Today’s blog is republished from my friends at PaleoHacks, a leading publisher of daily health tips that I personally read every day.

By Deanna Dorman, PaleoHacks.com

In the Paleo community there has been a lot of buzz about “Bulletproof Coffee” and the almost magical amounts of energy it can provide. But is it really all it’s cracked up to be? Read on to decide for yourself!

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof Coffee (BPC) is a mixture of high-quality coffee, grass-fed butter, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, blended together in a high-speed blender to emulsify the oils and create a foamy coffee that has been said to provide energy all day long and help you burn fat.

This may sound a little weird, but putting butter in coffee is not that crazy in other parts of the world. The Ethiopians have been enjoying butter in their coffee for centuries, and in Tibet, yak butter tea, or Tibetan Tea, is a favorite traditional drink. (1)

Why is Bulletproof Coffee so Popular?

Proponents of Bulletproof Coffee claim it improves energy, mood, productivity and overall health. They say it’s satisfying and kills hunger much more than regular old coffee.

“Bulletproof Coffee is a great way to get healthy fats first thing in the morning,” says Kerry Bajaj, a Be Well Health Coach at Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. Having healthy fats first thing in the morning will signal to your body to burn fat for energy during the day. Starting the day with healthy fats also provides energy, is good for cognitive function, and can support your hormonal system. (2)

BPC is also a great way to get calories and rev up your metabolism in the morning if you are someone who doesn’t normally have breakfast. The caffeine and blend of fats may also give you a boost of energy that will last for hours, and BPC drinkers also claim that they don’t get jittery from BPC as some do from normal coffee. This may be because the digestion of fats slows down the absorption of the caffeine.

The fats in BPC are some of the healthiest fats our bodies need, and the fats that most Americans are missing from their diet. Butter from grass-fed cows has long been known to be healthier than conventionally-raised livestock because grass-fed cows supply the proper ratios of omega-3s and omega-6 fatty acids.

Medium chain triglycerides also add to the allure of BPC. MTCs are a special type of fat that is absorbed into our bloodstream and is then sent straight to the liver to be used as energy, instead of being digested, absorbed, and then stored in our cells. MTCs have been linked to helping improve body composition, helping the body burn more calories than other sources of fat, and even helping to regulate cholesterol levels.

But is Bulletproof Coffee Really a Magical Drink that Will Help You Reach Your Health and Fitness Goals?

With all the information about the benefits out there about BPC, there is just as much debate as to how beneficial it really can be. Some experts claim that even with the health benefits of BPC, there are just as many downfalls. So, let’s look some other aspects of the story.

Let’s start with coffee.

Is it good for you, or bad for you? There is a lot of conflicting research about coffee. Most has more to do with how much coffee is actually being consumed than coffee itself, though.

Coffee’s Benefits

Normal coffee consumption, ranging from 1 to 3 cups per day, has been consistently associated with a lower risk of:

• Diabetes
• Alzheimer’s
• Parkinson’s
• Many types of cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, and liver cancers
• Coffee and caffeine are also widely recognized performance and brain boosters.

Coffee’s Disadvantages

The problem with coffee is when we begin to drink too much of it, usually more than 3 cups a day.

Too much coffee consumption is also associated with:

• Higher risk of miscarriage
• Disrupted sleep
• Worsened PMS symptoms
• Increased blood pressure, even in people without hypertension

So, as long as you keep your coffee consumption within a healthy dose, there are clear benefits. That’s a win for BPC drinkers. (3)

Now, Let’s Look at CaloriesThis is where things can get a little trickier. Even with the benefits of the healthy fats in BPC, there are still drawbacks from having too much fat and calories.

So, not surprisingly, when you add butter and MCTs to your coffee, you increase calories. The suggested recipe for 2 cups (470 ml) of coffee, 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of grass-fed, unsalted butter, and 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of MCT oil will total around 450 calories, and 52 grams of fat. Quantities of the butter and MCT oil however can be reduced depending on the desired caloric intake, while still providing the health benefits.

As far as fat content goes, we know that a moderate amount of saturated fat  has many benefits, but that doesn’t mean having an entire day’s worth, or more, in one sitting is the best option for most people, especially those looking to lose weight.

