Healthy Habits: The Seedy Truth

By Theresa Albert, DHN, RNCP

www.myfriendinfood.com

No matter which “diet” you choose, paleo, Mediterranean, South Beach or the good old government food guide, they all recommend judicious use of seeds and nuts. We aren’t talking about the handfuls of peanuts at the bar as a snack, that’s way too caloric. We are talking about incorporating the good fats and multiple minerals that these nuggets carry into every meal.

For instance, magnesium is a mineral that your body needs to regulate muscles, heart rate and help build bones (among a few hundred other processes). It is a crucial nutrient that often gets overlooked and you need 400 mg each day on average. It is found in oat bran, buckwheat and artichokes (you eat loads of those foods, right?) Maybe this is why most North Amercians are found to be significantly magnesium deficient. Your best bet for boosting intake is to go to seed. Sprinkling these high magnesium nuggets on every salad, pasta, stew or soup will get you much closer to your optimal intake.  Shoot for 2 or 3 Tablespoons per day.

Any one of these can be whizzed in a blender into a home into a nutella-like but healthy chocolate spread that contains protein, anti-oxidants and yum with no added fats or processed sugars.

Super Seeds (approximate mg of magnesium per shot glass)

Sunflower seeds      91 mg

Sesame Seeds       97 mg

Pumpkin seeds (green)      150 mg

Hemp Seeds       150 mg

Kind of brings a whole new meaning to “seedy”. Protecting each and every cell in your body is better served when you behave like a bird.

Theresa Albert is an author and private, on call nutritionist in Toronto. She is @theresaalbert on twitter and found daily at www.myfriendinfood.com