http://articles.favoritesnacknuts.com/rss.xml A blog about favoritesnacknuts.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.favoritesnacknuts.com/?a=35627 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>8% of children and 2% of adults in the United States are estimated to be affected by some form of allergy to food. Of that percentage, the most common food to elicit some form of allergic reaction is peanuts, which affects about three million Americans.<br /><br />When the immune system overreacts to a usually safe food, it is called an allergic reaction. The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis (a sudden drop in blood pressure) can sometimes, but rarely be fatal (killing about 1 of 2.5 million). Otherwise, common symptoms of food allergy are things such as hives, eczema, asthma and gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e. vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping).<br /><br />Why do some people get food allergies? Could it be a result from genetics? Because previous twin studies have shown that there does seem to be a high rate of heritability of allergic diseases, a British study was conducted to compare the incidence of peanut allergy among siblings with general population incidence. The study involved 58 sets of twins, 14 of which were identical, and 44 of which were fraternal. These twins were recruited for having at least one member of the pair having a peanut allergy. 70 of the 115 had a history of peanut allergy. <br /><br />64% of the identical twins both had allergic reactions to peanuts, which was followed by a mere 7% between the fraternal twins. The conclusion was that based on the data and a model considering environmental and genetic factors, researchers calculated a heritability rate of 82%-87% for peanut allergy. The problem with this conclusion? Though the British study showed a genetic component in peanut allergies, environmental factors may have biased the results.<br /><br />When they did not consider genetic factors, the rate dropped to just under 19%.<br /><br />A group of researchers in the July 2000 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) agree that Genetics play a significant role in peanut allergies.<br /><br />Lead researcher Scott Sicherer, M.D. along with some of his colleagues from Virginia and Belgium performed a twin study. Their intent was to see if genetic factors influenced peanut allergy. They were checking this by comparing the incidence of peanut allergy between the identical twins and the fraternal twins. Twin studies are used frequently to provide information on how environmental and genetic factors should be compared and treated.<br /><br />Because there has yet to be solid evidence that there is a direct link between hereditary and allergies, many agree there needs to be more research and more studies dedicated to examine the role between genetics and allergies, so that we may reach a conclusion to this question.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Peanuts, Almonds, Nut at <a href="http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com/">http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com</a></p> 2006-09-02T16:59-04:00 http://articles.favoritesnacknuts.com/?a=35626 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Somewhere between the Atlantic rain forest and the Amazon rainforest lies an area called Brazil. Brazil is the native land to the Cashew, discovered in 1578 and produces greater in areas which have a distinct wet and dry season.<br /><br />Native to Brazil, the Portuguese brought the cashew to India and east Africa somewhere in the midst of the 16th century. The Portuguese were not originally planning to plant cashews for fruit production, but rather to reduce erosion. The trees slowly became neutralized across Central America, and it is certainly a good thing that they did! Cashews are quite beneficial to your heath, as they contain monounsaturated fats, copper, and magnesium.<br />From one, simple, small quarter-cup of cashews, you can obtain over 20% of the daily recommended value for copper and magnesium. These vitamins have a pretty big impact on your health, so not only is it quite beneficial to consume them, but it is not good to not include them in your diet.<br /><br />Along with the vitamins cashews contain, they also contain 37.4% of the daily recommended value of heart-protective monounsaturated fats. These nuts have a lower fat content than what is found in most other nuts. Also, they contain primarily unsaturated fatty acids, mostly of which is oleic acid. Oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health, and reduced triglyceride levels (triglyceride levels are associated with increased risk for heart disease.<br /><br />Cashews provide 38.0% of the daily recommended value for copper. The copper provided plays a role in many mental processes. Some of these processes are: antioxidant defenses, energy production, melanin production, bone and connective tissue development, free radicals elimination, and iron utilization.<br />Copper is an important vitamin to consume. Not taking in enough copper can lead to health problem such as: osteoporosis, joint problems (arthritis), brain disturbances, elevated LDL cholesterol, reduced HDL cholesterol, irregular heartbeat, increased infection vulnerability, ruptured blood vessels, and iron deficiency anemia.<br /><br />Along with copper, you intake a significant amount of magnesium through cashews. Cashews provide 22.3% of the daily recommended value for magnesium. The perks of having good levels of Magnesium ensure that you will have healthy bones. It also helps lower blood pressure, while preventing heart attacks. It reduces asthma severity and promotes normal sleep patterns in menopausal women.<br /><br />While you gain all of the above benefits, you can meanwhile avoid the following downfalls: high blood pressure, fatigue, muscle cramps, tension, soreness, muscle spasms and migraine headaches.<br /><br />Next time you're a little hungry and are trying to think of a snack, or of something to add to a snack to bring it more flavor, remember that cashews are extremely tasty while being extremely good for you, and they make for the perfect snack.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Favorite Snack Nuts at <a href="http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com/">http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com</a></p> 2006-09-02T16:54-04:00 http://articles.favoritesnacknuts.com/?a=35242 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>I know it may not seem like nuts are healthy if the only person you ever saw eating them was that chubby guy at the end of the bar at Happy Hour, but trust me nuts are good for you. Some are better than others though so let's take a look. <br /><br />According to leading nutritionists today, you can eat almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and even Brazil Nuts without increasing your risk of a heart attack from clogging your arteries. The truth is that eating nuts will actually make you healthier and unless you just eat them by the bowlful they will not make you overweight. According to studies at Penn State, it seems the more nuts you eat the lower the risk of heart disease. <br /><br />The difference is the type of fats that are in nuts. Polyunsaturates and monounsaturates which are found in nuts are good for you plus nuts are high in protein, vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber. Eating nuts as a regular part of your diet will help to lower bad cholesterol and blood fats while keeping good cholesterol high and cutting the risk of heart attacks.<br /><br />In the average nuts one ounce has 4 to 8 grams of protein with 14 grams of fat, the majority of which is unsaturated. This is about the same amount of protein is about 8 grams. Nuts are also digested very slowly which helps keep you from being hungry and helps control blood sugar.<br /><br />A tablespoon of peanut butter or an ounce of nuts five days a week reduced the risk of developing adult-onset diabetes by 20 to 30 percent in a 2002 study by Dr. Frank Hu of Harvard. A recent Australian study suggested walnuts can lower diabetes risk. Another Harvard study showed that men who ate nuts five times a week were significantly less prone to gallstones. And, several studies have shown that people who eat nuts tend to be slimmer, not fatter, and that eating nuts helps people stick to their diets and lose more weight, according to a letter from Hu to the Food and Drug Administration. <br /><br />The FDA has even allowed the companies packaging nuts place heart healthy labels on peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts. Nuts like cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, and some others are not given the same treatment due to what the FDA considers too much saturated fat.<br /><br />Another great thing about nuts is that they are easy to add them into your diet. You can put them on salads, in stir-fry, or just eat them raw. They are great for parties and football game get togethers. You just have to eat them in moderation if you are watching calories since one ounce of almonds for example, can have 180 calories. You only need one ounce a day, five days a week to get the health benefits so the idea is to replace another food with the nuts.<br /><br />So, what are you waiting for go buy a variety of nuts and get a great platter to put them on for your next party.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get a great selection of nuts at <a href="http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com/">http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T20:35-04:00