Jill Waldbieser

In addition to their mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, some nuts contain inflammation-fighting omega-3s, antioxidants, and other beneficial vitamins and minerals, says Melissa Halas-Liang, R.D., a spokesperson for the <a href="https://dietitian.org/" id="fab67bc1-460c-3eb4-a53e-b24f818e149e"> California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics </a> .

In general, its best to eat a variety of nuts in order to maximize the unique benefits of each kind. While <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19546108/portion-size/" id="7905811f-3819-32fe-a235-f0aaacc563ed"> portion sizes </a> can vary greatly (you get 25 pistachios for 100 calories, but just 8 walnut halves) you cant go wrong with a handful a day.

Not only do they look like brains, they may help protect yours. A 2019 <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/2/275" id="8eaf1ad0-b880-3038-a4f4-f58b0cd6943c"> study </a> in the journal Nutrients found that <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/g19545131/symptoms-of-depression-in-men/" id="a80d71a6-01f7-3580-ab6b-3571abdf9bfa"> depression </a> scores among people who regularly ate walnuts were 26 percent lower than those on nut-free diets. Eating other kinds of nuts was only associated with an 8 percent lower risk of depression. Walnuts taste great stirred into Greek yogurt with fresh berries and unsweetened coconut flakes.

These green machines may help keep you lean. Thats because, nut-wise, theyre among the lowest in calories and highest in fiber (one ounce has 3 grams). Theyre also full of antioxidants, says Halas-Liang, including lutein and zeaxanthin, which are responsible for their vibrant color and may provide protection for your eyes, skin, and heart.

Among tree nuts, these pie stars contain the lowest in carbs (four grams per ounce compared to 6 for almonds and 9 for cashews). Their abundant phenolic compounds make them a great snack after an intense workout, when free radicals naturally increase from exercise, says Halas-Liang. Theyre also one of the best natural sources of a compound called beta-sitosterol, which may help lower cholesterol and has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796740" id="372cc2a2-17b9-3bbf-ac04-fb4aee4c71e0"> studied </a> for its effectiveness in treating enlarged prostate, a gland that is normally, appropriately enough, pecan-sized.

Despite what Trader Joes would have you believe, theyre not just for milk (even though they do contain the most calcium of any tree nut). Almonds are also rich in vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, and zinc, which has been linked to fertility.

The latter may explain the results of a recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/108/5/953/5201549" id="eb45ad6f-c765-39a1-ae50-2fcf87d72525"> study </a> published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in which researchers recruited more than 100 men aged 1 to 35 and had them eat a nut snack containing almonds for 14 weeks. At the end, their sperm count measured 16 percent higher than men who didnt eat nuts, and their swimmers had greater vitality and motility.

Sure, theyre technically legumes and not tree nuts, but nutritionally speaking, they belong on this list. A recent study in the journal Nutrients found that the fiber-fat-protein combo in peanuts helped control blood sugar in diabetics. And peanuts are top in both protein (seven grams per ounce) and plant sterols, the naturally occurring compounds that may block cholesterol from being absorbed into the blood.

By now youve probably heard that, barring a serious allergy, nuts are great for you. Underneath their tough shells resides a powerful trio of healthy fats, fiber, and protein. These nutrients that battle hunger and heart disease, help you <a href="https://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/issues/10_3/current-articles/Daily-Handful-of-Nuts-Linked-to-Lower-Mortality-Risk_1400-1.html" id="c0275757-76fc-3c0c-a2e6-da914907c38d"> live longer </a> , and may even <a href="https://news.llu.edu/for-journa...

These Are These 5 Healthiest Nuts You Can Eat

<a href="http://www.nsf.org" id="7915094f-b225-3b24-a12b-3cda1b24e7e2"> NSF International </a> , a public health and safety organization, conducted a study where they asked people to guess where the most kitchen pathogens hang out. The answers, which included places like microwave keypads, were mostly wrong.

On microwaves: Those keypads are smooth, and germs like cracks and crevices, says Lisa Yakas, a microbiologist with NSF International. So where does the gnarly stuff hide?

The rubber gasket that sits below the pitcher and forms a water-tight seal? Yeah, it made the top three of the NSFs ranking, testing positive for Salmonella, E. coli, yeast, and mold. People dont take the blender apart to wash it after every use, says Yakas. Even blenders with a clean function only wash the pitcher, not the base.

The slots would earn a five-star rating on a germ AirBNB-and most people never think about washing them, says Brian Sansoni, a spokesperson with the American Cleaning Institute. Any residual bacteria from your blades will transfer to the block and grow. A good scrubbing with warm, soapy water and thorough air drying once a month will help. That said, it can be tough to reach all the way in to the base of the slots, and you might just want to invest in a magnetic knife strip.

These innocuous tools turned up E. coli, yeast, and mold-but only when they were constructed from two pieces (think wooden handle and removable rubber head). As with blenders, Yakas says, people dont take them apart to clean, and bacteria lives and grows inside. If the idea of cleaning your spatula's pieces doesn't thrill you, stick with a spatula made of a single piece of molded silicone, like those made by <a href="https://gir.co/shop/spatulas" id="0c52a088-5d43-38de-a732-e77f93dfa7cb"> GIR </a> .

