If you’re looking to include some extra whole grains in your diet, we highly recommend barley! This grain adds a little something special to hot cereal, soups, salads and casseroles, and its health benefits are certainly something to celebrate.

Barley is packed with protein, phosphorus and vitamin B-6. It’s a low-glycemic grain that contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. That’s great news for people seeking a more heart-healthy diet! Insoluble fiber provides you with roughage that aids a healthy digestive tract. Soluble fiber can help lower cholesterol. Best of all, barley has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels for up to 10 hours!

Barley has a chewy texture and a mild flavor, making it a great substitute for rice in casseroles and risotto. Ground barley also works well in many bread recipes. We highly recommend cooking up a pot of barley, then adding milk, honey, dried fruit and nuts for a heart-healthy, filling breakfast cereal. We also love bean and barley burgers for a quick and delicious dinner entree.

Have you ever tried barley? What recipes do you enjoy that include this super grain?

We sure love to start our day with a nice, steaming bowl of hot oats. Oats are as delicious as they are nutritious, and we love that they keep us feeling full and satisfied all morning. Now, we do enjoy regular old oats made on the stove or in the microwave, but we do crave something a little different from time-to-time. That’s where baked oatmeal comes in!

Baked oatmeal takes about 30 minutes to prepare, but it’s definitely worth the extra effort. The baked cereal tastes like a delicious oatmeal cookie. It certainly is a treat!

To start, pour 1/2 cup of organic rolled oats or organic steel-cut oats into a bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce or plain canned pumpkin and 1 tbsp. of organic crunchy peanut butter or organic crunchy almond butter. Add 1/4 cup of water, cow’s milk, almond milk or soy milk to the mixture. Sprinkle in 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract and 1 to 2 tsp. of light brown sugar or honey. Stir the oatmeal mixture to combine. Then, if desired, sprinkle in about 1 tbsp. of raisins, organic dark chocolate chips or the dried fruit of your choice.

Pour the oatmeal mixture into a 1-cup ramekin that has been greased with cooking spray and bake the oats at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the baked oatmeal immediately, or store it in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to a month. It’s a great to make a large batch, then defrost one in the microwave for breakfast at the office or on the go!

Hitting the gym or trying to be more active in the new year? Many people (including us) love to munch on all-natural food bars to get a little boost of energy before and after exercising. Did you know that these sweet little bars, which are usually made from a combination of dates, nuts and a little salt, are simple to make at home? We like to use cashews to make our homemade food bars rich and delicious!

Start by placing 1/2 cup of pitted dates in a food processor. Process the dates until they’re smooth and have a pastelike consistency, then transfer them to a bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of raw cashews, along with 1 tbsp. of cashew butter, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp. of sea salt, to the food processor. Process the nuts until they’re chopped rather finely, then add the cashew mixture to the dates. Mix the ingredients until they’re thoroughly combined, then press the mixture into a 9″ x 9″ square baking dish that has been lined with wax paper. Refrigerate the bars until they’re hard, then flip the bars out of the dish and cut them into granola-bar-sized rectangles or bite-sized cubes. Wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator or in an airtight container in the pantry. They will keep for several days.

The best part about this recipe is that you can add the ingredients that appeal to you. If cashews aren’t your nut of choice, try the recipe with peanuts, pecans or macadamia nuts. (Or a combination of nuts.) Substitute some or all of the dates for another dried fruit, such as dried cherries or dried blueberries. Add 2 to 4 tbsp. of baking chips to give them a candy bar-like flavor. The sky’s the limit!

Whew! Did anyone else overdo it on the treats, sweets and rich eats over the holidays? We sure did, and now we’re ready to get back to basics when it comes to our diet! USA Today posted an interesting list of nutrient-rich foods to roll into your diet for 2012. Some of these a great ideas for building a healthful, delicious meal plan that will leave you satisfied! Here are some of our favorite recommendations:

1) Nuts: Well, of course nuts would be our top pick. We love all varieties! Try snacking on a handful of raw almonds for a calcium, protein and zinc boost. Roasted pistachios contain a great amount of fiber and potassium (and they taste mighty good, too). If you want to try something new, soy nuts, macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts are all fantastic choices.

2) Chocolate: Who doesn’t love a little chocolate now and then? It’s a great way to sweeten up your diet! It doesn’t hurt that dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants that can lower blood pressure and help battle heart disease. We love it! Try our high-quality chocolate bars, such as the Godiva 85% Dark Chocolate bar, or chocolate-covered nuts like our rich and delicious dark chocolate covered almonds for a special treat!

3) Beans: Beans are a fantastic vegetarian source of fiber and protein. Try including them in soups, salads, stews and stir-fries in place of meat. You can even make bean-based dips, such as hummus, for a nutrition-packed pairing with vegetable sticks. We’ve got more than 20 varieties of beans, from adzuki beans to pinto beans, so you’ll never get bored!