If you treat BPC as a “meal replacement” or a “mini-meal” — in other words, if you actually drink this instead of eating breakfast — those extra calories aren’t anything you’ll have to worry about.

BUT, keep in mind: You may want to lower your fat intake at other meals, and make sure you eat a lot more protein, fruits, and vegetables to balance out your nutrients for the rest of the day. (4)

What about Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil?

MCT oil is manufactured by machine to separate the medium chain fatty acids from the rest of the oil (usually a combination of coconut oil and palm kernel oil). The fatty acids are extracted through an industrial process of “fractionation”.

With the benefits of MCTs, it’s no wonder why people would love to get a good dose of it. But are there better ways to get MCTs? Coconut oil is the richest form of natural MCTs, coming in at about 15% of its total fat. Obviously MCT oil is much more concentrated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it “healthier”.

Coconut oil, and other food sources of MCTs, also have benefits above and beyond their MCT content, such as the antimicrobial properties found in coconut oil.

So it’s really up to the consumer. Some people feel better about getting their nutrition from whole foods, rather than supplements. There’s no right answer here, it’s about what works best for you. (5)

The Best Way to Enjoy Bulletproof Coffee

If you feel that BPC is something you do want to include in your daily routine, or even if you want to try it out, here are some tips to keep things as healthy as possible.

• Keep it under 3 cups a day to enjoy all the benefits of drinking coffee, and avoid the downfalls.
• Treat BPC as a “meal replacement” and not just a drink alongside your breakfast.
• Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods and protein in your other meals throughout the day.
• Consider adding a smaller amount of butter and MCT to lower the overall calories and fat content.
• When first starting BPC, start with less fat and ease into it slowly — as a rapid increase in fats can sometimes cause stomach issues. You may find yourself running to the bathroom quickly if you start off too strong.

Bulletproof Coffee Recipe

Makes 1 serving

• Brew 1 cup high quality, organic coffee
• 1-2 tablespoons MCT oil
• 1-2 tablespoons grass-fed, unsalted butter (like Kerry Gold butter)

Directions:

Combine all three ingredients in a high-speed blender for about 20 seconds, until the drink takes on a frothy, foamy consistency. Enjoy!

If Bulletproof Coffee doesn’t seem like quite your thing, you can always dress up your coffee with a little Vanilla Hazelnut Coffee Creamer instead!

— Casey Thaler
(The original article source is here)

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The post What’s the Deal with Bulletproof Coffee? appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Who doesn’t like bacon? That crispy, sweet, salty, crunchy flavor is hard to dislike or duplicate. Even my favorite meat counter guy tells me that’s the first thing vegans buy when they start eating meat. I sure can’t fault that!

But headlines and health organizations have warned us of the dangers of processed meat. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat—including bacon—as a carcinogen. Another study from the British Medical Journal found increased consumption of processed meat is associated with higher mortality rates.

Turkey Bacon

So, many people turned to turkey bacon. The lower fat content and the general ‘health’ appeal of turkey to the fat-conscious folks has made turkey bacon an alternative choice.

“The problem with traditional pork bacon is typically two-thirds of the calories come from fat,” says a registered dietitian. And, she says, “Half of that is saturated fat which has the bad reputation of being responsible for heart disease.” Of course, most of us now know that saturated fat is not so bad. But the question remains—is turkey bacon really a healthier alternative?

First of all, turkey bacon is not really bacon. Bacon is meat and fat from a specific part of a pig which has been cured. Turkey ‘bacon’ is actually just simulated bacon since it is not from a pig, and not any specific part of a turkey.

Turkey bacon flavor runs a distant second to real bacon and even then, it obviously does not come off the bird looking and tasting the way it does when you fry a slice of it in the pan. Turkey bacon is more for when you don’t care about the real taste of bacon but want something crisp and ‘ham-like’ to complement your eggs, and want to feel like you are being ‘healthier’. The point is, you aren’t really eating anything that is truly healthier.

Turkey bacon doesn’t even really taste like real bacon. It does contain less fat, but to make up for that, it contains a lot of other ingredients—some of them not so great—to make up for the flavor loss. Turkey bacon actually tastes more like ham or some kind of lunchmeat, quite frankly.

