Hazelnuts!

#MyFavoriteNut

Love this time of year when nuts abound. They are pretty nostalgic for me. Growing up my mom always bought nuts for the Christmas holiday, especially hazelnuts. I remember sitting with a huge pile of hazelnuts and a nutcracker and not stopping until they were all gone. Little did she know how healthy nuts were and still are. My favorite of all the nuts has always been hazelnuts; however, I'm not a fan of Nutella. I prefer raw nuts although I'm not opposed to nuts found in the center of dark chocolate... Yum! Okay great, now I want chocolate. 

Anyway, in approximately 10 hazelnuts this is what you get..

Calories 88 

Total fat 8.50 grams (mostly from cholesterol lowering monounsaturated fat)

Saturated fat 0.625 g (artery clogging)

Monounsaturated fat 6.391 g (lowers LDL -- the bad cholesterol)

Polyunsaturated fat 1.109 g (lowers total cholesterol)

Cholestetol Zero (0)  

Calcium 16 mg (optimizes bone/teeth health)

Iron 0.66 g (important for oxygen transport)

Magnesium 23 mg (important for muscle and nerve function)

Phosphorus 41 mg (important for bones and teeth health)

Potassium 95 mg (important for heart function and muscle contraction)

NO SODIUM

Zinc 0.34 mg (enhances immune system to keep us healthy)

Vitamin E 2.10 mg (antioxidant and helps the body use vitamin K)

Vitamin K 2.0 (international units (important for blood clotting)

So next time you are in the supermarket, don't forget your nuts -- especially your hazelnuts!

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20, 2007