Wait, doesnt it, um, clean itself? Like your bathtub (yeah, apparently you need to clean that, too), scrubbing removes mineral or grease buildup over time and helps prevent mold, says Sansoni. Many dishwasher manufacturers now make cleaning products that you can toss into the appliance and run it through an empty cycle once a month. (Bonus: this will help your machine last longer). Otherwise, he recommends scrubbing the rubber gasket with a toothbrush, wiping the residual crumbs off with a damp cloth, and pulling out the racks and checking the drain for stuck food particles or other blockages.

NSF testing uncovered Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli, yeast ,and mold in refrigerator meat and vegetable drawers. Remove the entire drawer and washing it with warm water and a little dish detergent, says Yakas. Often, the bin bottoms are textured and germs cling to those nooks and crannies.

Why Your Blender Is Likely Festering with Bacteria

Kitchen filth doesnt always lurk where you think it does.

Only, dont call them that. The correct name is pig wings, says Bob File, president of Pioneer Meats. He and his partner, Bob George, trademarked it in 2003, after discovering that a cut that usually went into the trim bucket had some untapped potential.

It comes from the shank, or lower leg-on humans, where your calf would be-and according to File, Its very rich and dense, like osso bucco. At two ounces, a pig wing has twice the meat of a standard <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19538449/skillet-wings/" id="26d00e89-0f25-353a-a164-c4f3f19bc8cd"> chicken wing </a> , and better yet, a bone handle to grip while you chow down, like a cross between a babyback rib and a lollipop. Pork without the fork is how the Bobs put it.

Today they do a brisk trade in pig wings, selling between 5 to 7 million pounds a year-a figure that doesnt include copycats-mostly to restaurants like Hooters or Bar Louie.

Part of the appeal is how well the other white wing takes to different flavors, from standard barbecue and buffalo sauce to sweet and sour. They can be a bit tricky for the home chef, though.

You cant just stick them in the oven, you have to braise them, says File. Thats why Pioneer sells them precooked but unsauced on their <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__pioneermeats.com&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=B73tqXN8Ec0ocRmZHMCntw&amp;r=zWXRjbRPxx5mOhC5YLcgm8pTmTT9USBXIOxuG0uKI0o&amp;m=cF_yPrggaIqoyHTAxg2jyQHyeMZq0bFhlVlVKY-GjI0&amp;s=mmh-wvWLJu0Kmuy3Y4vCmzre21RjTTVYoAh31GVcewk&amp;e=" id="e89b76d4-55ad-3836-a7d5-d276049f0624"> website </a> . Thaw them, season them, grill them 4 to 5 minutes per side, flip them, brush on sauce, and theyre good to go, says George. He likes his pig wings smoked, deep fried, and doused in buffalo sauce.

Nutritionally, pig wings offer slightly more <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19544310/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-protein/" id="23933679-e5e2-3bfe-af89-db0a5dfffc31"> protein </a> (24 grams for two 2-ounce wings) and slightly fewer calories and fat (170 and 8 grams, respectively) than <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ndb.nal.usda.gov_ndb_foods_show_05100-3Ffgcd-3D-26manu-3D-26format-3D-26count-3D-26max-3D25-26offset-3D25-26sort-3Ddefault-26order-3Dasc-26qlookup-3Dchicken-2Bwing-26ds-3D-26qt-3D-26qp-3D-26qa-3D-26qn-3D-26q-3D-26ing-3D&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=B73tqXN8Ec0ocRmZHMCntw&amp;r=zWXRjbRPxx5mOhC5YLcgm8pTmTT9USBXIOxuG0uKI0o&amp;m=cF_yPrggaIqoyHTAxg2jyQHyeMZq0bFhlVlVKY-GjI0&amp;s=ObEg5RCXANfetgZrM4QUUKsbGH-vIqZmZ-cl7eUIbbk&amp;e=" id="c2477247-4e22-3caa-ae05-62427f070b30"> chicken </a> . Though of course, how theyre prepared makes a big difference.

The world is now full of meat substitutes, from veggie burgers that bleed to lab-grown hamburger to, well, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a25333110/vegan-tuna/" id="5a1a82d3-0148-3914-aef8-6a2f8bd63e86"> this </a> . But until now, we havent heard of one made of, well, meat. But two pork farmers from Michigan are convinced that the next big thing in chicken wings is ... pork.

Move Over, Chicken Wings: Pork Wings Are the Next Pig Thing

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Pulse Ghana is the most followed news and entertainment platform, informing and engaging young Ghanaians round the clock, providing updates by the hour.

Jill Waldbieser

Articles written by the author

These Are These 5 Healthiest Nuts You Can Eat

Why Your Blender Is Likely Festering with Bacteria

Move Over, Chicken Wings: Pork Wings Are the Next Pig Thing