Here’s a list of ingredients from a package of typical turkey bacon:

– Turkey
– Mechanically Separated Turkey
– Water
– Salt
– Sugar
– Canola Oil
– Sunflower Oil
– Natural Flavor
– Sodium Phosphate
– Sodium Erythorbate
– Sodium Nitrite

Turkey bacon is really just processed lunchmeat. It’s turkey scraps, plus other flavorings shaped to look like bacon. A poor substitute for real bacon.

Turkey bacon also generally carries a higher amount of sodium added to it. While turkey bacon claims it contains less fat, the fat it does have is nothing to brag about. Canola oil and other highly processed vegetables are NOT healthier than real, saturated fat from a pig.

Real Bacon

How about REAL bacon from a pig? There is a wide range in both quality and health benefits or unhealthy benefits of
real bacon, depending on the source of the bacon (conventionally raised or humanely raised/organic).

Bacon is cured meat, which means it is soaked in a solution of salt, sugar and sometimes preservatives like nitrates. Then it is smoked to get its delicious flavor.

The fats in bacon contain about 50% monounsaturated fat and oleic acid, which is the same healthy fat that olive oil contains. The rest is mostly saturated fat, which once was thought to be ‘bad’ for us and for our hearts, but the latest research shows saturated fat is a necessary fat for our bodies to function well. And truthfully, once you fry bacon up in a pan, most of the fat is cooked out of the bacon and left in the pan.

Both real bacon and turkey bacon contain fairly high levels of sodium which is used to cure the meat. While some people may be sensitive to added salt in foods, it’s not bad unless you are eating large quantities of foods with added sodium which is in many packaged and processed foods.

Both real bacon and turkey bacon often contain nitrates — unless the bacon you purchase is ‘natural’ or ‘uncured’ bacon. Heat, from cooking causes these additives to form compounds called nitrosamines which can be carcinogenic. However, antioxidants like vitamin C and erythorbic acid are added to the bacon to offset the risk of the nitrosamines.

What About the Dangers of Processed Meats?

We’ve heard several times lately that red meat and processed meat can cause cancer.

As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) actually classified processed meats as a carcinogen, which puts it in the same category as asbestos, cigarettes, benzene, nuclear fallout, plutonium, and x-rays, among other things. But is this a bit of an overreaction?

So what is the actual risk of eating red meat or processed meats? For every 100 g of red meat eaten, the risk increases 17%, and for every 50 g of processed meat, the risk goes up 18% for colorectal cancers. This means that processed meat carries about twice the risk of eating red meat. However, in this report from May 2011, shows there was no significant connection found between red meat and colorectal cancer, so the jury is still out on this.

While 17% and 18% increase in risk sounds significant, you also have to look at relative risk of colon cancer overall. Your chances are about 1 in 33,000, or three extra cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 people who may develop bowel cancer from eating cured and processed meats.

Most importantly, in these studies on processed meat dangers is that the lifestyle variables of the people in the study have not been considered. Most people who eat a diet high in processed meat have unhealthy lifestyles: not enough vegetables or fruit, lots of highly processed foods, sedentary, and possibly cigarette smokers. In this article, red meat is shown to have numerous health benefits, especially if you choose pasture raised.

The bottom line on turkey vs. real bacon is this: real bacon is not that bad, tastes better, and if you purchase real bacon made from humanely raised/organic pigs, cured naturally without nitrates or nitrites, you have made a better, more natural choice than processed turkey bacon. You can now even purchase ‘Paleo’ style bacon without added sugars as well.

On the other hand, even if you purchase so-called ‘natural’ turkey bacon, you are still getting processed meat made of odd parts of the turkey, highly processed vegetable oils, sugar and lots of sodium.

And of course, real bacon tastes so much better! So have a couple of delicious slices of bacon and enjoy—without guilt!

References
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/turkey-bacon-how-healthy-is-it-really/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bacon-bad-or-good#section7
https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/nutrition-questions-tips?slide=142486#142486
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/bacon-vs-turkey-bacon-which-is-healthier-for-you
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26633477
https://thenutritionwatchdog.com/bacon-cigarettes-really-the-real-story-on-red-meat-and-processed-meats/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/turkey-bacon_n_5266398

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I don’t know about you, but sometimes my body just craves greens. Especially those dark green leafy ones like kale, parsley, cilantro, spinach, chard, etc. But I don’t always have them on hand, and don’t have time to run by my favorite Whole Foods salad bar to make—or eat—a huge salad.

