Gastroenterologist named useful nuts for daily consumption

Raw and lightly toasted nuts without salt and additional ingredients are considered the most useful option for regular consumption. At the same time, moderate heat treatment does not make the product harmful, and the main danger of ready-made roasted nuts may be an excess of salt, oil and sugar. Evgeny Belousov, a gastroenterologist at JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg clinic), Candidate of Medical Sciences, told Izvestia about this on August 26.

"Nuts are an important part of the Mediterranean type of diet. They contain unsaturated fatty acids, vegetable protein, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, and antioxidants. Regular moderate consumption of the product is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes," the expert said.

At the same time, the nutritional value of nuts depends on the processing method. According to Belousov, raw and slightly dried fruits retain almost the entire set of useful substances. With moderate heating, the composition changes slightly, but intense roasting can lead to partial destruction of vitamin E, some polyphenols and other phytonutrients sensitive to high temperatures. Minerals, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, practically do not break down when heated. The protein is also generally preserved, although its structure may partially change.

According to the doctor, heavy frying or cooking in large amounts of oil increases the likelihood of oxidation of unsaturated fats. Therefore, excessively high temperatures and prolonged heat treatment are not considered the optimal way to prepare nuts.

Heat treatment partially destroys the cell walls of nuts, so that fats and proteins can become somewhat more accessible to digestive enzymes. Therefore, for some people, lightly fried food is easier to digest than raw. Digestibility is also affected by how thoroughly a person chews nuts. The more finely ground the product is, the more nutrients the body can potentially use.

Sometimes it is recommended to soak nuts before use. According to Belousov, such a procedure can actually slightly reduce the content of phytic acid, which is able to bind some minerals. However, for most healthy people, this effect has no significant practical significance with a varied diet.

The main problem with most ready-made roasted nuts is not so much the roasting itself as the additional ingredients. First of all, we are talking about salt. Excessive sodium intake contributes to high blood pressure and may increase cardiovascular risks, especially in people with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure.

In addition, a large amount of vegetable oil is used in the production of some types of roasted nuts. If it is subjected to repeated heating, lipid oxidation products are formed in it, which are less favorable for the body.

Sweet glazed nuts should also not be considered a full-fledged healthy alternative. Because of the added sugar, they become more high-calorie and lose the advantage of a regular product.

Separately, the specialist recalled the risk of allergic reactions. For people with nut allergies, even a small amount of the product can pose a serious danger.

The doctor called raw, lightly dried or fried nuts without oil without the addition of salt, sugar and flavorings the best choice for the daily diet.

When buying a finished product, it is worth examining the composition. The shorter it is, the better. Ideally, it should contain only the nuts themselves, and in the presence of salt, its amount should be minimal. It is also necessary to evaluate the quality of the product. Nuts should not have a rancid smell, traces of mold or damage. It is recommended to store them in an airtight container, protecting them from light and high temperature, since the fats contained in the product gradually oxidize.

The doctor emphasized that for most healthy adults, a serving of about 25-30 grams per day is considered optimal — about a small handful. This amount allows you to get healthy fats, fiber and trace elements without significantly increasing the total calorie content of the diet.

For people with obesity, severe overweight or certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the amount of the product can be selected individually. At the same time, it is better to consider salted nuts as a rare addition to the diet, rather than as a daily product.

Belousov said on August 19 that apples, when consumed regularly, can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels, but they are not a substitute for drug treatment. This effect is primarily due to the high content of soluble fiber, especially pectin. Once in the intestine, it binds part of the bile acids, which the body uses cholesterol to synthesize. Because of this, the liver spends more cholesterol on the formation of new bile acids, which can lead to a moderate decrease in the level of low-density lipoproteins.