If you want to satisfy the cravings for a nice snack during work and want to go for a healthy option, nuts and dried fruits are what you need. Not only will they provide an energy boost and curb hunger, but they are also both packed with nutrients and completely safe for binge-eating! They contain lots of healthy fats, high quantities of plant-based proteins and fibre, and a range of essential nutrients that are great for your health. Not to mention, they provide all the good richness, crunchiness and taste that we expect from a snack.
The only downside is that nuts are prone to getting spoiled and rancid, so make sure that you know how to buy the freshest of them. To enjoy their health benefits to the fullest, make sure that you buy organic nuts, dried fruits and seeds, and also know how to store them properly to preserve their freshness and make them have a longer shelf life.
The good thing about the fact that nuts contain a high amount of fats is that the oils in them are unsaturated and very healthy, therefore commonly called “good fats.” They are great for our heart and enable our digestive system to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. However, the problem with them is that they are very perishable because their oil molecules get easily oxidized (bound to stray oxygen atoms), which creates unpleasant odours and flavours and makes the nuts go rancid. This means that now those nuts won’t only taste bad, they can also lead to health problems if you consume them regularly.
Buying Fresh Nuts and Dried Fruits – How to Recognize Rancid Nuts
Fortunately, rancidity is not very tricky to recognize because of the presence of funny-smelling spoilage molecules produced in the oxidation process. When you are buying nuts, seeds or dried fruits, make sure that you smell them first. They should have a pleasant smell. However, if you experience a smell that resembles that of nail polish removers, paint, or very old plastic containers, that is the sign that the nuts have become rancid.
Flavoured nuts or dried fruits may have that smell masked under the spices or coatings, but you might still be able to pick it up. If you are not sure about the smell, you can take one nut and try eating it. If it has gone rancid, you will experience a nasty taste. Spit out the nuts if they taste bad; these nuts are not fresh and, thus, not worth buying. Do a little research on where to buy JC Quality Foods so that you get the highest quality products!
There’s one more thing that you should check for: mould. This is also a frequently occurring problem with nuts, more common in fresh and unprocessed nuts, but may occur in processed, packaged varieties as well. It is easier to spot on plain nuts because it forms a powdery coating on them. For seasoned nuts, you may find it harder to spot mould and may need to sniff them to pick up the distinctive, sharp smell of molds. Remember, it is not safe to taste nuts that may have mold because even a few could make you sick.
Some nuts or dried fruits may spoil quicker than others, so it is important to understand the difference and store all of them properly so that you may enjoy this healthy snack without any fear of getting negative effects.