I was looking for something fun to do with the kale I had in the fridge the other day, and thought, Maybe I should make something yummy to dip veggies in!

My favorite type of kale is that super dark green kale known as “dinosaur kale” with the bumpy surface. It’s also officially known as “Lacinato kale” or Tuscan kale, Italian kale, black kale, or black Tuscan palm. It’s dark green but tender texture works well in a variety of dishes and it works better in many dishes that call for raw kale, since it is much more tender and mild-tasting than the typical curly-leafed kale, which works better with cooked dishes. And if you’d like it to be more tender, you can actually knead it. I do this by wrapping clean kale leaves in a dishtowel (preferably one you don’t like much, cuz it may get green stains) or waxed paper. Then use a rolling pin and roll it back and forth firmly. Viola! Tenderized kale.

While kale has been the ‘hot’ superfood for the last ten years or so, there may be a few things you haven’t heard or didn’t realize about this fabulous green leafy.

A cup of chopped kale actually contains over a hundred percent of your recommended daily intake for vitamin C. More vitamin C than an orange! So gram for gram, a cup of kale contains more vitamin C than an orange.

Kale is a good source of healthy fats—especially alpha-linoleic acid, the vegetable form of omega 3 essential for brain health, heart health and better fat burning.

Kale contains a massive amount of beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. In fact, it contains 130% of a person’s daily vitamin A requirement—more than any other leafy green. But it is transformed into usable vitamin A more easily in the presence of a healthy fat. So enjoy your kale with a bit of EVOO, grass fed butter, cheese, or bacon.

Kale vs. cow? Kale contains more calcium than a glass of whole cow milk, and because it also contains potassium and magnesium, it is absorbed more easily. So drink your kale!

Kale is full of super healthy phytonutrients like quercetin which fights inflammation and allergies. It’s sulforaphane is among the top cancer-fighting compounds found in cruciferous veggies, but keep in mind, most of these healthy compounds are more easily absorbed with healthy fats, so eat it with avocado, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, or cooked with butter or bacon fat. Also, acid from lemon juice helps to make the iron in kale more bioavailable too.

I have an allergy to regular cow dairy, but lately I have been seeing sheep milk, sheep yogurt, and sheep cheese at my favorite healthy foods grocery store. So I gave it a try. Sheep milk yogurt is delicious and is tolerated well if you have a cow dairy allergy. The sheep yogurt I have been purchasing is organic, comes from farms where the sheep are humanely raised, and is full of nutrients above and beyond cow milk. The sheep are pasture raised, and the sheep milk yogurt contains double the protein of cow or goat milk. It also contains almost twice as much of the healthy omega 3 and omega 6 fats, more vitamins and minerals, and more calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. And it tastes delicious! No strong flavor like some goat milk products contain. In fact, I cannot tell the difference between it and regular cow milk.

You have to try this delicious dip made with sheep milk yogurt, kale and other yummy healthy ingredients. It’s the perfect thing to munch on with veggies of all kinds, or even try it on a salad as a creamy dressing.

Creamy Veggie Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt or sheep milk yogurt
• 3-5 leaves of dinosaur kale, tough rib removed
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ cup green onion, chopped
• ½ coarsely chopped red pepper
• Handful of parsley or cilantro
• ½ lemon, juiced
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes or couple shots of Tabasco

Directions

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend, using a coarser grind.
• Slice up some of your favorite veggies: jicama, cucumber, radishes, celery, carrots, zucchini and enjoy!

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References
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kale-facts-nutrition-info_n_3671210

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A Really different, refreshing way to eat guacamole. The addition of baby peas adds an unusual, fresh, sweeter taste to the guacamole. And the peas add a little more fiber as well as decreasing the calories in the guacamole.

We’d have to be living in a cave to not have heard about the benefits of avocado. The superstar ingredient adds healthy fats, tons of vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Check. But what about the lowly radish that has been around forever? This recipe spikes up the flavor a bit with the addition of radishes.

Radishes are members of the highly esteemed cruciferous vegetable family, along with other star members such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, collards, arugula, cabbage and brussels sprouts. That means radishes carry much of the same powerful nutritional, cancer-fighting punch as their cousins—but radishes have their own attributes as well.

