The Mighty Walnut

A recent research study reported that, relative to its fellow tree nuts, the walnut is the mightiest nut of all. Based on a comparison of antioxidant quantity and potency, walnuts took a landslide victory over almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias and pecans. Walnuts are like the kale of the nut family. Yes, kale is that much better than other vegetables!

So let’s step back a second and take a look at nuts in general. Delivered from nature as a perfectly packaged little food, protected from the elements by a hard shell, all nuts can be considered nutritional powerhouses. As a high quality protein source, they can serve as a replacement for animal protein in a vegan or vegetarian meal. They are packed with minerals such as Manganese, Magnesium, Copper and Selenium, along with B-vitamins, vitamin E and fiber.

However, the nut’s true notoriety, whether positive or negative, usually comes from its supply of fat. This quality makes it one of our more calorie dense foods, causing many people to avoid it. Interestingly, studies have shown a reduced risk for obesity and weight gain in correlation with increased consumption of nuts and seeds. Plus it turns out that this fat, predominantly mono and polyunsaturated, is to thank for all this positive press that walnuts (and other nuts) have been getting lately. You see, the fats in nuts are actually quite delicate, so they come packaged along with antioxidants, which provide protection from environmental stressors like air, heat and light. Of all the nuts, walnuts contain the highest levels of omega-3 fats, which are some of the most delicate fats and thus require the greatest quantity and potency of antioxidants to protect them.

While they are an incredibly healthy food, nuts should be eaten in limited quantities. Stick to a handful a day. Just imagine you had to crack each individual nut out of its hard shell… how many would you eat? That’s how many you should have. When possible, consume nuts raw, not roasted. The heat from roasting may compromise healthy fats while destroying antioxidants and live enzymes. Finally, stick to unsalted nuts. All that salt makes a handful feel like such a tease!

American Chemical Society Report
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/acs-wat030911.php#

A Summer Side to Soothe the Senses

In many of the hottest climates around the world, the overarching theme of the local cuisine is spice! Think Thai, North African or Indian food – all cultures based close to the equator that commonly use a level of spice and heat in their food deemed intolerable by many outsiders. The rationale is that the spicy food makes you sweat, which facilitates cooling of the core body temperature.

In the United States, our hot weather summer cooking tends to take a slightly more straightforward approach. We utilize the cooling and hydrating effects of cold, raw foods like fresh fruits and vegetables to keep us going in the summer heat.

This week’s recipe is the perfect summer salad, primed to take advantage of both these methods. A simple combination of citrus with Bibb lettuce brings a cooling and hydrating effect while avocado provides a dose of healthy fat. As is, this recipe has a slight sweetness that makes it a perfect pair for a hot and spicy main dish. However, the addition of a little cayenne pepper to the dressing will kick it up a notch and bring the soothing properties of this dish full circle. Top it with some grilled shrimp and call it a day… or a warm summer evening!


Mandarin Avocado Salad w/ Lime Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 side dishes OR 2 entrée size portions

Ingredients
1 head Bibb lettuce, leaves torn
¼ red onion, sliced very thin into rings
¾ avocado, diced
2 mandarin oranges, peeled wedges

Dressing:
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about ½ lime)
1 teaspoon tamari
½ teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cracked pepper

Combine lettuce, onion, avocado and orange wedges in a large mixing bowl. Combine lime juice, tamari, honey and cilantro in a separate bowl and stir. Slowly add olive oil while whisking vigorously to incorporate evenly. Add cracked black pepper to taste. Pour vinaigrette over salad, toss and serve.


An original recipe by Jared Rice, 2009.

Be an Optimist and Reduce Your Disease Risk

How might optimism work to make people less vulnerable and pessimism to make people more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease? The possibilities divide into three large categories:

1. Optimists take action and have healthier lifestyles. Even more generally, people with high life satisfaction (which correlates highly with optimism) are much more likely to diet, not to smoke, and to exercise regularly than people with lower life satisfaction. According to one study, happy people also sleep better than unhappy people.

2. Social support. The more friends and the more love in your life, the less illness. It has been found that lonely people are markedly less healthy than sociable people. Happy people have richer social networks than unhappy people, and social connectedness also contributes to a lack of disability as we age. Misery may love company, but company does not love misery, and the ensuing loneliness of pessimists may be a path to illness.

3. Biology: the immune system and stress. It has been demonstrated that the blood of optimists has a feistier response to threat (more infection-fighting white blood cells called T lymphocytes produced) than the pessimists. Another possibility is common genetics: optimistic and happy people might have genes that ward off cardiovascular disease or cancer.

Another potential biological path is repeated cycles of stress. Pessimists give up and suffer more stress, whereas optimists cope better with stress. Repeated episodes of stress, particularly when one is helpless, may lead to long lasting inflammation.

Material adapted from Flourish, by Martin Seligman, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania