Research suggests that just two handfuls of a nutrient-dense snack can add three years to your life. Scientists have looked carefully into the diets of people who live in ‘blue zones’ – a select number of locations in the world where people tend to live much longer, healthier lives than the national average.
These include Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, Nuoro Province in Sardinia, Italy, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. In these areas, nuts are widely eaten as either a snack, or part of a main meal, almost every day – and it is thought that they can significantly improve people’s health and longevity. This may come as a surprise to some, as fats tend to be high in boths fats and calories.
However, as the Blue Zones website and social media explains, they are incredibly nutritious and absolutely can form part of a healthy diet. Finding the right balance of nuts to eat can even extend your life compared to those who do not eat nuts.
“We know from distilling more than 150 dietary surveys of the world’s longest-lived people on earth that nut eaters outlive people who don’t eat nuts by an average of two to three years,” Blue Zones experts said on Instagram.
“But what’s the ideal nut mix? Almonds (high in vitamin E and magnesium), peanuts (high in protein and folate, a B vitamin), cashews (high in magnesium), Brazil nuts (high in selenium, a mineral found effective in protecting against prostate cancer), and walnuts (high in alpha-linoleic acid, the only omega-3 fat found in a plant-based food).”
As the British Heart Foundation explains, nuts are often high in fat – especially walnuts, pine nuts, and macadamias. However, these fats tend to be. unsaturated fats. These are either polyunsaturated fats – such as those found in walnuts and pine nuts – or monounsaturated fats like those in almonds, pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts.
Chestnuts are an exception – they are lower in all types of fats and higher in starchy carbohydrate than other nuts. Despite their high fat content, the high protein and fibre content found in nuts makes them a great snack. They are also full of nutrients such as vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium.
Even the likes of Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts, which are higher in saturated fat, are full of nutrients. A portion of nuts is 30g (a small, cupped handful) which is about 175kcal. Nuts that you have to shell yourself tend to take more time, so you may eat fewer.
“Eat two handfuls of nuts per day,” the Blue Zone experts advise. “A handful of nuts weighs about two ounces, the average amount that blue zones centenarians consume—almonds in Ikaria and Sardinia, pistachios in Nicoya, and all nuts with the Adventists. The Adventist Health Study 2 found that nut eaters outlive non–nut eaters by an average of two to three years.
“The optimal mix of nuts: almonds (high in vitamin E and magnesium), peanuts (high in protein and folate, a B vitamin), Brazil nuts (high in selenium, a mineral found effective in protecting against prostate cancer), cashews (high in magnesium), and walnuts (high in alpha-linoleic acid, the only omega-3 fat found in a plant-based food). Walnuts, peanuts, and almonds are the nuts most likely to lower your cholesterol.”
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