Radishes contain a variety of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals. They are an effective diuretic, helping the body get rid of bloating, and excess fluids. Radishes are also an excellent detoxifying vegetable, not only helping to get rid of excess fluids, but also helping the liver function better. One of the things radishes do well is to help the liver get rid of excess bilirubin, the substance in the body that causes jaundice.

Because of their bright red color, radishes also contain the same powerful flavonoid you find in blueberries—anthocyanin. These anthocyanins are powerful anti-inflammatories that help to lower the risk of heart disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure and kidney disease. In addition, its anti-inflammatory effect helps fight diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Plus it contains another anti-inflammatory substance, vitamin C, which helps to build collagen to strengthen tissues in the body that fight wrinkles and saggy skin, and strengthen tendons and ligaments.

Top that off with the addition of garlic—one of the most powerful foods in the world, hot pepper to help open up your blood vessels and burn fat, and cilantro—full of heart-healthy magnesium, vitamins, minerals, and detoxifying substances that help to remove dangerous heavy metals like mercury, arsenic and lead. You cannot miss with this yummy snack! Try it with sliced cucumbers, jicama, carrots and celery for a refreshing, fat burning treat. Enjoy and know you are doing your body good!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces frozen baby peas, slightly thawed.
• 1/2 large or 1 whole small avocado
• 4-6 radishes, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and de-ribbed for less hotness)
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• juice from a half of a lemon or lime
• Sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Handful of chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup minced red onion

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and ‘chop’ until combined. Does not need to be well blended, can be chunky. Enjoy with chips or better yet, slice up some cucumber, zucchini, and red and yellow sweet bell peppers for an awesome, super healthy dip.

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Looking for easy, tasty recipes that help you burn fat, then look no further…

This free recipe book is packed with over 80 fat-burning Keto recipes, such has mouth-watering chicken, beef, pork meals and more…

Best yet, every single recipe uses a slow cooker. Spend less than 20 minutes in your kitchen whipping up these delicious meals.

The post Green Pea and Radish Guacamole appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

I remember back when I was a kid, pistachios were bright red! Back then, pistachios mostly came from the Middle East, and the harvesting methods left them with stains, so they were dyed (ugh!) a bright reddish pink to cover up the stains. Fortunately, most pistachios today come from California, where they come to us for snacking in their natural (and more appetizing) tan color.

Pistachios have become elevated to almost everyone’s favorite snack. Did you know that pistachios are one of the most nutritious nuts you can eat? Just a small 1 ounce serving contains over 30 vitamins, minerals and other powerful nutrients to help you burn fat, improve your cholesterol and heart health, balance out your blood sugar, and even improve your sex life!

Pistachios contain some of the highest protein and healthy fats of any nuts, so they are one of the best ways to snack, get tons of nutrients, keep your blood sugar low, and burn fat as well.

Pistachios rank high among nuts as having the highest amounts of antioxidant activity (ORAC ranking) of any food. Antioxidants help to prevent free radical damage, which allows for healthy cell reproduction, slows aging, and prevents chronic disease, among other things.

Pistachios have a unique nutrient and fatty acid profile. They are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids and numerous antioxidants, including γ-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, selenium, flavonoids, and phytoestrogens.

Compared with other popular nuts, pistachios are one of the richest sources of potassium, vitamin B-6, beta-carotene, and lutein + zeaxanthin. And they contain a healthy amount of protein, fiber, and selenium (good for thyroid health) as well.

These little green nibbles are crunchy, salty, delicious, satisfying, low-carb and good for you! In spite of the fact that these yummy nuts have loads of (healthy) fat in them, they are one of the best fat-burning snacks you can find.

Here are FIVE good reasons to snack on pistachios—

1. A great source of vitamin B6—B vitamins are ‘water soluble’ vitamins. That means that    B vitamins are easily washed out of your body, and you cannot store B vitamins.

B6 is vital for helping to produce certain neurotransmitters that protect the brain and nervous system. What’s more, B6 helps banish depression and anxiety, increase your ability to break down and process fat cells, up your energy levels, improve premenstrual syndrome, and help attention-deficit issues like ADD and ADHD.

