Five Benefits of Eating Nuts for Breakfast

You may think about nuts only as a snack food, or as an addition to a salad. Have you thought about eating nuts for breakfast? If you haven't considered the best time to eat nuts, here are some reasons why eating nuts for breakfast is beneficial to your health.

1) Nuts help you get full and stay full

One of the most important reasons to eat breakfast is that if you eat breakfast, you tend to eat less during the day. Adding nuts to your breakfast means that you will consume less during the day because nuts add extra protein to your diet.

Not sure how to add nuts to your breakfast? Here are some suggestions.

• Try adding mixed nuts as a topping to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal. The combination of healthy fats and proteins with your carbs will leave you fuller for a longer period of time and will allow you to consume less at lunch.
• If you aren't a cereal or oatmeal person, you may want to try adding them to your morning boiled eggs, as it is the best time to eat nuts so you can absorb everything they have to offer. You can also try eating nuts in the morning with different fruits for an added kick of protein and healthy fats.

2) Nuts add fiber to your diet

Many adults don't get enough fiber in their diets. Fiber is a very important part of your diet for several reasons. First, it slows the absorption rate of glucose into your body, which keeps your body fuller for longer. Second, fiber aids in digestion, helping your body process food more effectively through your body. Fiber is like a colon broom to help sweep bacteria and other additives out of your colon.

Want to add more fiber to your diet by using nuts? Here are some tips.

• Look for bread that is high in fiber. Often, high-fiber bread contains nuts. If you can't find any bread on your shelves at the store, you may want to make your own.
• If you love nuts but eating nuts for breakfast isn't your thing, why not try one of the many kinds of nut butters that are available? Opt for nut butters that have no added sugar or preservatives, as they are a perfect way to add more fiber to your diet without adding empty calories.

3) Nuts are full of healthy fats

In fact, nuts are full up to the brim with the "good" kind of fats, such as monounsaturated fats. These fats are considered essential for the human diet because they are heart-healthy, help lower "bad" cholesterol levels, and give skin, hair, and nails their luster.

Eating nuts in the morning can also give a nutritional boost with components that are called "fatty acids", which actually help to keep your heart in good working order. Fatty acids help your blood vessels stay strong, and they work as "cleaners" for your blood vessels, which means your blood vessels are less at risk of clotting from too much cholesterol.

4) Nuts have a ton of antioxidants

There's been a lot of talk lately about antioxidants. Scientists have discovered that antioxidants, which are found naturally in some foods, help to keep cells healthy and prevent damage to them. Our cells are under siege each day from chemicals outside the body that can damage them. Scientists think that oxidants, which are byproducts of the body, can cause damage as well to cells. Antioxidants work to bind those harmful chemicals up and eliminate them from the body, which may prevent neurological issues such as dementia, heart disease, and cancer.

Eating even a handful of nuts in the morning is a great way to start your day with some cell-boosting antioxidants. You can also use nuts and seeds that are in cheeses and milk and as an ingredient in muffins, bagels, and muesli or cereal to get more of those good antioxidants into your body. That is why the best time to eat nuts is for breakfast so that you start your day energized and ready to deal with any challenge life throws at you.

5) Nuts have more vitamins and minerals than nearly any other breakfast food

One reason doctors tell you to eat breakfast is that breakfast is the first thing you eat in the morning after you have fasted all evening while you're asleep. When it comes to breakfast, nuts are a fabulous way to add vitamins and minerals to your breakfast lineup to start your day strong ad vitalized. Nuts contain some of the most important vitamins and minerals we eat. For example, nuts contain a mineral called folate, which is essential for brain health. It also helps prevent neural defects in developing babies. Women who consume folate while they are pregnant reduce the chances their babies will be born with spina bifida by up to 90%.

Other minerals that nuts contain are the B vitamins, vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, phosphate, potassium, and selenium. Some of the minerals found in nuts are difficult to get into your diet--such as selenium, so this is a great opportunity to increase your selenium intake.

No matter how you choose to eat nuts for breakfast, it's a great way to ensure that you get your day off to an amazing start. Not only will you go into your day awake and alert, but you'll also feel full and satisfied for much of your busy morning.