THE HEALING POWER OF NUTS

THE HEALING POWER OF NUTS

FOR KENYA KIDZ

BY EMBUKANE VINCENT LIBOSSO

You can’t help noticing the new trend in Nairobi where everyone in the office is eating peanuts. From men to fellow women; it seems like the in-thing.

As everyone keeps on nibbling theses little wonders called peanuts; your truly did a research and found out that there is a huge surge in both diabetes and high blood pressure; with a filling on half of our country’s already over stretched hospital beds.

Back in 2008; a random sample of 4,000 dwellers in central Nairobi found 700 of them suffering from either high blood pressure or diabetes.

Writing for Nakumatt’s Smart Life Magazine; Larisa Brown laments; “lifestyle diseases that were at the bottom of the ‘health concern’ list are now a cause of alarm.

But scientific evidence shows that high blood pressure can be ended in just a few weeks; and the risk of heart disease set aside, by eating just a handful of nuts a day. These nuts include nuts like almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and walnuts.

It was in California back in 1992 that researchers at Loma Linda university first discovered that people eating nuts daily had up to 60 per cent fewer heart attacks that those who didn’t. The study of 31,000 people; of all weights; ages and both genders, was based on a mix of peanuts, almonds, walnuts and other nuts.

It is time to move from the old age mentality that nutritional advice has always tended towards advising minimal nut consumption on the grounds that they area a ‘fatty’ food. On the contrary, scientists now say eating nuts regularly reduces the risk of obesity and may help with weigh loss.

Since I am a foodie and we are in the whole issue of nuts; why don’t you try my guacamole with peanuts some time?

Serves 2

Prep: 15 mins; no cooking or fire

2 mashed up guacamoles

A bag of nuts

2 finely chopped small pieces of raw tomato

1 finely chopped small pieces of raw onion

1.       Mash up the guacamole into a sauce.

2.       Add the finely chopped raw tomatoes and onions.

3.       Stir in the onions and tomatoes with the guacamole sauce.

4.       Add the bag of nuts and mix them up.

-sugar can be added to increase taste for those who love their guacamole with sugar.

-guacamole is what we know in the local language as avocado.

the story is online at-http://kenyakidz.com/new/index.php/latest-news/17-health/778-nuts-heal-chronic-diseases-studies-show