When time is tight, yet you still want to eat right, stage a raid on nature’s larder.

When time is tight yet you still want to eat right, stage a raid on nature’s larder.

Fast food gets a bad rap, but there is nothing inherently wrong with delivering a meal quickly. Busy people often lack time and energy for cooking. Fortunately, nature can provide quick solutions; apples, for instance, are the original fast food. Apples are additive- and preservative-free, need no packaging and are entirely compostable: that’s a pretty good résumé for a fast food that takes little preparation. They are a rich source of vitamins C and E and contain minerals such as potassium and magnesium and a helpful dose of fibre. This may help explain why apple consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and diabetes.

The potential effect of apples on gut bacteria is also getting scientists’ attention. The fruit’s fibre is thought to have a prebiotic effect, feeding beneficial bacteria, which leads to positive health effects. The process is the focus of research.

They are the ultimate fast food. Pluck one from a tree, give it a quick wash and eat it. There are numerous other ways to enjoy them: grated onto toasted or bircher muesli or on oats left overnight to soak; sliced and added to a green salad or cheese platter; or stewed and topped with a nut and oatbased crumble.

Nuts are another of nature’s fast foods, containing lots of nutrients for their weight. Eating a handful (about 30g) each day can significantly improve diet quality and health. Nuts are a rich source of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein, dietary fibre, essential micronutrients such as folate, calcium, magnesium, copper and potassium, and a range of phytochemicals, including carotenoids and phenols.

Clinical trials have found adding nuts to the diet for three to 12 weeks significantly improves blood cholesterol levels. Frequent nut-eaters may be staving off cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, heart attacks and sudden death.

And although the humble peanut – actually a legume – has often been excluded from the healthynut category, research increasingly suggests that does it a disservice.

Tree nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, macadamias and walnuts provide the best bang for your buck. Chestnuts and coconuts, however, don’t make the cut; their nutrient profile differs significantly from those of other tree nuts.

Brazil nuts should be a high priority. Researchers at the University of Otago found that eating two of the nuts a day improved selenium levels. In a country whose soils – and crops – are low in selenium, that is good news. The 2008-09 Adult

Nutrition Survey found that nearly a third of New Zealand men and more than half of women had inadequate selenium intake.

Do yourself a favour with a daily snack of a handful of nuts (including two brazil nuts), or try a fruit salad topped with yoghurt and chopped nuts. Grate brazil nuts onto breakfast cereal if your teeth aren’t up to the task, or eat nut butter – without added sugar or salt – on toast, in sandwiches or spread on slices of apple. So long as you don’t overdo it, nuts will not cause you to put on weight.

The key to maximising the benefit from nature’s fast foods is to use them to replace the refined-carbohydrate-filled snacks that are typical in a Westernstyle diet. For example, fruit and nuts are a healthy substitute for biscuits and crackers.

What’s more, they’re quick and easy.

Apples are the ultimate fast food. Pluck one from a tree, give it a quick wash and eat it.