Jackie’s Healthy Habit No. 6 – Stock your Pantry with Raw Nuts for Snacking & Cooking

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Jackie’s Healthy Habit No. 6️⃣ is “Stock a variety of raw nuts in your pantry for healthy snacking.”   Keep raw nuts (no salt or oil) such as walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans, stocked front and center in your pantry.  Nuts are perfect for on-the-go healthy snacking, tossing on a salad for crunch and protein, or using in smoothies or other recipes.

I like to think of raw nuts as mother nature’s bite sized gift to us.  Just 1 ounce has heart healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.   Don’t be afraid of the fat in nuts!  Doctors have linked a daily, small handful of nuts to lowering cholesterol, better heart health and weight control.

Walnuts have antioxidants that protect us from cancer and aging.  They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (which help fight inflammation) and healthy unsaturated fats like the ones found in fish.  Some women swear by a handful of walnuts during that time of the month as a way to reduce PMS symptons.  (Serving Size – about 14 Walnut Halves)

Almonds are rich in fiber and vitamin E, and have been found to raise levels of good bacteria in the gut.  They are a filling, low calorie snack between meals, and their ability to control blood sugar make them great for weight loss plans.  (Serving Size: about 23 Almonds)

Pecans are antioxidant rich and have been found to lower LDL cholesterol levels and prevent plaque from forming in the arteries.  (Serving Size: about 18 Pecan Halves)

Cashews have high levels of iron which can prevent anemia, zinc which supports the immune system and magnesium which improves memory.  (Serving Size: about 18 Cashews.)

You should now be thoroughly convinced to go buy some raw nuts.  So stop reading this blog post and hop to it.  Go on.  When you get back from the store, before you put those beautiful little gems away, make sure you toss the chips, crackers and processed crap in the trash.  We can’t have them crowding out and offending all this nutty goodness.

Jackie’s Tip ?:  Buy nuts in bulk to save money and then store at eye-level in your pantry so you reach for them first when you want a snack.

As always, thank you for stopping by Jackie Unfiltered.  Remember what Bill Murray said, “I’m a nut, but not just a nut!”

xoxo,
Jackie