1. Go nuts for a healthy heart!

Including nuts in a traditionally Mediterranean diet helps to maintain a healthy heart, by managing the metabolic syndrome.

What is the metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of health problems such as obesity, a high cholesterol level, a high blood pressure and a high glucose level. These problems together increase the risk of developing heart and blood vessel diseases (cardiovascular diseases) and diabetes (type 2). More and more people around the world are developing metabolic syndrome. One in five people are already affected by it.

The recent study by Salas-Salvado et al. showed that a diet high in good (unsaturated) fats could decrease the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. 1,224 older people (55-80 years old) who were at risk of developing heart disease participated in this study. They were asked to follow either a Mediterranean diet with lots of virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet that includes 30 grams of mixed nuts per day or a low fat diet for a year. The participants also received nutritional advice about their diets.

The traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with nuts was the winner in reducing the risk of the development of metabolic syndrome. The occurrence of metabolic syndrome was reduced by 13.7 per cent when the diet was enriched with nuts, by 6.7 per cent when enriched with olive oil, and by only 2 per cent in the low fat diet group.

Source:
1) Salas-Salvado J, Fernandez-Ballart J, Ros E, Martínez-González M-A, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented With Nuts on Metabolic Syndrome Status. Archive of Internal Medicine 2008; 22:2449-2458.

2. Cooking with nuts: Grilled salmon fillets with salad and pistachio dressing

Starter – Serves 4

• 4 salmon fillets
• 2 slices stale bread (without crusts)
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 125 g pistachio nuts, shelled
• 1 shallot (finely chopped)
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• 1 lime (squeezed)
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 200 g corn salad (lamb’s lettuce)
• 75 g rocket lettuce

Grease the salmon fillets with a little olive oil and grill in a grill pan.
Using the food processor, reduce the bread to fine breadcrumbs.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Fry crumbs for 4 minutes on a low heat at a low setting until crispy and golden brown.
Remove the skin from the pistachio nuts.
Whisk the remainder of the oil, shallot, garlic, lime juice, mustard and thyme in a salad bowl.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix the pistachio nuts into the dressing.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the dressing.
Serve with the lettuce. Dribble the dressing over the salmon and the salad.

Preparation time: approx. 15 min.
Nutritional value per person:
665 kcal • 2780 kJ • 34 g protein • 55 g fat • 8 g saturated fat • 9 g carbohydrates

3. Pistachios in the spotlight!

Origin

Pistachios are one of the oldest flowering nut trees. Archaeological evidence in Turkey suggests that people ate pistachios as long ago as 7,000 BC.

The pistachio was a delicacy among royalties. Legend tells us that the Queen of Sheba (who ruled the ancient kingdom called Sheba, which may have included countries such as Ethiopia and Yemen) was especially fond of pistachios and decreed that pistachios be an exclusively royal food. She even forbade commoners to grow the nut for their personal use. In some countries in the Middle East the pistachio is still consumed mostly by sophisticated people.

Production

The world’s major pistachio producing areas are Iran, Turkey and the San Joaquin Valley of California. The matured nuts are shaken out of the tree. After harvest the nuts must be hulled and dried within 24 hours to maintain their high quality. While the nuts are drying, the moisture content is reduced from 45 per cent to 5 per cent. After drying, the blemished nuts are removed. The good quality nuts are graded into four sizes and are roasted, salted and packaged for consumption.

Nutrition

Pistachios are not only tasty but also very healthy. Recent research shows that pistachio nuts can lower the cholesterol significantly and can help to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Source:
1) Sheridan MJ, Cooper JN and Eraria M. Pistachio nut consumption and serum lipid levels. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2008; 26:141-148.

4. Peanuts and nuts trendy in 2009!

Just as every year, trend watchers have charted the food trends for this year. With good news for peanuts and nuts. They are one of the trendy foods for 2009! Besides trends such as ‘Safety food’ and ‘Customized food products’, 2009 is the year for ‘Bite-sized snacks’ and - in reaction to the climate crises- ‘Vegetarian cooking.’

Peanuts and nuts fit perfectly into the healthy ‘in-between’ snack during the afternoon or evening and as a replacement for meat in the main meal of the day. The reason: they contain many healthy nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are therefore often referred to as naturally functional food, and in this context they play a role in a balanced diet and in the food trends for 2009!