Pecans
A vegan lifestyle can offer much in the way of health benefits, but it’s not without its challenges. A common concern for many vegans is incorporating a sufficient amount of protein and healthy fats into their diet. Many nuts are able to deliver that much-needed protein, but when it comes to a snack, I always recommend pecans. They make a nutritious, gluten free, vegan-friendly snack that will fill you up and provide an entire host of health benefits too.
As a snack, a one ounce serving of organic pecans, or about 19 pecan halves, has 5% of your daily recommended protein. That same small serving has 27% of the recommended daily value for unsaturated fats, especially the important Omega-3s. Plus, pecans are a rich source of vitamins A, C, E, K, and the B-complex. They’re also loaded with calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium, and they have no sodium.
Omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals support good health. But among nuts, pecans have one of the highest antioxidant values. [1] Ninety-percent of the antioxidants come in the form of beta-sitosterol, an antioxidant known to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Studies show that people who eat pecans can lower cholesterol levels significantly as gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E found in pecans, plays a large role in the protection of LDL from free radicals. [2] [3]
Low cholesterol protects the heart, but pecans do more than lower cholesterol. Studies show pecans and the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and antioxidants they contain also –
When you choose organic pecans, you make a choice that’s better for your health and the environment. Organically grown foods provide those who consume them with more vitamins. That’s because they’re grown with natural fertilizers that supply them with vitamins and minerals that increase their nutrient density.
Just as important is what they don’t have. You know non-organic foods are covered in pesticides and herbicides - some of which have been associated with nerve damage and the disruption of brain development in children. The EPA is currently deciding whether to ban one particular pesticide, Chlorpyrifos, because of the damage it does to its surrounding environment. [5]
With nuts like pecans, such chemicals soak into the nuts’ fats and oils and this makes the risk of accidentally consuming such harmful compounds even higher. It is also worth noting that non-organic pecans undergo irradiation, a process that denatures the proteins in them and reduces the actual nutritional value of the nuts.
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