Nut and Seed Granola

Nut and Seed Granola Food as Medicine

✓ Nuts (macadamia, walnuts and pecans)

Eating a handful of nuts each day has been associated with living a longer and healthier life – definitely enough of a reason to enjoy nuts each day (1).

Just in case you needed more convincing, adding nuts to the diet has been shown to improve blood pressure responses to stress and improve cholesterol. Eating nuts lowers total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL – the “bad” cholesterol), triglycerides and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (2). Eating nuts, especially walnuts, has also been shown to improve arterial function and this may be through their ability to sweep away fatty plaque that can build in clogged arteries (3).

While nuts are energy dense and contain high amounts of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, they aren’t to be avoided for fear of weight gain (4). Regularly including nuts in your diet is actually less likely to cause you to gain weight. Plus an added bonus is that nuts also contain fibre and protein to help you feel fuller for longer to prevent overeating (5).

✓ Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds, also known as linseeds, are highly nutritious seeds and the richest source of α-linolenic acid (ALA) (6).  ALA is a plant source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and it is essential to be consumed through the diet as it cannot be produced by the body. ALA has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (7). The walnuts and hemp seeds included in this recipe are also decent sources of ALA.

Flaxseeds are a great source of lignans and dietary fibre, predominately soluble fibre (6). The soluble fibre in flaxseeds helps with lowering cholesterol, fat absorption, blood sugar regulation and feeding our gut bacteria. Then the non-soluble fibre in flaxseeds can help delay stomach emptying so we can extract the most nutrients from the foods we are eating (8).

The lignans in flaxseeds is an interesting one as they have been shown to influence our female sex hormone oestrogen. Flaxseeds can alter oestrogen concentrations in the blood and increase the amount of oestrogen excreted in the urine. They can also impact the enzymes that ensure we have a healthy balance between our more potent oestrogen called estradiol (E2) and the weaker form of estrone (E1) (9). This is thought to be a good thing as imbalances of oestrogen in the body, whether it be too much or too little, has been linked to a number of conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, infertility, breast cancer and ovarian cancer (10).

In addition to hormonal benefits, whole flaxseeds and flaxseed oils have been used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through their ability to lower blood pressure and total LDL cholesterol (11, 12). They have also been shown to reduce inflammation in obese patients with a BMI over 30 by lowering c-reactive protein – a sensitive measure that shows the level of inflammation within the body (13).

Just a quick note on keeping flaxseeds fresh. Flaxseeds are best absorbed by the body when they are freshly ground as they are highly susceptible to oxidisation and can spoil easily (14). It’s a good idea to buy whole flaxseeds and then grind them up yourself in a blender and place them in an air tight container in the freezer. This will help them stay fresh and ensure you get all the benefits from these powerful little seeds.

✓ Hemp seeds

First of all let’s clear up that eating hemp seeds isn’t going to make you ‘high’, or have the same effect as ingesting cannabis, commonly known as marijuana. Hemp seeds are from a different species of cannabis known as Cannabis sativa and this variety has no psychoactive properties due to barely detectable levels of the pscychoactive chemical Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (15).

So now onto the fun part: the nutrition. Hemp seeds are a complete source of plant protein containing all of the essential amino acids we need for making hormones and neurotransmitters that make us feel good, muscle growth and repair, immune health and energy production (15). This is a rare find for a plant food and is why you will find hemp seeds are a must for vegetarians and vegans. Hemp protein is also a good source of protein for meat and plant eaters alike, as it has been shown to be better digested than the protein from whole grain sources such as oats and whole wheat (16).

Additionally hemp seeds contain a good blend of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, in the ratio of 3:1 (17). It is thought that humans historically consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in a ratio of 1:1. Although today a western diet provides more omega-6 than omega-3 in a ratio of 20:1 or even higher (18). This is largely due to the industrialisation of our food supply and an increase in the consumption of processed and packaged foods rich in omega-6 and minimal intake of omega-3 rich sources such as oily fish, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia and walnuts.

Plus when you think hemp seeds couldn’t get any better, they are also rich in minerals especially phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and zinc (15).