4) Lentils: Red lentils and green lentils don’t need to soak overnight like dried beans, so they’re a quick, fiber- and protein-rich food that’s perfect in soup or served over a bed of brown rice. Lentils have a surprisingly rich flavor, and they’re packed with nutrients. We love to keep some in our pantry for a rainy day!

5) Oats: Oats make for a filling, whole-grain breakfast that’s full of good-for-you fiber. Oatmeal has been shown to lower cholesterol , and it’s one of the healthiest breakfast foods you can indulge in. The best part is that it never gets boring! We offer more than a dozen varieties of oats, including steel cut oats, organic rolled oats and organic Scottish oatmeal. We also have several varieties of gluten-free oats for those on a gluten-free diet. Yummy!

What are some of your favorite healthy foods?

Our lives are full of friends and family who are fitness fanatics and health nuts, so we’re always looking for the perfect gifts for them.  Below are a few of our fitness favorites to get you started (although we’d be delighted if you pulled up a chair and browsed through our full selection of more than 100 gifts)

Do you know a yoga nut that regularly gets twisted into a pretzel?  We sure do!  That’s why we love to give our Yoga Nut gift pack, complete with a nutty yoga mat and pretzels (chocolate covered for the indulgent yogi and yogurt covered for the virtuous one).

The Hole in One Gift Basket will make sure that you score a hole in one with the golf lovers among your friends and family.  Not only is this basket full of golf-fuel, like Damn Good Beef Jerky and Cajun Peanuts, it also delights with surprises, like a sleeve of our NutsOnline Top Flight Extra Distance Balls and 18 NutsOnline printed golf tees!  And the steel bucket  cools down beverages after a long day on the golf course!

Your favorite health nut can now enjoy their favorite nuts by the bucket!  Our buckets of nuts are sure to satisfy monumental cravings, from almonds to walnuts.

Even though berries may not be in season during the holidays, our Berry Good Tray delivers an anti-oxidant punch – and a pretty array of delicious dried berries.  The berries will fuel your fitness nut through grueling winter workouts (in preparation for the 2012 bathing suit season!).

If you’re looking for stocking stuffers or want to give a little bit of everything, consider designing a custom tray of nuts and fruits.  Or put together an array of our sample packs; from antioxidant mix to superfood spirulina, the sample packs are great for powering though the holiday season and jump-starting a healthy new year!

Chlorella is one superfood that we just love! This amazing freshwater algae is a dietary supplement that packs a punch! Chlorella is loaded with chlorophyll, crude protein, iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It’s also a great source of vitamins A, B-12, C and E. Many people use chlorella as a powerful detoxification agent. Some health professionals believe that chlorella can bind with heavy metals, synthetic chemicals and other toxins, making them easy to expel from the body. It can also promote a healthy balance of natural bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, which can aid with intestinal issues.

The health benefits don’t stop there! Chlorella is taken regularly in Japan to boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and fight infection.

We make sure to offer the highest-quality chlorella available, and we think it shows! Our chlorella is produced in heterotropohic tanks Gunsan, South Korea. It has a thinner cell wall than chlorella produced in outdoor ponds, resulting in a nutrient-rich algae with naturally split and cracked cell walls. This helps your body to more easily digest, absorb and utilize the amazing vitamins and nutrients chlorella has to offer.

It’s easy to add chlorella to your diet! Simply stir a teaspoon or two of this green powder into a smoothie, juice or water.

Want to learn more about chlorella? Take a peek at our handy video! You’ll learn even more ways to incorporate chlorella into your diet with recipes and drinks!

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  To honor the cause, we pledged to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for each order placed through our newsletter.

With the help of our newsletter subscribers, we raised $1,529.  Thank you to everyone who took part in the initiative!  We hope you enjoyed your treats.

(Join our newsletter to hear about special offers, coupons, and other exciting news that you won’t find anywhere else.)

Chia seeds are one of our favorite NutsOnline products. They have so many health benefits and such a fantastically nutty flavor that it’s tough not to get hooked!

As chia seeds have gotten more popular, we’ve noticed that we’ve had customers asking some great questions about this product! Here are some of those questions, along with our answers.

Question: Are chia seeds good for me?

Answer: Many health professionals agree that chia seeds have great benefits! Chia seeds are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against inflammation related to arthritis. Omega-3s can also help shield your body from heart disease. Pretty nifty! Chia seeds have been shown to lower blood pressure, help control blood sugar and even aid in weight loss.

Question: Can chia seeds help me lose weight?

Answer: Chia seeds are quite popular for weight loss. The seeds, which can absorb 10 times their weight in liquids, prevent some of the food that you eat from being absorbed into your system. Because their water absorption turns them into a bulky gel, they also keep you feeling fuller longer. Both of these qualities of chia can definitely help weight loss efforts, especially when paired with a healthy eating and exercise plan!

Question: Do chia seeds help those with diabetes?

