Healthy snacking benefits your overall health, curbs cravings, fights weight gain, regulates mood, boosts brain power and gives you energy to keep going all day. A handful of cinnamon and cayenne roasted mixed nuts can pack your diet with filling protein, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, as well as important vitamins and minerals.
Your blood sugar dips about three to five hours after consuming a meal. Eating small, frequent snacks will keep your metabolism charged up as well as helping to normalize your blood sugar. Waiting to eat until you are more-than-hungry can throw your body into a famine mode, which will slow metabolism thus making it easier to gain weight. Contrary to what most people believe, studies and clinical trials suggest that regular nut consumption is unlikely to contribute to obesity and, in fact, may even help in weight loss.
Cinnamon and Cayenne Roasted Mixed Nuts – Nutrient Dense Snack
Imagine being able to boost your metabolism in just 10 seconds. And then burning more fat throughout the whole day—even when you’re just sitting on your duff! Here’s how it works. As I said above, just a handful (1/4 cup) of cinnamon and cayenne roasted mixed nuts can infuse your diet with filling protein, healthy fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, as well as important vitamins and minerals…and all the health benefits of cinnamon and cayenne:
- Benefits insulin levels (means fewer calories stored as fat)
- Speeds metabolism (so you burn more even at rest)
- Helps to burn belly fat (cinnamon impacts abdominal fat more than fat found in other parts of your body)
- Suppresses appetite (so you stay full longer)
Try this flavorful and healthy cinnamon and cayenne roasted mixed nuts recipe in place of your regular morning or mid-afternoon snack. Keep some at your desk and in the kitchen so you can grab a handful for a quick metabolism boost. Try placing a jar in the office break-room to help encourage healthy snacking among your co-workers.
Cinnamon and Cayenne Roasted Mixed Nuts Recipe
Instructions
- 1 1/2 Cups raw pecans
- 1 1/2 Cups raw cashews
- 1 1/2 Cups raw almonds
- 2 Tablespoons raw coconut oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine nuts.
- In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the spiced coconut oil over the nuts in the large bowl mixing well to evenly coat all the nuts.
- Spread the nuts on an even layer on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake the nuts, stirring and tossing occasionally, 25-30 minutes or until roasted.
- Remove nuts from oven and allow to cool. Serve.
- Refrigerate remaining leftovers in an airtight container for no more than five days.
Options: Just about any of your favorite nuts and seeds can be used in this recipe.
Resources
Rios, Emilio. Health Benefits of Nut Consumption. Nutrients. 2010 Jul; 2(7): 652–682.Published online 2010 Jun 24. doi: 10.3390/nu2070652
Juan Jiang, Margo P. Emont, Heejin Jun, Xiaona Qiao, Jiling Liao, Dong-il Kim, Jun Wu. Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cell-autonomous thermogenesis and metabolic reprogramming. Metabolism, 2017; 77: 58 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.08.006
Capsaicin increases sensation of fullness in energy balance, and decreases desire to eat after dinner in negative energy balance. Appetite. 2014 Jun;77:44-9. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.02.018. Epub 2014 Mar 12.
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology: Ingestion of Cinnamaldehyde, a TRPA1 Agonist, Reduces Visceral Fats in Mice Fed a High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Cinnamon
Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8. 2003.
Capsaicinoids: a spicy solution to the management of obesity? Int J Obes (Lond). 2016 Aug;40(8):1198-204. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2015.253. Epub 2015 Dec 21.
