Brazil Nuts Benefits
In the Snack section of my book Eat More Burn More (starting on page 211), you’ll find all kinds of great ideas for snacks that are simple, easy, fat-burning, and delicious. You’ll even find things like a fat-burning strawberry and chocolate sauce recipe (true), and my wife Carissa’s foolproof, perfect hard-boiled eggs recipe!
On page 213, I show you how to simply toast Brazilian nuts and turn them into one of the best fat-burning snacks ever. But more on that later.
Any nuts turn into great snack options. Lots of protein, lots of fat-burning fiber, and plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, all of which help with weight loss.
Brazilian nuts are a funny stock. They come in big coconut-like pods. That pod needs to be cracked to reveal about 15 nuts. The pods are very heavy and dense, and when they fall from the top of their very tall trees, they are a real hazard in Brazil. The pods also sink in water, causing all kinds of problems in the waterways of that country.
For us, though, Brazil nuts are a great source of nutrients, and also help us with our fat loss goals. They’re huge and “meaty”, and in my family, we use them regularly as a snack to control the feeling of hunger. It helps us maintain a healthy weight and happy body.
Mostly, though, they’re delicious. Especially toasted. You see, any nut GREATLY benefits from being toasted. And that’s the easiest thing in the world.
So many cooks skip the toasting parts. They are wrong. Dead wrong. Because toasting nuts bumps a dish from good to amazing. The texture improves to slightly crunchy and crisp, and the flavor becomes nuttier and more complex. It makes all the difference.
Here are the 4 super easy steps:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place a bunch of nuts on a baking tray, making sure they are spread in an even layer.
- Roast in oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- When they turn slightly darker and golden, remove from the oven and cool.
I toast pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, and of course Brazilian nuts. But you can toast them all, and maybe make your own “trail mix”.
I guarantee you that if you take the time (5 minutes) to toast your nuts, they will become one of your absolute favorite snacks. You can toast them in big batches for convenience.
Please make sure you do this yourself! Cutting corners and buying already-toasted nuts at the supermarket doesn’t count. These nuts are heavily processed and toasted with unhealthy oils at best; and using preservatives, salt and sugar, which won’t help your fat loss efforts.
Now, some people will argue with you about the calorie content of nuts. “Nuts have so much fat”, they’ll say. And sure, they have a point. But please explain that the fat contained in nuts is the good kind of fat. In fact, it’s the great kind of fat: poly-unsaturated fat, which is also called an “essential oil” because it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s are very important during the fat burning process (They are broken down to create a usable form of energy), and they are even required during states of fasting because they can help burn more fat.
Another way Omega-3 fatty acids help fat loss is that by taking fats with your meals you’re actually lowering the glycemic load of the meal because fats help lower it. Omega 3s definitely do more good than harm.
More information on healthy nuts!
Mediterranean Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash & Toasted Pine Nuts
