Ten Health Benefits Of Pecans

There are a great many recipes for candied pecans and you can also sprinkle them on a salad and roast them with caramel. Appealing to the senses, these edible nuts were known to the American Indians for centuries, and they are still the favorite snack of the USA. The pecan is the official state tree of Texas. Why? Pecan halves are buttery, soft and nutty, they are really delicious, but we have to know they are also extremely good and omnipotent for our health. Listed below are ten wonderful health benefits of pecans:

1.Pecans can help lower bad cholesterol levels

Pecans can help lower bad cholesterol levels, which aids in banishing the risk of a cruel heart-disease. Cholesterol is a substance produced by the liver, entering the organism through the consummation of various nutrients. It is needed for the body to produce hormones and Vitamin D, and bile – a substance that helps you process food. However, the scientists distinguish among two types of cholesterol: LDL is the “bad cholesterol” and HDL is called the “good cholesterol.” If your body has got too much LDL it can heap in the wall cells of your arteries. With time sticky LDL can narrow the vein and substantially reduce blood flow, which is why LDL is “the bad cop.” HDL, on the other hand, aids in removing excess cholesterol from your cells, tissues and blood vessels – therefore HDL is “the good cop.” To balance the cholesterol in your organism – grab a handful of pecans today.

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10 Amazing Alcoholic Beverages Prepared With Nuts

Nuts and alcohol had always gone hand in hand, as the spirit beverages tend to taste even better with an accompaniment of some delicious, crunchy kernels like almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts. But, those amazing nuts could taste just as good mixed inside your favorite type of liquor. Maybe the fine and unique blends between the two can even surprise you sometimes. It is possible that you didn’t even know that some of your favorite cocktails contain nut-flavored beverages that give them their fabulous taste. You love almonds – the famous Godfather is prepared with Scottish whiskey and a splash of Amaretto. Or maybe you are more into hazelnuts, well then you should try Irish Hazelnut Cream – made with Frangelico and Irish Whisky. It is a perfect way to add a dash of sweetness to your meal.

1. The Amaretto and Almonds

This almond-flavored liquor is one of the most famous alcoholic beverages that come from Italy. Meaning literally “a little bitter” – this tasty drink can be enjoyed by itself as a fine glass of liquor. Amaretto can also be utilized for cooking, preparing of desserts and even as an ice-cream flavoring. It can be added to a cup of coffee for achieving a richer taste to the drink as well. The legend about the origins of this liquor can be traced to Bernardino Luini, who was Leonardo da Vinci’s student.

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10 Health Benefits Of Macadamia Nuts

Delicious, sweet and full of irresistible flavor, the macadamia nut easily blends with sweet delicacies and can be sprinkled lavishly by talented chefs over gourmet meals. The nuts are widely employed in professional confectionary. You may find recipes for cakes, desserts, as well as incredible main courses. You can serve them roasted and spiced, or raw. The butter and the oil of macadamia, when added to dishes gives pleasure to even the most spoilt culinary senses. The macadamia nut is loved by many simply for the delight of the palate, but also because it contains an unrivaled amount of healthy nutrients. The healthy serving, which dietitians recommend is 15 macadamias per day.

1. Macadamia is an excellent source of energy

The carbohydrates contained in these nuts include sugars, which turn into abundant power such as fructose, sucrose, glucose, and maltose, as well as some starchy materials. A lot of companies include macadamia in their high energy products: yummy bars and snacks for active and bountiful life.

It contains thiamine, aka Vitamin B1, which is vital for turning food into force. The deficiency of thiamine can be fatal for the human organism.

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The Research of Dr. Kellogg on Nuts

“Here is a veritable treasury of wealth, a potential food supply which may save the world from any suggestion of hunger for centuries to come if properly utilized.” – Dr. Kellogg

John Harvey Kellogg was an American medical doctor, who made great improvements into the American diet and way of eating by promoting a plant-based diet, exercises and a simpler way of living. His views on nutrition, which were revolutionary at the time, had a great impact on adopting a healthier and better way of living for a great many people. He and his brother were also the inventors of the worldwide famous corn flakes, which most of us had tried at least once in our lifetime.

