Food Freedom Friday Edition 359 - Why Avoid Nuts
If you’re concerned about consuming endocrine disrupting substances, rancid toxins, and mineral chelators that cause micronutrient deficiencies, then you may want to take nuts out of your diet.
Nuts are considered a whole food. They are recommended in all conventional “healthy” diet protocols and are an easy and handy snack for work or activities. Most of them are also loaded with nutrients and often people end up consuming nuts in substantial quantities, either on their own, as dips and butters or flours.
We know that nuts are discouraged for those suffering from digestive and autoimmune conditions as well as those who experience systemic reactions when consuming tree nuts, however, even if you are feeling strong and healthy, you may want to avoid or limit the amount and/or frequency you consume nuts.
Nuts contain compounds that suppress reproductive hormone production, and they contain large amounts of the notorious mineral chelator phytic acid, as well as other anti-nutrients. The nutritional value of eating certain nuts is next to none, since the metabolize ability has been vastly overestimated.
It is important to look further into the composition, levels of toxins and the true nutritive value of nuts and assess their relevance and necessity from there.
Why Nuts Are Considered Healthy
Most nuts are considered healthy because they contain some protein, fats, and minerals. This may appear good on paper, but on further analysis, many of these compounds are either:
Not available for the human body to absorb (bioavailability)
or
Detrimental to your health (producing inflammation or nutrient deficiencies)
When considered from an evolutionary perspective, the goal of plants, like other living organisms, is to reproduce and continue the propagation of their species. Nuts and seeds are the babies of plants, and need to be protected in order to live and create the next generation. The plants are going to take special precautions to protect their offspring (nuts and seeds) by creating a shell around them and developing defense compounds within them in order to provide the maximum chance of survival.
Nuts Are Challneging To Digest
The protein and minerals found in nuts are not very bioavailable due to several factors. The human body lacks the ability to properly digest nuts and seeds because of the various antinutrients found within them.
Phytic acid, oxalic acid, lectins, and tannins are all anti-nutrient compounds found within nuts and seeds. These anti-nutrients prevent the vitamins and minerals found within nuts and seeds to be largely unavailable to the human body as these compounds attach to these nutrients (along with any others you may be eating) as they pass through the digestive tract.
The 2 most prolific anti nutrients in nuts are:
Phytic Acid
Phytic acid is the chemical component responsible for preventing a nut or seed from sprouting before the ideal conditions are present. In your digestive system, phytic acid can bind to minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium and prevents their absorption. This also means that the high amount of mineral present in a specific nut (and often a justification for eating said nut) may not actually be digested and utilized by your body. Phytic acid not only binds to or chelates important minerals, it is also able to inhibit enzymes needed to effectively digest your food, including pepsin, necessary for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, amylase, necessary for the breakdown of starches into glucose and trypsin, necessary for protein digestion in the small intestine.
Nuts that are high in phytic acid, such as almonds, hazelnuts and cashews, can irritate the gut in very sensitive individuals. Macadamia nuts have the lowest amount of phytates of all nuts.
Sprouting raw nuts can decrease the phytic acid content, but it is controversial as to how much. If you are sensitive to nuts, you can try soaking them overnight in water, salt water, and acid (whey, lemon juice, and yogurt) or both followed by thoroughly drying them out in the sun, in a food dehydrator, or in your oven at the lowest temperature.
Lectins
Lectins are essentially carbohydrate-binding proteins that are found in plants. They protect the pant from predation and support other immunological functions within plants. They are sticky molecules, allowing them to effectively bind with sugars but in your gut they can bind the intestinal lining, especially the villi, and create many health issues.
The resulting intestinal damage can reduce the absorption of other nutrients, including minerals and protein as well as alter the delicate balance of organisms present in the microbiome (gut bacteria). Lectins have also been associated with leptin resistance, a primary consideration in obesity and diabetes.
Individuals with established leaky gut issues should steer clear of nuts including macadamia nuts. Coconut, however, is considered supportive for most digestive conditions.
Nuts and seeds also contain trypsin inhibitors that limit the amount of protein and fat soluble vitamins that can be utilized from the nuts and seeds. This results in almost no nutrients being absorbed from nuts or seeds except for the fats that they contain.
Nuts Contain PUFAs
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are forms of polyunsaturated fats. There is an idea that omega-6 is a good type of fat. This is not true. Polyunsaturated fat lowers testosterone levels and increases oxidative damage in the body.
Omega-6 is an essential fatty acid and thus needs to be obtained from the foods you eat. This is, however one of the easiest nutrients to consume. Too much of anything can be detrimental, but what defines ‘too much’ is context driven. What your body strives for is a balance between omega-6 and omega-3. Fish and seafood are loaded with omega 3 but how much do you really consume?
Processed foods, chicken fat and pork fat and even some “healthy” foods like nuts, seeds, contain a considerable amount of omega-6 fatty acids. An omega-6 to omega-3 ratio which is out of balance can lead to excessive inflammation which is the root cause of many non-communicable diseases.
Even walnuts and macadamias, the nuts with the highest omega-3 content have ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the neighborhood of 3:1. Many other nuts contain only trace elements of omega-3. If you are putting great effort into reduce your omega-6 intake by avoiding crop oils and grains, consuming large quantities of nuts can undermine and short-change your efforts.
Nuts Spike SHBG Levels
From a hormonal health perspective, eating nuts is not a wise move. Nuts are known to increase sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) by 10-20 percent.
SHBG is a glycoprotein produced by the liver. SHBG binds to free testosterone, rendering it inactive. This decreases the overall level of usable testosterone in the body. High SHBG levels have also been linked to low libido, erectile dysfunction, and infertility. When testosterone levels are low, muscle growth grinds to a halt and post-workout recovery is delayed or insufficient
Beyond inhibiting testosterone, too much SHBG is also known to reduce bone density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Nuts Contain Phytosterols
This is another one of those nutrients that are considred “good in moderation”. If consumed in excess, phytosterols can stall your progress and prevent you from reaching and maintaining your health goals. Phytosterols are known for lowering cholesterol levels by competing for the same enzymes that cholesterol relies on for absorption. Lowering cholesterol is considered a good thing but cholesterol is also what your body uses to make hormones. Lowering cholesterol too much can deplete your protective hormone levels.
Keeping cholesterol at a healthy level (which is a controversial level for many people) is going to allow you to have enough of the raw material needed to properly produce protective hormones for your body.
Should You Eat Nuts?
If you are a nut lover unfortunately you will be challenged to optimize your endocrine health. Removing nuts from your diet (at least for the most part) is going to make a massive positive impact on your health. If you do decide to eat nuts on occasion, then looking for nuts with higher monounsaturated fat content is ideal. Your best choice is macadamia nuts but hazelnuts and cashews are a better choice than many of the others.
Conclusion
Overall, nuts are not a health food as you may have been misled into believing by the mainstream nutrition world. If you are looking to optimize your hormones, alleviate inflammation, and maximize your digestion then taking nuts and seeds out of your diet is going to make a massive impact for the better.