It’s pretty common knowledge in this day and age that nuts are extremely good for your health. But what are the best nuts for smoothies? The answer is actually simpler than you may think. In short, any nut that is good for you is good for your smoothie.
By adding nuts like almonds and cashews to your smoothie, either as a crunchy garnish or as a main ingredient, you will be boosting your beverage with uncountable benefits, improving the taste, and improving your quality of living because you are feasting on nature’s most wholesome treats.
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Why Are Nuts Good for You?
Nuts are good for you in the same way vegetables and fruits are good for you. They are bursting with healthy attributes, such as protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Plain and simple, nuts are not only the perfect snack but the perfect additional ingredient to any smoothie.
There is a pretty good reason why granola and oatmeal are such popular breakfast options. Nuts are good for you because they give you the exact nutrients you need to get through your day while feeling energized and positive. Try replacing milk with nut milk, like the ultra-popular almond milk, as the liquid base to your morning smoothies.
Each nut has slightly different benefits, which is why you often see health freaks snacking on trail mix and bags of mixed nuts. Why? Because nuts are good for you! Let’s dig into each nut and see what makes them so great for smoothies.
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Walnuts
Let’s start with walnuts. These are one of the best nuts for smoothies, mostly because of their extremely high levels of antioxidants and their extra healthy omega-3 fats. They have more of these two healthy attributes than most other normal nuts.
Because of this, walnuts offer great health benefits, such as a reduction in the chance of getting heart disease and a reduction in inflammation. Walnuts also offer healthy vitamins, minerals, fats, and fiber.
As an extra bonus, walnuts can help nourish the positive gut bacteria inside your belly. This makes your gut stronger and healthier.
Peanuts
We use peanuts everywhere. And this is not an accident. Peanut butter and other peanut-included foods are widely consumed because peanuts have great benefits to our health. One of the greatest things about peanuts is that they have a lot of usable protein. There is a lot more protein inside of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich than you had probably ever realized.
Also, peanuts have heart-healthy fats that can work to lower your bad cholesterol, thereby reducing your chances of cardiovascular disease.
As if that was not enough, studies have shown that peanuts lower a person’s chances of becoming overweight or obese. Even though peanuts have a lot of calories, they also have a lot of fiber and protein that helps keep you fit.
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Almonds
Almonds are without a doubt the world’s favorite tree nut. Originating in the Middle East from the almond tree, almond nuts are now mostly produced In the USA and distributed throughout the world. Inside a single handful of almonds is enough nutrition to make any smoothie a great meal.
You get massive amounts of protein, fiber, fat, vitamin E, magnesium, and manganese. You even get riboflavin and phosphorus. Like with other nuts, almonds offer loads of antioxidants, which work to protect your cells from oxidative damage. In English, this means almonds can help slow down the effects of aging and help to prevent disease.
Almonds do a bunch of other stuff, like improve type 2 diabetes and lower cholesterol. In terms of smoothies, I generally suggest replacing any milk product with almond milk. Almond milk is a super-juiced dose of almonds that makes an excellent liquid base for any smoothie. Never take almonds for granted!
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Cashews
Cashews are quite similar to other nuts. They have great nutritional properties, offering vitamins and minerals, fats, and protein. Cashews are arguably yummier snacks than most other nuts. But the main difference is in their high levels of zeaxanthin and lutein, which are antioxidant compounds that can protect you from going blind as you get older. Cashews can also decrease your risk of getting cataracts.
The vitamins and minerals found inside cashews are ideal for supporting the function of your immune system and keeping your blood healthy. Cashews may be similar to other nuts, but they are in no way worse. I always recommend grinding some cashews into your smoothie, or better yet, using them as a crunchy garnish.
Macadamia Nuts
While similar to the other nuts on the list, macadamia nuts are more buttery than the rest. They also offer a significant amount of calories, making them ideal for meal replacement smoothies. They still have lots of healthy fats, proteins, and vitamins – but they also have a significant amount of iron.
As is normal in nuts, macadamia nuts have been suggested to help with the health of your gut, help to reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome while stabilizing blood sugar levels. Macadamia nuts may also help your heart stay healthy even boost your brainpower. While the brainpower boosting is proven scientifically, there are some studies that suggest it’s true.
The biggest benefit of macadamia nuts is that they make you feel full. If you are trying to lose weight by eating healthy, macadamia nuts inside your smoothies will help soothe your cravings for food.
Best Nuts for Smoothies: Final Thoughts
Basically, any nut that comes from a tree is probably a great addition to your smoothies and you can easily make them in a blender. Nut milk is better than cow milk, and nut butter is better than cow butter. The fact that we still use cows for milk and butter when we can easily use nuts from a tree absolutely astounds me. Hopefully, things will change.
For your smoothies, nut milk is ideal for the liquid base and almonds or peanuts, macadamia nuts or Brazilian nuts, are all great additions for adding healthy protein and fat while making your milkshake into more of a meal. You can always use nuts as a garnish if you like chunky smoothies with a bit of a crunch.