiance are hard to miss. It is no secret that dried fruits can help you towards this goal too.
When one does an intense workout, the post workout meal is ideally required to have a carb to protein ratio of 4-1. These kinds of nutrient ratios are usually found in almonds and raisins which make them an excellent post workout snack. One should ideally consult with a gym trainer to figure out the kind of nuts one needs to have which would complement one’s physique. You can buy the nuts in wholesale quantity,so that you don’t fall short of it.
Younger Looking Skin:
We all have seen cosmetic commercials which proudly boast about their skin care products containing dry fruit extracts, claiming to work better than the mythical fountain of youth. Now just imagine the kind of wonders they can do if they go inside the body as well. Dried fruits are very well known for their anti-aging properties along with boosting the glow of your skin.
Improves Cardiac Health:
Many dry fruits like raisins help keeping blood pressure in check alongside reducing anti-inflammatory markers in the body. Brazil nuts too have a similar effect on blood pressure. They are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium. Almonds are known to have vitamin E and mono-saturated fatty acids which prevent spikes in cholesterol levels. All of these add ups to significantly reducing the chances of a stroke.
Improved Bone Health:
Dried plums are believed to aid bone mass formation along with bone enrichment.
Most dry fruits help bones grow strong and prevent bone damage done by wear and tear.
Tackles Constipation:
Dry fruits like figs which are rich in fiber content help one maintain a healthy bowel.
This is because fiber assists in smooth waste removal from your body. Pistachios and dates make the bowel more flexible, thus fighting constipation.
Boosts Immune System:
This is another strong feature of dried fruits. Many of them are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
Goji berries are known to have such a nutrient composition. Vitamin C is capable of backing up your immune strength. It has a variety of pros ranging from mere skin protection to fighting life threatening infections of all kinds. It is also effective against environmental damage done to you by your surroundings including pollution.
Alleviate Depression
Yes, they also have positive psychological effects. Goji berries are known to have such properties like fighting against depression. They help relieve anxiety and improve mood, warding off depression.
The benefits of consuming these little energy packets are plenty and still many are undiscovered.
Needless to say that it’s always better to ditch those crispy fried, trans-fat loaded, mouth-watering snack for the humble but enriching little nuts.
