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Page 134
| F.Y.I. |
| Nuts about Nuts |
| Surveys have shown that people who eat nutsmainly almonds and walnutshave lower rates of heart disease. In fact, eating nuts one to four times a week appears to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 25 percent. People who eat nuts five or more times a week may cut their risk in half. (In the American population at large, only 5 percent of people eat them that often.) |
| Pumpkin Seeds |
| To roast your own pumpkin seeds, first preheat the oven to 250 degrees, then clean and toss the seeds in a bowl with some olive oil until they're lightly coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake them for about an hour, or until lightly colored, turning them occasionally. |
| Pumpkin Seeds |
| Pumpkin seeds are the richest plant source of zinc, a mineral that's essential to immune system function and for growth, wound healing, and sense of taste. It's also linked to prostate health and lower risk of bladder stones. These delicious (when roasted) seeds are also richer in iron than pumpkin flesh, with about 40 percent of the RDA for men and 27 percent of the RDA for women in a one-ounce servinga large handful. That same amount contains 9 grams of protein, as much as in an ounce of meat. Pumpkin seeds are about 73 percent fat (most of it the good, unsaturated kind); high as that sounds, they're still lower in fat than most other seeds or nuts. They contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and a huge amount of fiber (10 grams per ounce), plus a dash of vitamin A. |
| Sunflower Seeds |
| Sunflower seeds are packed with more antioxidant vitamin E than any other common edible. Eating just an ounce of sunflower seeds a day will double most people's intake of vitamin E. They also contain large amounts of protein, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium, and potassium. And although they are high in fat, it's largely beneficial unsaturated fat, including linoleic acid. This fatty acid has been found to help lower cholesterol and discourage blood clots. |
| Walnuts |
| Walnuts are another good-for-you food that have a bad-for-you rep. Although they are high in fat, it's almost all unsaturated fat and includes protective linoleic and alpha-linoleic fatty acids, the two |
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