How healthy are nuts, seeds, and kernels really? They are well-known for their nutritional value, including healthy fats, proteins, and fibers. They are often praised for their contribution to a balanced diet.
However, there’s a “but” behind this story. In this article, we explain why nuts are not always the health angels they may seem to be.
Raw nuts can contain substances known as phytotoxins. The term phyto refers to plants, while toxins means poisons. Phytotoxins are bioactive compounds that naturally occur in some nuts and can hinder the absorption of other nutrients in the body.
This effect is amplified when you regularly consume a wide variety of nuts. The result can be bloating. Therefore, the recommendation is to limit your intake to 1 or 2 different types of nuts. The same applies to seeds and kernels.
While nuts are healthy in themselves, it’s important to be mindful of the degree of variation in your diet.
One way to reduce the risk of phytotoxins in nuts is by roasting them. Here’s a simple process:
Soak the nuts in a bowl of water for half a day. You’ll notice the water turning brownish over time. This is a sign that the phytotoxins are being released from the nuts into the water.
Gently pat the nuts dry with a cloth to remove excess water.
Roast the nuts in a preheated oven at 80°C (175°F) for 2 hours. This allows the harmful substances to evaporate and makes the nuts crunchy.
If you’d like to add extra flavor, mix the nuts with spices of your choice, such as cinnamon, before roasting them in the oven.
Tip: You can soak and roast large batches of nuts at once to save time.
Roasting nuts is a safe way to enjoy their nutritional value without worrying about potential phytotoxins. So, keep enjoying nuts—just be mindful of the right preparation method for the best health results.
At Aurora Personal Training, we prefer to get our nuts from a specialty nut shop. We believe in specialists who choose the very best quality.
Roel van den Bogaard is personal trainer en oprichter van Aurora Personal Training, gespecialiseerd in krachttraining, mobiliteit en duurzame vitaliteit. Met jarenlange ervaring helpt hij ondernemers, professionals en expats om fitter, sterker en energieker in het leven te staan. Roel combineert wetenschappelijk onderbouwde trainingsmethoden met persoonlijke begeleiding en een high-end gym-ervaring, volledig afgestemd op jouw doelen en leefstijl.
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