Several major studies have shown that people who eat nuts tend to live longer and suffer fewer deaths from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. And this isn't just because people who tend to eat nuts also tend to eat healthier in general. A study gave nuts to thousands of people with high risk of cardiovascular disease. Results: those eating the nuts had significantly less incidence of strokes compared to the control group, who wasn't eating the extra nuts.

But which nut is healthiest?

Answer: WALNUTS

In a very large study (PREDIMED) that randomized participants into different dietary groups and then noted over time who had more or less cancer, heart disease, etc, walnuts were the nut found to have the greatest health benefits, especially for preventing cancer. People who ate more than three servings of walnuts per week appeared to cut their risk of dying from cancer in half.

How to Add Walnuts to Your Daily Diet?

Easy: add to oatmeal, cereal or salad. But if you have a bit of a sweet tooth, like I do, here's a super easy and super healthy dessert recipe for you to try:

Raw Walnut Brownies:

2 cups walnuts
2 cups pitted dates (soak for 15 minutes in warm water to soften. Strain)
½ cup raw cocoa powder
 
Process ingredients in food processor until texture “looks like potting soil” (a bit gritty).  Firmly press mixture into 8x8 baking pan and divide into 16 pieces. (Instead of pressing into pan, I often roll the mixture into many small balls, ready for a quick bite).  Keep in sealed container in fridge or freezer.

And if you really want to get decadent, add a little icing to your brownie:

Chocolate Avocado Icing:

1 large ripe avocado
1/2 cup (or more, as needed for desired consistency) of unsweetened dairy-free milk
4 tbsps cacao powder
6-10 dates (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, then drained)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients in a high power blender and spread or dollop onto brownies. (This icing also makes a great chocolate pudding, especially when topped with fresh berries!)

...Now stop reading this and go eat some nuts! :)

If you add only one spice to your life, make it turmeric!

Turmeric is a root spice that is used most commonly in curry powder and which gives curry its bright yellow/orange color. Curcumin is the pigment in turmeric responsible for this color. It is also the part of turmeric which has been most studied, with over 5,000 published medical articles to date, and over 50 clinical trials this century.

The studies and clinical trials are indicating that turmeric/curcumin may play a role in preventing or treating the following:

• lung disease
• brain disease
• cancers, including multiple myeloma, colon and pancreatic
• rheumatoid arthritis
• osteoarthritis
• inflammatory conditions such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease
• and more...
  

How Much Should You Take?
While you can buy curcumin extract or turmeric capsules at your local health store, why not eat the whole food and save your pennies?  Since there are no long-term studies on the use of turmeric in high doses, consider sticking to the culinary dose of about a 1/4 teaspoon a day - this is the average intake in India for hundreds of years.

How To Add Turmeric To Your Meals:
Aside from the most obvious way to get turmeric into your diet, that is by eating curries, consider adding turmeric powder to soups or pasta sauces, or even into a veggie smoothie (I don't recommend adding it to a cacao-banana-blueberry smoothie, however. I tried it. Once.)

Enhancing Absorption of Curcumin:
Adding black pepper along with turmeric, increases the level of curcumin in your blood. Eating turmeric with a source of fat (preferably a healthy, plant-based fat such as nuts, seeds, coconut, avocado) also enhances bioavailability of curcumin.

Contraindications for Turmeric:
Turmeric is a cholecystokinetic agent, which means it causes contraction of the gallbladder. This can be a good thing when you don't have gallstones, but if you do, this action could cause pain.

Too much turmeric may also increase your risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones if you are already susceptible to them, as the spice is high in oxalates. But limiting your daily intake to 1/4tsp a day shouldn't be a problem, even if you are susceptible.


Please note that I've pulled most of this information from Michael Greger MD's recent book: How Not to Die. I highly recommend this book if you want the most up-to-date researched-based information on how nutrition can impact your health.

Flax seeds and Cancer. Flax seeds contain lignans, which are phytoestrogens that can dampen the effects of your body's own estrogen. Women who have higher intake of lignans in their diet have been shown to have decreased recurrence of breast cancer than women who have little lignan intake. Research is also showing that lignans can decrease men's risk of prostate cancer and even reverse or hinder cancer cell growth in those with this disease.

Flax seeds and Hypertension: a few tablespoons of ground flax seeds a day "appears to be 2-3 times more powerful than adopting an aerobic endurance exercise program" (from Eat to Live by Michael Greger, MD)

Flax seeds and Omega-3's: Flax seeds are one of the best plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3's help to decrease inflammatory response in your body and are linked to improved cognitive functioning.

How to Get Your Daily Dose of Flax Seeds:

Try to eat at least a tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds. Make sure to buy pre-ground (in a sealed container, not out in the open at the bulk store) or grind your own in a coffee grinder. The whole seeds are so tough they are going to 'go out the same way you put them in', if you know what I mean. :) Keep your extra ground seeds in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer. Whole seeds do not need to be refrigerated.

Consider adding your ground flax seeds to smoothies (my favourtie), soups, salads, or in muffins or breads.

Enjoy!