It's a great idea to snack, especially over the holidays! Having a healthy snack before a holiday party is just plain smart! Here's a short selection of  delicious smoothie confections that replace guilt with pride in treating yourself to something both delicious and healthy! For the entire list of 0ver 20 healthy snacks to indulge in, please call the office and ask Barbara Bingham, our director and a nutritionist, for the Kaizen Total Wellness "Snacks & Smoothies" handout. We'll have it waiting for you at the front desk! 941-556-7788

Nutritional benefits of almonds and walnuts are more commonly known, but other nuts can provide a healthy variety for recipe ingredients or snacks as long as you are getting raw or roasted, not salted or sweetened.   Pistachios are rich in lutein, beta-carotene and vitamin E and can have cardiovascular benefits including lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol.  Antioxidants found in pistachios (and many other foods) have been scientifically proven to help with a variety of health concerns including cancer prevention, improved immune function, healthier skin or reduced risk of heart disease.    Brazil nuts are an abundant food source of the antioxidant selenium.   A recent study showed that eating just one Brazil nut each day for 8 weeks significantly increased plasma selenium status as well as an increase in the enzyme glutathione peroxidase-1 which protects the body from oxidative damage. 

Here's one of those foods that seems like a 'treat', is convenient and tasty, and ALSO nutritious! Nuts, which contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients, when eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower the LDL ('bad' cholesterol) which can help prevent heart disease. Also, eating nuts reduces your risk of developing blood clots and can improve the health of the lining of your arteries.  The Omega-3 fatty acids found in nuts seem to help  your heart by preventing dangerous rhythms that can lead to heart attacks, according to sources at the Mayo Clinic.  Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in many kinds of fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.  Other nutritive value in nuts are Vitamin E, plant sterols, L-arginine, and fiber.  

While I do eat nuts every day as part of my healthy snack between meals, we have to be aware they have quite a few calories and watch the serving size, and of course never buy 'salted' or 'lightly salted' nuts.  Emerald's Cocoa Roast or Cinnamon Almonds are super, and really take the edge off feeling hungry or low on energy.   Walnuts, almonds, macadamia, cashews, hazelnuts and pecans appear to be the healthiest choices.  And while peanuts are not really a nut, they are good as long as they are dry roasted. Fresh ground almond butter or peanut butter with no sugar or salt added is an excellent choice (to spread on apple slices, for example) and are available at various stores including Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Publix.