Do you eat nuts and dried fruits daily? Know these side effects

We have all heard of the dictum 'Moderation is the key' when it comes to doing anything healthy. Be it eating the right foods, drinking water, working out or even sleeping, it's extremely important to ensure that you are doing it in the right amounts at the right time. People often snack on dried fruits or nuts to avoid unhealthy binge eating, but the aforesaid portion control is something they conveniently forget while munching them down. And the excuse often thrown around is, 'After all, they are healthy snack alternatives.'
Be it almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, cashews or even any dry fruit of your choice, having more than a prescribed amount as a habit daily can land you in trouble. Yes, nuts are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can protect the heart, improve digestion and boost immunity. But here's how they can give you trouble.

1) Nuts can contain natural sugars and high calories, which, if consumed unregulated, can worsen your health. Nuts seasoned with salt or sugar, too, could cause more harm than benefit. Ayurveda recommends soaking nuts like almonds, walnuts, and cashews overnight before consuming them in the morning, as it is believed that this process aids digestion and helps the nutrients get easily absorbed into the body. Moreover, soaking would also remove the phytic acid that prevents the absorption of calcium and magnesium in nuts.
2) Almonds, in particular, contain high amounts of phosphorous and oxalates, which could be harmful for patients with kidney-related ailments. If you are unable to soak almonds, then dry roasting them would give the same benefits.

What's the right time to eat nuts?
You could have nuts in the morning or at any time before noon. They are great to be enjoyed as a midday snack between the main meals. Eating nuts with fruits would help reduce the glycemic index of fruits. Besides, the vitamin C in fruits would improve the iron absorption from the nuts.
2) How much nuts should you eat?
A healthy person could consume 30 – 50 grams of nuts and oil seeds daily. You could eat 15 grams each at different times of the day. Dates, figs and black currents should be consumed only up to 15 – 30 grams. Meanwhile, the article reminds us that those already seeking treatment or taking medicines for various health conditions should only add nuts and dried fruits to their diet after consulting the doctor. Those trying to lose weight should limit the intake of nuts as a palmful contains at least 100 kilo calories.