Health Benefits
Hazelnuts for your Health: A handful of hazelnuts can do you good!- Hazelnuts are heart-healthy. Consuming just 1.5 ounces of hazelnuts per day may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the USDA.
- Hazelnuts rank #1 among tree nuts in folate content. This translates into a decreased risk of neural tube birth defects and may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression
- Hazelnuts have the highest proanthocyanidin content of any tree nut. These compounds are known for contributing astringent flavor to foods and may help reduce the risk of blood clotting and urinary tract infections.
DASH Recommendations
The
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, in cooperation with the
National Institutes of Health, developed the DASH diet -- Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This eating plan provides guidelines
for long-term dietary changes to help lower your blood pressure. The
DASH diet recommends limiting your sodium intake to less than 2,300
milligrams per day and encourages those with high blood pressure to
reduce intake to less than 1,500 milligrams per day. The DASH diet
encourages increasing your intake of minerals that help lower blood
pressure, like potassium, magnesium and calcium. An important factor in
lowering your blood pressure is following a low-fat diet, but not all
fats are created equal. Saturated fat contributes to the buildup of
plaque in the arteries that leads to high blood pressure. For this
reason DASH recommends saturated fat account for no more than 6 percent
of your total calories while total fat should account for no more than
27 percent of your calories. Although nuts serve as a good source of
these heart-healthy nutrients, you should eat only handful a day to stay
within your daily fat limits.
- Approximately 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypertension can lead to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.. For this reason, it is important to make lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure, including following a diet low in saturated fat, low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium and fiber. Nuts serve as a good source of potassium, magnesium, fiber and healthy fats, making them a part of a heart-healthy diet.
