Turns out a simple handful of nuts a day might give your memory and thinking a boost — even if your diet’s not that great. Rally digs into the research based on the prestigious Framingham Heart Study, explains why nuts are basically rust prevention for your brain, and shares five ridiculously easy ways to start snacking smarter today.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RALLY:
Hello, Beautiful People, Rally Preston here. Seventy-one years old.
Well, today we’re going nuts on nuts.
This is such a super easy thing you can do that might actually help your memory and thinking – at least that’s what this new study says. I think you’ll find this one pretty interesting.
Alright, let’s get cracking!
So this study – it’s a pretty big one. And it used data from the Framingham Heart Study; it’s run by Boston U. now.
So just quickly on this one – some background: This one’s been studying folks longer than I’ve been around – since 1948. They’ve got something like three generations of participants enrolled now—thousands of them—well, 15,000, looks like. And their main focus has been on cardiovascular issues, but they use the data for other things like diet and health. Okay. So a lot of credibility here.
Anyway, researchers looking at the Framingham data zeroed in on over 1,700 people. Their average age was 61 for this one.
So they checked how many nuts people ate. Then they gave them memory tests. Uh, thinking tests and reasoning testing.
And here’s what they found: people who ate more nuts scored better on those kinds of cognitive tests.
Even after factoring in age and other variables like education, smoking, exercise habits – even their diet quality. Even with all those differences, this link to better cognitive skills seemed to hold up.
Now here’s something that was really interesting…
The benefit of consuming some nuts was strongest in people who didn’t really have the healthiest diets to begin with. And weren’t much into exercise either, but they still seemed to get a cognitive boost by just munching on some nuts.
So this study is obviously good news for a lot of us.
You don’t have to eat perfectly 24/7. Your diet or exercise routine may not be the best, but you’re still going to come out ahead with munching some nuts. And that’s pretty amazing, right?
So if you’ve been telling yourself, “My diet’s a mess, why bother?” well, this one’s for you. Have some nuts. It’s an easy win – for everyone.
Now, how many nuts are we talking about? Okay, well this kind of floored me; I had to double-check this one – did I read that right?
Alright, so the average person in this study was eating about one gram of nuts a day. One gram folks. And that is basically a crumb of a nut – it’s a nibble off an almond. Who’s doing that? Oh, just half for me. I don’t know. But that’s statistics for you.
And even at that tiny amount, they saw a benefit. But come on, grab a handful. Don’t be shy.
Now, not this particular study, but I’ve seen others where a handful a day is good for heart health.
So what’s a real handful look like? Well, that’s a good question. I looked this up, so here you go.
Let’s start with almonds – around 23 almonds is a good handful. And just for comparison, that’s about 30 grams – which is way over that 1 gram benefit of this study.
So here are more handful examples: Fourteen walnut halves. Forty-nine pistachios. Eighteen cashews. Twenty-eight peanuts – now I know, that’s not technically a nut, I know – but Jimmy Carter would want me to include them. And then about 18 pecan halves is a good handful.
And all those add up to roughly an ounce. Around 30 grams. Just a handful. Not a bucket. Not a bag of nuts.
Speaking of which, I remember way back, my grandparents had a pecan tree. When we’d visit in the fall, my job was to shimmy up there and grab the ripe ones. The husks were just kind of splitting apart. Had to peel those, and crack the shells, let them dry, all the things. But granny made the best pecan pie, so it was worth it.
Alright, back to the science.
Because you’re probably wondering why would nuts help your brain, anyway?
Well, I’ve got a simple explanation for you here.
Nuts have healthy fats. Your brain actually needs this kind. It uses that stuff to keep cells talking to each other.
Nuts also have antioxidants. So vitamin E, mostly. And that fights off wear and tear in your brain cells. Kind of like rust prevention for your noggin.
And nuts can calm down inflammation too. So basically, less wear and tear overall.
And nuts help blood flow. Same reason they’re good for your heart turns out and good for your brain too.
So really, it’s the same story we always hear. What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. And we’ve said that before, and it still proves out.
Now, just to be clear on the limits of this study. Like I mentioned, a real credible source here – the Framingham Heart Study. But this one is still an observational study.
It showed a possible link to brain health, but it doesn’t prove that nuts alone are responsible for better memory and thinking skills. So, you know, just keep that in mind.
But here’s the thing. Nuts are fairly cheap – well, they used to be cheaper, like everything else. But still, a pretty good bargain, I guess – especially if you’re just grabbing a handful a day. And we know they already do great things for your heart.
So even if the brain benefit turns out to be just a little boost, you’re not losing anything – you’re way ahead here.
Alright, I know some of you are already reaching for the almonds. You just go ahead, and I’ll just keep blabbing.
For everybody else, let’s make this super simple. Here’s your Silver Beast Action Steps. And this is ridiculously easy.
Action step one. Grab a handful of nuts today.
Almonds, walnuts, pecans, whatever you’ve got on hand. Just jump on it today if you’ve got them.
Action step two. Swap a not-so-healthy snack for nuts. So instead of chips, grab some nuts. Don’t just add nuts on top of your usual snacks. That would be nuts — not good. Alright.
Action step three. Mix it up. Different nuts have different nutrients. So you’ve got walnuts for omega-3s. Almonds for vitamin E. Just keep a mixed bag or container of some kind handy. A bowl of nuts, whatever. Variety’s a good idea here. Mix up the nutrition and taste.
Alright, action step four. Watch out for the add-ons. So go easy on the salted, sugared, chocolate-covered stuff. Plain or lightly roasted is best. I love the salted kind, but don’t overdo those. Your heart will be better off with less sodium.
Action step five. Don’t overthink the amount. No need to weigh anything or count anything. A small handful, most days. That’s it. Doesn’t get any easier.
Now, quick reminder here. If you’ve got nut allergies, or you’re watching your sodium, talk to your doctor before you go nuts on this one. Always the smart move.
But for most of us? A handful of nuts is an easy thing. Low effort, but some real potential here. It’s a tasty snack that might have some real cognitive benefits for you. Brain food doesn’t get much easier than this.
Alright, that’s it for today, Silver Beasties. Go nuts – grab a handful today.
Alright, thank you so much for dropping by the Silver Beast Podcast. I’m Rally Preston, and I’ll see you next time. Take care!