The benefits of eating nuts

Today's quote...Accept no ones definition of your life, define yourself.
                                                                                                                 Unknown

There are a lot of situations when people can attempt to define your life. In relationships, friendships, religions, families. Always try to have the confidence you need to be yourself and not acting like someone others want you to be. I spent many many years being someone I thought I was supposed to be to make people around me happy. In the last decade I have discovered who I want to be and I am soooo much happier not having to act all the time. 

So today let's talk about nuts.
 All nuts have anti-cancer and heart-protective properties. Almonds and walnuts particularly help balance cholesterol levels. Almonds seem to be the most valuable of the two. Studies have shown that almonds have the ability to lower total and LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease by 10%. All it takes is one handful of almonds a day. It is best to remove the skin by putting almonds into boiled water a few minutes. Soaking the almonds overnight makes them more digestible. Walnuts are high in omega-3 type oil. 
Nuts particularly peanuts( actually legumes) are a prime cause of acute allergic reactions in susceptible people. Avoid nuts that are broken, for they become rancid easily. Nut butters are also notorious for causing adverse reactions in the digestive system. When ground and, thereby, exposed to oxygen, they easily oxidize, ie., become rancid. Rancid fats are very toxic and a major cause of illness. They can even cause irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. Eat only fresh nuts, or if you prepare fresh nut butter, make sure to consume it in no less that 2 or 3 days. Avoid eating nuts that come mixed with dried fruits or in commercially produced breakfast cereals (the nuts are pre-rancid or rancid and the dried fruits contain fungi).
All nuts seeds and grains should  ideally be soaked overnight, after which they can be heat-dried in the oven for 6-12 hours and stored in a dry container. Soaking removes phytic-acid, which can combine with important minerals in the intestinal tract and block their absorption, and thereby cause serious mineral deficiencies. Soaking also neutralizes toxic enzyme inhibitors that prevent digestion of proteins. 

When you're out grocery shopping this week end why not buy some almonds and/or walnuts. Try making your own almond butter. I just made some almond butter. I put 1 cup of almonds in my small ninja and blended them until they were all stuck to the sides then use my spatula to get them of sides and into middle again. I kept doing this until the nuts were a paste consistency. I then transferred to a bowl and added about 2 tbsp REAL maple syrup to make it creamier. It is delicious. No yuck ingredients or oils!!!
Try it out. Have a great week end.