I grew up in a completely nut-free household, because my father is allergic to most nuts. We couldn’t have nuts anywhere in the house. Once I moved out and was on my own, I slowly began a new journey into an entirely new genre of flavor and texture I had never been privy to. A new world opened up to me as I explored various nuts and nut butters, testing them in recipes and adding them to snacks, recognizing how much I had been missing throughout my youth. Because of my newness to this class of versatile plant-based foods, I am all the more grateful to Robin for creating this gem of a book, enabling me to explore her fresh concepts and ideas, and to indulge in these nutritious and delicious recipes. Nut Butter Universe is brimming with creativity, great flavor, and decadence, all the while providing enticing ways to incorporate health-filled nut butters into your daily fare.
Nuts and seeds have been a traditional component of most cultures for millennia. Not only are they delicious and provide delectable additions to a vast variety of dishes, but they also boast extraordinary nutrient profiles and have been associated with multiple health benefits in the scientific literature.
Tree nuts and peanuts (technically a legume masquerading as a nut, thanks to the nomenclature and nutrient profile) are rich in vitamins E, B6, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and much-needed minerals like calcium, selenium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. They score high on antioxidant ranking systems and provide a plethora of protective phytonutrients. Seeds, too, provide a wealth of nutrients including vitamin E and several from the B complex (namely, thiamine, niacin, folate, and B6), manganese, tryptophan, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron. Special super stars of the seed kingdom are sesame seeds and tahini (sesame seed butter) due to their healthy dose of calcium, and chia, flax, and hemp seeds for their abundance of plant-based omega-3 fats.
Although the percentage of calories in nuts and seeds is high in total fat, their fatty acid profile is optimal, made up of primarily monounsaturated fats (although certain nuts like walnuts are predominantly polyunsaturated). Overall, nuts are lower in artery-clogging saturated fats and do not contain nefariously problematic trans fatty acids or dietary cholesterol. Some nuts and seeds are high in the essential polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In fact, it only takes approximately half a cup of black walnuts, two tablespoons of English walnuts, or one tablespoon of flaxseeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds to provide the daily Adequate Intake (AI) of ALA. In a vegan diet, these are your best options for attaining your omega-3 fatty acids, and should be considered a consistent component of your meal plan. Robin illustrates some easy and delicious ways of enjoying them throughout this book.
Another unique contribution nuts provide is phytosterols, plant-derived sterols and stanols, which have been associated with cholesterol-optimizing effects as well as lowered risk for certain cancers. Nuts also contain ellagic acid, a potent antioxidant, as well as lignans, which have antioxidant and phytoestrogenic properties. These compounds have been shown to support heart health and protect against certain cancers.
Nuts are an excellent source of healthy plant protein. The biggest benefit of consuming protein from nuts and other plant foods is that it is packaged alongside all of these other wonderful nutrients and yet do not contain harmful steroids, hormones, cholesterol, and saturated fats found in animal products. In fact, the protein content in nuts and seeds helps provide essential amino acids and boost protein intake in a vegan diet. And here is a bonus: L-arginine, one of the amino acids found abundantly in nuts, is the precursor to nitric oxide and its consumption can help improve blood flow by enhancing vasodilation (Brufau, et al, Brit J Nutr, 2006). See Chart 1 for an illustration of the varied and health-promoting fatty acid profile, and generous fiber and phytosterol content of various nuts and peanuts.
In recent years, research has shed light on numerous compelling benefits of consuming nuts and seeds regularly. Epidemiological data have revealed that nuts appear to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of Americans, by approximately one-third or more. The Nurses Health Study is a prospective cohort study that began following 121,700 female nurses in 1976. In a recent analysis (Baer, et al, Am J Epidemiol 2011) of the collected data, researchers wanted to assess which lifestyle factors may be associated with mortality. Consuming just two or more servings of nuts per week was found to be associated with lower mortality when compared to women consuming none or almost none. Several studies show a strong cardioprotective effect illustrated by associations between frequent nut consumption and a decreased incidence of mortality, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death.
Consuming nuts regularly helps protect against type 2 diabetes. Jiang, et al found a lowered risk for type 2 diabetes with higher nut and peanut butter consumption in women (JAMA 2002) while Jenkins, et al, found two ounces of nuts per day in replacement of carbohydrate-rich foods helped improve glycemic control and blood cholesterol in type 2 diabetics (Diabetes Care 2011).
Nuts and seeds also improve cholesterol profiles. In a 2005 review (Mukuddem-Petersen, et al, J Nutr), it was concluded that consuming 50-100 g (approximately 1.5-3.5 servings) of nuts five or more times a week can decrease total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. A pooled analysis of 25 nut consumption trials (Sabate, et al, Arch Intern Med, 2010) determined that eating nuts improves blood cholesterol profiles in a dose-dependent fashion, meaning there is a greater reduction in LDL cholesterol when more calories are replaced by nuts in the diet.
Preliminary evidence supports possible associations between frequent nut consumption and decreased incidence of other chronic diseases such as obesity, dementia, gallstone disease, advanced macular degeneration, and even erectile dysfunction.
Despite the common concerns about the higher fat and calorie content of nuts and seeds, research supports the fact that consuming nuts does not lead to weight gain. In fact, some experts continue the antiquated trend of recommending limiting or excluding them in the diet in order to lose weight or prevent weight gain. However, a comprehensive review in the September 2008 issue of The Journal of Nutrition revealed that nuts are not only innocent of the claim they contribute to weight gain, but also that nut consumers tend to have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than non-consumers. A randomized controlled trial (the gold standard in scientific research) put two groups of obese subjects on a low-calorie diet, where one group consumed 48 almonds a day and the other group had no nuts. At the end of the 18-month trial, both groups lost around the same amount of weight, but the almond-eaters showed significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides levels profiles as well as better total cholesterol to HDL ratios (Am J Clin Nutr, 2012).
The key factor is that you need to substitute (instead of adding in additional) calories you were previously consuming to reap the benefits. Adding calories to a diet, regardless of where they are coming from, will lead to weight gain since weight management is simply a physics equation of calories in versus calories out.
Thus, the preponderance of information suggests that consuming a moderate amount of nuts and seeds – approximately one ounce per day – has significant health advantages, particularly when the serving of nuts replaces the calories from somewhere else in the diet.
Nut Butter Universe provides an enchantingly delicious culinary opportunity to indulge in the rich flavors of nut butters, while also boosting your essential nutrient intake and helping reduce the incidence of chronic disease. You can enjoy Robin’s enticing and innovative recipes while maintaining your goal for optimal health.
Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, Plant-Based Dietitian, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, and host of the TV talk show, What Would Julieanna Do?