Nuts and Why We Love Them

Fat got a new label in the 1960s and it wasn’t a good one. We got told ‘fat is bad’ and all products went ‘diet’, being pumped full of sugar or worse, synthetic ingredients, and nuts had to take a back seat in the snack department.

When we finally came to our senses we realised fat is not the demon behind the obesity and heart disease epidemic that is sweeping the Western world. It might even have something more to do with sugar-laden, high refined carb diets we are addicted to, but that’s for another blog post.

We use a few different nuts in our bars and we’re due to use even more varieties in 2020 which is super exciting! Watch this space!

What most nuts have in common is a combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and a small amount of saturated fat.

Fat is essential in our diet for a number of reasons. First up, without it, we wouldn’t be able to absorb Vitamin A, D or E because they are fat-soluble. These vitamins are the building blocks for our fertility, hormones and liver health.

Fat is a great source of energy, especially if you are trying to keep your carbohydrate intake lower and your blood sugar levels stable, in fact, nuts as a snack may help to lower high blood sugar levels.

Let’s not forget the nutrients available from nuts, specifically the ones we use in our bars.

Almonds have a great amount of magnesium (muscle function), Riboflavin, a type of vitamin B (cell growth) and calcium (teeth and bone health).

Walnuts are a great plant source of Omega 3 which is great because, vegans listen up, those usually come from animal products. Omega 3s are the fats we need for brain health, so you could say they are pretty darn important.

Cashews may not pack a punch in the flavour department, but they make up for it in nutrients. Copper, which is important for iron utilisation (ladies take note, that low iron could be due to things other than a lack of red meat in your diet), connective tissue, and hair and skin pigment production.

There are a lot more benefits than what I have listed but, in a nutshell, (pun intended), it is important we include a variety of nuts in our diet. They are a great snack or addition to a meal to boost the nutrient content. So next time you bite into one of our bars, recognise that you are nourishing your body with essential vitamins and minerals, and that’s something we should all consider every time we eat.