Nuts about nuts!

So my husband and I have adopted a semi-Paleo lifestyle.  We are not strict Paleo (and never will be, as we are both pizza fanatics!!)... but we do try to incorporate the principles of "clean eating" into our lives.  Nuts are fairly ubiquitous in the Paleo world.  To be honest, I wasn't a big nut eater before.  But with Paleo and the Whole30, you can't snack on sugary processed foods... so you're left with only a few choices.  Nuts are among those.

I have now become a huge fan of nuts.  I start each day by eating a bowl of fruit mixed with coconut and cashews (called "monkey salad", recipe can be found here).  I snack throughout the day on pistachios.  We cook meals that include nuts (one of our favorites is an Asian chicken cashew dish, recipe can be found here).

Not only are nuts tasty, but they also have amazing health benefits!  They contain "good fats" which have cholesterol-lowering effects.  They have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can improve disease processes such as diabetes or arthritis.  They contain essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B, and folate.  Of course, you want to make sure you are choosing healthy nuts that aren't smothered in sugars and oils, and as with all things, you want to eat them in moderation.  Below are my favorites nuts, and ways that I use them.

1. Cashews

As I said, I eat these every morning as part of my breakfast.  I also like to munch on them as an energy-boosting snack, and sometimes incorporate them into meals.

2. Pistachios

I eat these as a snack at work.  They are so great to snack on while I'm sitting at my computer.  Also because it takes some work to open them up, I feel like maybe that keeps me from chowing down as much as I would with, for example, a bag of chips.

3. Almonds

I use almonds to make my own almond milk.  It's really easy to do, and only takes about 5 minutes.  I make my own because the almond milk you can purchase at the grocery store usually has added sugars and additives (such as carrageenan).  I also occasionally cook with almonds (my favorite is almond-crusted codfish!).

4. Pecans

I don't use pecans terribly often, but I like to have them around in case a recipe calls for them or if I get a hankering for something sweet.  I'll heat them up on the oven with a light glaze of sugar, and they are delicious!! - warm and fresh from the stove, like those amazing nuts you smell when you're at the mall (or a festival here in Germany).

The downside to nuts?  They're expensive!  A 10-oz bag of cashews is like $8.  A 1-lb bag of pistachios is about $10.  So it adds up quickly.  One day when Shane and I settle down, I want to plant a bunch of nut-bearing trees so we can grow our own!  Until then, I will continue to spend money on these wonderful heart-healthy foods that are filling and yummy.  It's a win-win situation.