Dr, John Kellogg had a strong notion that the consumption of nuts was necessary and he strongly recommended their use. He believed as well, that nuts were a way to fight through a decline in the food supplies. Dr. Kellogg even patented a method of producing peanut butter through boiling the nut, instead of roasting it. He often served peanut butter, to the patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium. The place was known for its strict diet based on vegetarianism and healthier way of life through sustaining from alcohol and doing a lot of physical activities.

At age 12, John Kellogg was an apprentice for a printing house, run by an Adventist named James White. This is where he had his first running with the idea of a healthy, clean lifestyle, as the Seventh- Day Adventists were practicing it as a duty to the faith. As a result, inspired by all this – Dr. Kellogg became a pioneer in the world of nutrition. Undoubtedly his ideas on adopting a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts were new and foreign for the time.

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Are Almonds The Secret For A Beautiful Hair?

First – you do the coffee.
Next – you do the hair…

The almond, also known as Badam in Hindi is an extremely beneficial ingredient for the health and beauty of your hair. It is nutritionally dense; it has got a reasonable price, it is extremely tasty and fragrant. The almonds are among the best foods for your natural crown among eggs, dark green vegetables, strawberries, and a few others.

Application of almond oil directly in the roots of your hair will make it long, strong, thick and shiny. It prevents hair fall and it helps your mane grow.

Try to supply yourself with organic, certified almond oil. Pure almond oil will be transparent and of a pale yellow color.

Almond Oil’s Wonderful Qualities

It is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. In addition, it is rich in Vitamin E, fatty acid, zinc, potassium, which promote hair growth. It also contains oleic and linoleic acid and high amounts of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. This oil can be derived from bitter or sweet almond, of which the latter is better in its effect. Sweet almond oil is made exclusively from pressed edible almonds, cultivated especially for their pleasant taste.

What you will gladly discover is that you can change some of the products in your beauty routine for the wonderful almond oil, which has gained popularity all around the world. Recently, it has been added to best-seller shampoos, masks, conditioners, butter and other hair beauty products, because of its unrivaled benefits for hair.

Especially in a busy city environment, your hair is screaming for recovery on a daily basis. Almond oil is nature’s great gift for your health. Almond oil products are used worldwide to soften, protect, strengthen, repair and add incredible shine to your hair. A handful of almonds in your diet will make your locks glow.

It is recommended by cosmetic gurus because it gives the hair luster, soft and deep conditioning, a way to get rid of dead cells and dandruff, a way of reducing split ends, a way of reducing inflammation, a remedy for hair loss, and it leaves hair:

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The Mediterranean Diet Is Boosted By Adding Nuts And Olive Oil

It is not a surprise that the Mediterranean diet ranks as one of the most famous and applied regimes around the world. With its rich menu, full of delicious dishes this way of eating had gained many followers for a very short period of time. But what makes it so efficient? There is an undeniable link between the positive effects the diet has and the presence of nuts and olive oil in it.

The Study

In a study, published by The New England Journal of Medicine, it was observed that adopting nuts and olive oil consumption with a combination of a Mediterranean diet as your primary way of eating had positive effects on the prevention of cardiovascular problems in participants pre-disposed to such illnesses.

Where and who?

The study took place in Spain, with randomly chosen participants (men – age 55 to 80 and women – age 60 to 80), that were in a danger of developing and suffering from cardiovascular problems, Type 2 diabetes or at least exhibited three of the health hazards such as smoking, hypertension, high levels of LDL Cholesterol or were obese or overweight.

Three types of diets were applied: A Mediterranean diet supplemented with virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts and a low-fat control diet.

What – Olive oil and Nuts?

A dosage of 1 liter of virgin olive oil per week was given to the participants of the first group and 30g (15 g of walnuts, 7.5 g of hazelnuts, and 7.5 g of almonds) of mixed nuts a day were given to the second one, to consume three times a week at the minimum.

