How to Get a Lot More Nutrition from Nuts and Seeds
NUTS & SEEDS
I highly recommend that you include nuts and seeds in your diet, and below are some tips on how to get the maximum nutritional benefits from them...
1. MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY "RAW"
There is a difference between nuts and seeds that are "raw" and nuts and seeds that aren't "raw", and the difference can be "life" and "death".
If you planted a raw almond in the ground, it could grow into an almond tree, and if you planted some raw pumpkin seeds in the ground they could grow into pumpkins. But unfortunately, a lot of the nuts and seeds that are sold in grocery stores have been roasted, toasted, and pasteurized in order to extend their "shelf life", and these heating processes shorten their real life.
And to make matters worse, a lot of store-bought nuts and seeds will also have things like salt and oil added to them.
Please understand that when you take something like raw almonds, and you roast them at 350 degrees and dip them in oil and salt, you are basically taking a "health food" and converting it into a "junk food".
A lot of people don't realize just how much of the foods that they eat are actually seeds. (Oats, rice, wheat, corn, and beans are all seeds, and even a lot of spices are just ground up seeds.)
But if you took a bag of "Quaker Oats", or a box of "Uncle Ben's Rice", or a can of "Bush's Baked Beans" and you planted them in the ground, none of them would grow into anything, because they're all dead due to the heating and processing that they have undergone.
A lot of people are living on diets that are mostly made up of "dead seeds" and other "dead things", and therefore, it should come as no surprise that when they switch to a diet that is based on raw and living foods, they suddenly feel a lot more "alive".
2. ROTATE THE TYPES OF NUTS AND SEEDS THAT YOU EAT
There are a lot of different types of edible nuts and seeds out there, so ideally don't limit yourself to just "peanuts", because all of the different nuts and seeds have their own unique nutritional benefits...
* "Pumpkin seeds" are known for being a good source of "zinc".
* "Flax seeds" are known for being rich in "omega 3 fatty acids".
* "Brazil nuts" are known for being incredibly high in "selenium".
Eating a wide variety of nuts and seeds is the key to getting the wide variety of nutritional benefits that nuts and seeds can provide, so why not have a handful of almonds as a snack today, some chia seeds in a smoothie tomorrow, and maybe some walnuts with a salad the next day?
Nuts and seeds are very nutritious, but they are also about 80% fat, so an ounce or two of nuts a day can be beneficial, but a pound a day can be very dense and difficult for our bodies to digest, so I recommend eating a big variety of nuts and seeds, but in small quantities.
In the past, we would have had to take the time to crack open nuts and seeds ourselves, but now we can buy large bags of already shelled and ready to eat nuts and seeds that are easy to overindulge in since we don't have to take the time to open anything except the bag. And we can also buy jars of "Nut Butter" that are even easier to overindulge in since we don't even have to take the time to chew anything.
So, please enjoy nuts and seeds in doses, and below is a list of 20 good ones to look for...
Almonds
Bitter Apricot Kernels
Brazil Nuts
Cacao
Cashews
Chia Seeds
Coconuts
Flax Seeds
Hazel Nuts
Hemp Seeds
Macadamia Nuts
Pecans
Pili Nuts
Pine Nuts
Pistachios
Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds (Tahini)
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Wild Jungle Peanuts
3. SOAK THEM BEFORE YOU EAT THEM
Nuts and seeds contain something known as "enzyme inhibitors" and the purpose of enzyme inhibitors is to protect the nuts and seeds by keeping them in a hibernation state until the right conditions for life to begin (such as rain) present themselves, and soaking nuts and seeds in a bowl of water will cause the enzyme inhibitors to think that it's time for the seeds to "wake up" and start to growing.
Nuts and seeds are harder to digest than fruits and vegetables, but if you remove their enzyme inhibitors and turn on their life-force, it becomes a lot easier to digest them.
Soaking nuts and seeds in water will also make them bigger and more hydrating. (Which means that you won't have to eat as many of them to feel satisfied.)
After soaking your nuts and seeds, drain the water (which will look brown and dirty due to the phytic acid that was removed from the nuts and seeds during soaking) and then rinse the nuts and seeds well with clean water before eating them.
Once you have soaked your nuts and seeds, you can also take it a step further if you wish by actually sprouting them.
Sprouting is pretty easy to do. In fact, millions of the trees in America are here because squirrels will bury raw tree nuts in the ground to eat later, but then they forget where they buried them, and the nuts end up sprouting and growing into fully grown trees. (This is known as "Accidental Squirrel Gardening".)
To watch countless free videos on how to soak and sprout nuts and seeds at home, simply go to YouTube and type in "Soaking and Sprouting Nuts and Seeds"
Keep in mind though, that in order for a seed to sprout, it has to be alive, and if you have ever wondered if the nuts and seeds that you are eating are dead or alive, there is no better way to find out than to see what happens if you try to sprout them.
If you are wanting to purchase nuts and seeds that are truly "raw", it is important to know that the term "raw" can legally be put on just about anything these days, and that the term you really want to look for is "sproutable" (example: "sproutable almonds") because if a nut, seed, or grain can sprout, than it is definitely alive, and if it also doesn't come with any added ingredients than you have found a truy "raw" and superior product.
And for anyone who is worried about getting enough "protein" from plants to be strong, it should be noted that plants are actually more "proteinaceous" when they are young sprouts, and that sprouts have a reputation for being strong enough to break through concrete!
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