A crunchy, salty, heart-saving SNACK?

Have you heard the saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away?

Well, how about a handful of nuts?

After all, research suggests dutifully reaching for nuts is the healthiest way to snack.

Here’s what I mean…

One, two, three…

Nuts are packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals, folate, and vitamin E.

Not to mention an array of other beneficial compounds—like antioxidants, phenols, and phytosterols.

In fact, they’re so beneficial for you, that I actually consider them a diet staple.

And for good reason…

A Swedish research analysis found that eating three or more servings of nuts per week lowers your risk of arterial fibrillation (AFib)—the technical term for an irregular heartbeat—and possibly heart failure.

Compared to people who never ate nuts, the researchers found that those who ate them one to three times a month lowered their AFib risk by 3 percent.

But eating them more often BOOSTED those benefits significantly. In fact, eating nuts twice a week reduced AF risk by a stunning 12 percent.

Three servings of nuts weekly resulted in an 18 percent reduction in AFib risk. And every additional serving shaved four more percentage points off of overall AFib risk.

Not too shabby for a snack that’s also delicious!

Now, let’s look at heart failure…

Delicious and mighty

Turns out, subjects benefited from a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure with one to three monthly servings of nuts—and a whopping 20 percent lower risk with one to two weekly servings.

And the benefits don’t stop there…

This study also suggests the more nuts you eat, the less likely you are to face other cardiovascular events, like a heart attack or abdominal aortic aneurism. (This occurs when a section of the aorta—the largest blood vessel in your body—weakens and swells within your abdomen).

Plus, other studies have shown that including nuts in your diet helps fight inflammation, improves cholesterol, boosts endothelial function, and wards off weight gain.

So, lowering your risk of AFib and heart failure are just two pretty big benefits to add to an already impressive list.

That’s why nuts of all kinds play such a huge part in my A-List Diet—whether you prefer almonds, walnuts, or macadamias. Just one tip: skip the peanuts—they don’t serve up the heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) found in other nuts.

I also encourage you to cook with my favorite cooking oil: Macadamia nut oil.

Source:

“Nut Consumption Linked to Lower AF Risk.” Medscape, 05/01/2018. (medscape.com/viewarticle/895996)