B6 is also one of the most important vitamins to lower homocysteine levels in the body. Homocysteine is an inflammatory substance the body produces that is a leading indicator of heart disease. High homocysteine = an increased risk for heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

2. Improves Heart Health and Cholesterol Levels—While many of the other nut varieties have been well-studied for their health benefits, pistachios have been studied for heart health and cholesterol-lowering benefits.

This study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows a definite and significant reduction in the harmful LDL cholesterol with as little as one serving a day, although the reduction in cholesterol actually appears to be ‘dose-dependent’. In other words, 2 servings of pistachios will bring down cholesterol and other cardiac risk factors slightly more than 1 serving (serving = 10% of total daily calories). LDL cholesterol was lowered by an impressive 9-12%.

High LDL is a major risk factor for heart disease and is thought to result partly from increased triglycerides (which usually come from a high carbohydrate-high sugar diet. In addition, pistachios contain high levels of antioxidants, which also protect heart health and blood vessels.

3. Diabetes Fighter—Eating pistachios has a beneficial effect on blood sugar, helping to keep blood sugar levels low, insulin levels low, and helping to prevent diabetes.

New research from Spain shows that people with prediabetes actually have a lower risk of developing diabetes if they eat pistachios on a regular basis. The test subjects ate 2 ounces of pistachios daily and had significant drops in both blood sugar and insulin levels. Some subjects also found they had reduced inflammatory levels as well, due to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory levels in pistachios. As an added benefit, subjects also found that their waist measurement decrease as well.

Besides the fact that pistachios are very low in sugar, they also contain many bioactive compounds that affect the heart, blood sugar levels and other measures of health.

Pistachios are also high in protein, fiber and healthy fats, so they help control your ‘munchies’ and satisfy you. Not only do pistachios curb your appetite, but they give you some seriously healthy nutrients as well.

4. Better Sex—A study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research looked at the effects of eating pistachios in 17 men who had erectile dysfunction (ED).

The men ate about 3.5 ounces (about a cup) of pistachios a day for three weeks. The men were tested before and after the study using the International Index of Erectile Function score. After 3 weeks, the men’s IIEF scores increased significantly, and the subjects also reported they had increased sexual desire, pleasure and satisfaction. So want to add a little ‘spice’ to your life? Eat more pistachios!

5. Fat Burning—Nuts contain lots of healthy fats, but they also help you burn fat! Pistachios are one of the nuts that contain the highest amount of protein, which helps to make you feel satiated and full.

In addition, they contain generous amounts of healthy monounsaturated fats, similar to the healthy fat in olive oil. This fat not only helps you feel satisfied, but it keeps blood sugar low—a key factor in appetite and the ‘munchies’. When blood sugar stays low, you keep your body in the fat-burning mode, burning fat for energy instead of storing fat—which is what happens when you eat carbohydrates or sugary foods.

What’s more, when you eat shelled pistachios, it takes a bit of work to crack those tasty little babies open, so you tend to eat less.

Pistachios also contain generous amounts of the antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eye from diseases related to aging, including macular degeneration.

And, pistachios are great for your gut health too. We all talk about “probiotics” but there are “prebiotics” as well. These are healthy, fibrous foods that feed your healthy gut bacteria, and pistachios just happen to be one of those foods that feed your healthy gut bacteria and keep those critters happy!

A study from University of Florida study showed that people who ate 3 oz of pistachios for 19 days, had improved levels of beneficial gut bacteria, and an increase in beneficial butyrate’s, which are substances formed from healthy gut bacteria that help heal the gut lining. Got the munchies? Pick up a bag of yummy, crunchy pistachios. Your body and your gut critters will thank you! Enjoy your pistachios and stay lean!

If your interested in keeping your gut healthy, did you know that the amount of poop in your intestines varies at any given time. This can cause numerous health concerns, but also leads to unwanted weight gain. The amount depends on your diet, how often you have bowel movements, and individual factors. While some sources suggest that the average person might have a few pounds of stool in their colon!

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References

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2014/08/07/dc14-1431
https://www.medicaldaily.com/regularly-eating-pistachios-might-help-reduce-blood-sugar-levels-diabetes-risk-300780
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/pistachio-nutrition-benefits.html
https://draxe.com/pistachio-nutrition/?utm_campaign=Article-May-2016&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=pistachio

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