Why we should all go nuts for nuts and seeds in our diets

Get Loose Manager Justine chats to her husband Chris Cheyette, a diabetes dietitian and best selling author, about the evidence for the nutritional benefits of nuts and seeds.

What’s so great about nuts and seeds from your professional perspective?

Nature is amazing at providing what our bodies need in a neatly unpackaged parcel. Nuts and seeds are high in beneficial fats, and other micronutrients, seeds contain everything a plant would have needed to grow.

Different nuts and seeds have different profiles of nutrients so it's great to get a wide variety of them in your diet. For example 2 brazil nuts give you all the selenium you need in a day.

Some people avoid nuts because of the fat. What are your thoughts?

They do contain fat but most have a very beneficial fat profile of poly and monounsaturated fats which are linked with heart health. Walnuts, linseeds and chia are good plant sources of omega 3, especially if you don’t eat fish.

What other macro / micro nutrients are especially prevalent?

• Almonds are a good source of calcium, especially if you don’t eat dairy.

• All nuts are a good source of iron and protein.

• They are all a good source of fibre which has been shown to help your gut microbes work more effectively. Especially sunflower and peanuts. 

Do nuts make a good mid morning or afternoon snack?

They make an excellent snack, and can help to keep you full due to containing protein, fat and fibre., The recommended portion is 30g  which is a small handful. It is best to get as wide a variety if possible and try to stick to unsalted nuts. 

Get Loose sells a wide range of nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters.

Nuts

Get Loose nut options

• Almond (whole, blanched, ground, chocolate coated and honey roasted)

• Brazil

• Cashew (broken and whole)

• Hazel

• Nut mix

• Peanuts

• Pecan

• Walnut

Nut butters

• Almond (white)

• Hazel

• Peanut (crunchy & smooth)

Seeds

Get Loose seed options

• Chia

• Linseed (flaxseed)

• Poppy

• Pumpkin

• Sesame 

• Sunflower

Seed butters

• Pumpkin 

• Tahini (light & dark)

• Find out more about our nut and seed butter producer, Carley’s, in our recent Producer Spotlight

• Find out more about our cashew nut producer, Zanty, in this Producer Spotlight

Recipe: Save the Sheep Shepherd's Pie (vg)

Adapted from original post by The Bethnal Greens, with permission.

http://thebethnalgreens.com/blog/2018/3/16/save-the-sheep-shepherds-pie?rq=pie

Instagram @the_bethnal_greens

We used brown lentils and mushrooms to replace the meat in the traditional version of this dish, and it works quite well, but for added texture walnuts would be a welcome addition. Red wine could also be used to add depth by replacing up to half of the veg broth. I use olive oil in the potato mash, but  a splash of a plant based “cream” or a spoon of a plant based “butter” could be added for a creamier and more authentic texture. Rosemary from our garden was used to enhance the flavour of the dish but thyme, or oregano, would also work well.

Ingredients: (bolded ingredients can be purchased from Get Loose)

• 1 cup lentils (red or puy)

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 stick celery

• 1 medium carrot

• 200g mushrooms

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 800g potatoes

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 1/2 cups veg broth (water and stock paste)

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (400F)

• Wash and chop the potatoes roughly to the size of golf balls and place in a large pot with cold water so that the potatoes are completely submerged. Bring to the boil add a tsp of salt and simmer for 20 min.

• Drain the potatoes and return to the pot and add 2 tsp olive oil and mash with a potato masher until smooth.

Meanwhile:

• Dice the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, rosemary and mushrooms and saute in a large lidded pot with 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Saute the veg on a medium heat until they have softened and the mixture has cooked down, approx 10 min. 

• Once the veg is ready add the broth, lentils, peas and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 30 min. Or until the lentils are cooked.

• Check the pot every 10 min to see if more liquid is needed, add liquid (stock, water or wine) 1/4 cup at a time. 

• Once cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper.

• Empty the lentil mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish (our is square 23cm x 23cm , 9” x 9”).

• Allowing the mixture to cool a little will let it set to make spreading the potato mash easier.

• Carefully spread the potato mash evenly over the top of the lentil mixture.

• Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 min, or until the mash turns a golden brown.

• Serve with seasonal vegetables if required.