Answer: Some scientists do believe that diabetics can benefit from including chia seed in their diets. Chia seeds slow the rate at which our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars. This act can help control and stabilize blood sugar. Of course, if you are diabetic, you should consult with you doctor before starting a chia seed regimen to make sure that the seeds will not interfere with your existing diet and medication plan.

Question: How many servings of chia seeds should I eat a day?

Answer: Two daily doses of about 20 grams each (1.5 ounces total) is what we recommend for the best benefits.

Question: Is there a difference between black chia seeds and white chia seeds?

Answer: Black chia seeds and white chia seeds are essentially the same, nutritionally speaking. The only real difference is the color! Though black chia seeds are more common and generally more popular, some people prefer to bake with white chia seeds because their lighter color makes them less obvious in breads, cakes and cookies.

Question: What makes NutsOnline chia seeds so great?

Answer: Well, speedy shipping and guaranteed freshness, just to name a couple reasons! We are proud to offer some of the highest-quality chia seeds available at a reasonable price. We buy our chia seeds directly from farmers, so we know how they’re grown. We only offer raw, non-irradiated, non-GMO chia seeds, and all of our chia has been produced without pesticides. We think this gives our chia seeds an edge! They are distinctly nutty and fresh, and are definitely the tastiest chia seeds we’ve tried.

Question: How do you eat chia seeds?

Answer: So many options! Chia seeds can be eaten raw; they’re easy to digest, so they don’t need to be soaked, cooked or ground up for you to reap their benefits. They can also be included in baked goods, such as muffins and cakes, and added to beverages, puddings, hot cereal and side dishes. Check out our chia seed product page for links to some of our favorite recipes!

Have a question about chia? Feel free to leave it in the comments section here or email us at CustomerService@NutsOnline.com.

Want a supplement that’ll really give you a boost? Try chlorella on for size! This green, single-celled, freshwater algae that grows naturally in lakes and ponds is packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Chlorella is a true superfood, with 10 times the amazingly healthy chlorophyll that’s found in similar green dietary supplements, such as wheatgrass and alfalfa. It’s also a complete protein. Our powder contains at least 60 percent crude protein. In fact, 10 grams (just a little less than 0.4 oz.) of our chlorella powder contains 5.8 grams of protein.

In addition to being a protein powerhouse, chlorella is a fantastic source of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, B-12, C and E. Maybe that’s why many believe it’s a fantastic supplement to cleanse and detoxify your system. Natural medicine specialists think this potent powder binds with heavy metals, synthetic chemicals and other toxins, helping to expel them from the body.

Chlorella has been shown to aid a variety of health issues. Japanese medicine lauds chlorella’s ability to relieve hypertension, boost the immune system, fight infections, reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Our chlorella powder is the Vulgaris variety grown in Gunsan, South Korea. It is produced in heterotrophic tanks and has a thinner cell wall than chlorella grown in outdoor ponds. This thin cell wall splits naturally during the heating and cooling process the algae undergoes at the facility. This releases the nutrients needed for digestion, allowing you to get more of the good stuff from the supplement.

To get started with your chlorella detox, simply work 1 to 2 tsp. of chlorella powder per day into your diet. Though the chlorophyll in chlorella gives it a strong flavor, this flavor is easily masked in sweet or herbal concoctions. Simply add your chlorella supplement to juice, a smoothie, pasta sauce or any other food or liquid. Some of our favorite chlorella recipes include the chlorella pineapple smoothie, chlorella salad dressing and chlorella pesto.

Have you ever tried supplementing your diet with chlorella? What are some of your favorite recipes or ways that you’ve worked it into your diet?

While we like our yummy treats here at NutsOnline, we’re also all about superfoods that help us feel great and keep active. One of our favorites these days has to be buckwheat. We didn’t know a whole lot about buckwheat’s fantastic benefits until we started researching it, and what we discovered was enough to make us fans for life!

Buckwheat is one powerfully nutritious food. Buckwheat, which is actually a fruit as opposed to a grain, is the most concentrated source of biological protein in the plant kingdom. In fact, it offers up 80 percent of the protein value of whole egg solids and 90 percent of the protein value of milk solids. For that reason alone, it’s fantastic for those who are looking for plant-based ways to get more protein, such as vegetarians and vegans.

Buckwheat also contains quite a bit of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as fiber. It has 50 percent more vitamin B than whole wheat. Pretty excellent!

We offer several different varieties of buckwheat, including whole brown toasted buckwheat, raw white buckwheat, organic buckwheat and organic raw white buckwheat. All of the types make delicious hot breakfast cereal and side dishes, but one of our favorite recipes to make with this delicious food is cold buckwheat salad.

Cook your favorite variety of buckwheat according to the package instructions. Let it cool, then toss it with several tablespoons of olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, some salt and pepper, and a handful of sliced fresh basil. Add some diced fresh tomatoes, cubed mozzarella or feta cheese, chopped roasted red peppers and a bit of diced red onion. Let the buckwheat salad chill for about an hour to let the flavors develop, then enjoy it on its own or on top of a bed of fresh greens. It’s deliciously healthy!