It’s no question that nuts can do us a lot of good if we make them a part of our diet – nuts have anti-inflammatory properties, are rich in antioxidants, and can help increase good cholesterol in our bodies. And these are only some of their benefits. And all the more reason to add nuts to your plate with diets like keto being named the most popular diet in Australia last year based on the number of monthly online searches; nuts can be included in almost every type of diet! If this is not enough reason to get you to buy bulk nuts to store in your freezer, did you know that nuts can even aid in weight loss?
Now that we’re sure we have your attention, let’s get right into ways you can incorporate nuts into your daily diet:
Chia seed puddings
Chia seeds themselves are great, low-calorie sources of nutrients, antioxidants and fibre. Just mixing a couple of tablespoons of these seeds with milk (you can always use plant-based milk) and leaving them to sit for a while makes them swell to give an interesting pudding-like texture. And that’s it! You have your pudding! Of course, there’s no flavouring at this point, but you can get as creative as you like with your pudding. You could add cocoa or matcha to the milk to flavour it and even add fruits like blueberries to your pudding.
This is where the nuts come in. We like to add our favourite nuts to the pudding, and just like that, we add another texture to the pudding, which makes it extra tasty while giving our body its daily nut dose. And, of course, don’t forget the sweetener; honey and maple syrup are good options.
Salads and Stir-Fries
The great thing about nuts is the layer of texture they add to the dish they’re in, and we can take advantage of that crunch to take leafy salads and boring stir-fries to the next level.
We are openly biased to walnuts when it comes to what nut we like in our salad, and for good reason – walnuts add the perfect crunch and slightly bitter note that seems to make any salad a tasty affair. Lightly toasted cashews work amazingly in saucy, Chinese-style stir-fries, and once you taste that, you’ll want to add them to all your stir-fries. We find that stocking up on bulk nuts in our freezer works great for nut situations like this. Just let the nuts thaw, and you have the nut supply you need. And you don’t have to worry about the nuts going bad if they’re in your freezer – they can easily last for about one and a half years.
Smoothies and Cereal
Smoothies are a versatile vehicle to carry your daily nut intake. You can soak some nuts you wish to add to your smoothie for a few hours or overnight and throw them into the blender with the other ingredients for breakfast. Or if you enjoy the crunch nuts can add to any dish, simply chop a handful of almonds or walnuts and sprinkle them on top of your smoothie. You can do the same with your cereal and oats. Even a few slivers of roasted almonds can make everyday cereal special!
That’s all we have for you! All that’s left now is for you to experiment and find out which of our three suggestions to incorporate nuts in the diet is your favourite!