How Nutty Can We Get? — Marilyn Walls Nutrition

April 2020

For a moment of happiness we social-distance-dance with our neighbors from our respective driveways or listen to a jazz musician down the street offer a sunset concert. After that we still have to return to our self-isolation where quandaries lurk. We worry about our family and friends, fear for those exhausted hospital champions, and ask ourselves, “Why didn’t I buy more chocolate?”

Just as we alternate between black humor, tears and inspiration during this crisis, our eating habits also careen wildly. Of course we try to cancel out the anxiety with comfort foods and sugar addictions. It’s okay and understandable to eat for relief, but this is also an important time to choose foods that may help build the immune system.

I prefer to add something positive to my diet instead of thinking about what I shouldn’t eat. (I learned that life philosophy from my sweet Daddy.) Since we’re all a little nutty right now, my simple suggestion to crowd out that pint of ice cream eaten with a spoon straight from the container: nuts & seeds for snacks.

As nutritionists we suggest considering the total sustenance of foods, rather than an individual nutrient; therefore nuts are more than their fat content.

A few reasons to choose nuts:

** fiber: to feed our gut microbiome and aid digestion

** B vitamins: to support cognitive abilities (who doesn’t need that?)

** vegetarian omega 3s: to fight inflammation

** magnesium: to help relax our tense muscles

** potassium: to support our troubled hearts

** fats: to fill those nervous cravings

Various studies have shown nuts to be associated with decreased inflammation and decreased cancer risks. People who ate nuts 2-3 times a week, compared to those who ate none, were 31% less likely to gain weight! We’ve all heard the jokes about COVID binge eating and weight gain, so this does not mean we can eat a whole jar of nuts in front of Netflix. However, as a bonus, nuts and seeds support our body’s manufacture of serotonin, the brain’s happy juice.

For the advanced crowd, enhance your nuts and seeds with some dried fruit and a smidgen of 70% dark chocolate chips. Voila! It’s a trail mix for those treks from the bedroom to the living room and back. To make your own Stay Home Mix, choose 2 or 3 nut varieties, 1 or 2 dried fruit choices, and COVID-emergency 70% dark chocolate chips. The bulk section of grocery stores lets us buy as little or as much as we want, but please don’t cough on the staff or stand too near if you need to ask directions to the bulk section.

Here are a few of my favorite ingredients:

**Cashews ~~ nut with the least amount of total fats (and yet so delicious)

**Walnuts ~~ nut with the most omega 3s for anti-inflammatory action

**Almonds ~~ more calcium for bone health

**Pumpkin seeds ~~ zinc to improve immunity

**Dried Cranberries ~~ these blueberry cousins are loaded in antioxidants

**Dried bananas ~~ to help build serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter

**Dark chocolate ~~ Theobromine to support lung and respiratory health

Note: After I posted this, I went for my weekly trip to the grocery store, with nuts and dried fruits on the top of my list. (Walking the talk.) Much to my chagrin, in this world of rolling out-of-stocks, there were hardly any of either. In fact, at my co-op where bulk shopping can be central, all the bulk bins were empty. The sight of those clean, clear bins left me shocked and sad, even more so than the empty toilet paper shelves. A reminder that in these strange and uncertain times we find grace wherever we can. I found mine in the produce section.