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10 Almond Delicacies That Will Shake Your Mind

The last couple of decades, the culinary world had really exploded, creating intricate desserts made by all kinds of extraordinary methods. But, although the confectionary masterminds around the world are producing new delicacies every day, they never stray too far away from the classics. Like adding our favorite nut – the almond, to top up a magnificent sweet treat, giving it that distinct crunch and aroma we all love. No one can deny that almonds definitely add that “je ne sais quoi” to an amazing piece of cake or a muffin and they are often the final touches that ties it all together.

  1. The French Financier

A world- known fact is that French people know their desserts and France is where the simple, but super yummy and famous treat called the Financier was created. Well, originally it was made by nuns in the Middle Ages, but the Financier got its modern name because of the fact that it quickly became a must-have in the morning for the people working in the financial district in Paris (maybe because it resembles a piece of gold?). Baked in small molds, this light dessert contains egg whites, sugar and almond flour, that gives it a very particular taste. This dessert is moist and delicate, but at the same time, it can be stored for a long period of time, without losing its flavor.

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7 Hazelnut Delicacies That Are Irresistable

There is no elegant dinner without a tasty dessert – a cake, created with a complicated recipe, an impressive, appetizing and beautiful temptation. Who can resist a delicious bit of a cake?
The word cake is related to the Latin “coquere” – which means “to cook.” Chefs all around the globe pride themselves in creating astonishing, yet traditional cakes with tested and bested with time recipes. So in case you feel depressed, and things look tough and you think that you’ve had enough – bake a traditional cake! A cake soaked with hazelnut liqueur, caramel, and crunchy hazelnut. And no one does a delicacy like the French people do:

The French Meringue – Dacquoise

Amazingly the word “dacquoise” may be used to name and describe thousands of desserts. They have in common that hazelnut meringue and hazelnut praline, as well as a filling of coffee custard. The dacquoise meringue consists of finely chopped hazelnuts and a filling of stirred milk and coffee, and sugar. And in a traditional Dacquoise cake, you may add to that a pinch of finely ground nutmeg which is extremely exciting for the spirit. You can add to the mixture some rum for taste and exultation. Finally, you can add Eggnog – which is a sweetened milk beverage, made by milk, cream, sugar, stirred eggs, flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, and there are even alcoholic versions of it. Eggnog is such a popular drink in both North and South America, especially in the holiday Christmas season and it is served so well with dacquoise.

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Top 10 Health Benefits of Almonds

The undeniable fact is that almonds are one of the most popular and beneficial food for any healthy and balanced diet. The endless useful qualities they have, combined with their unique taste make these crunchy nuts irreplaceable.

Almonds have been mentioned as early as the 1400 BC when they were first referred to in the Bible’s book of Numbers. So it is not surprising that this wildly cultivated seed has lots of amazing health benefits and could positively influence you in many ways.

Indigenous to the Mediterranean region of the Middle East and up to the Yamuna River in India, almonds were later made known by humans in ancient times as far as Northern Africa, Southern Europe and more recently to the United States that is now the main producer of almonds in the world.

In countries like Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia the almond is known as bādām. Germans call it Knackmandel and in Portuguese – amêndoa.

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What Are Sweet Almonds and What Are Bitter Almonds

Almonds have endless positive effects and their uses in confectionary and cosmetics are countless. However, it is very important to be aware of the various types of almonds that exist, since they all have a different purpose and should be utilized in an informed and correct way. Thankfully we are here to give you some tips about that.

Origins
The two most common types of almond trees produce either sweet or bitter almond. Native to the Mediterranean, South Africa, and the USA, the sweet almond comes from the tree called Prunus dulcis var. dulcis. The color of the flowers of this tree is usually white. The bitter version of the almond is a product of the Prunus dulcis var. amara and is grown in the Middle East and Asia. The coloring of the tree is pink.

It is possible that in Ancient Rome, bitter almond oil was used to fight intestinal parasites and during the Middle Ages, it was used as a laxative. Bitter almonds were also used as a cough medicine.

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