A nut for all occasions

All throughout your day you look for a snack to supplement your food intake and to stave off your hunger pangs until you get an opportunity to sit down and eat a full meal.  Most of us fail to eat a solid breakfast, the most important meal of the day according to many who study that sort of thing.  We work our tails off all morning, drinking gallons of coffee, while not having any food or sustenance to calm our stomachs.  As the hours tick by twelve, into the afternoon, we grab a quick sandwich, or cup of soup, and race back to our desks, and eat on the run or while working.  By the end of the day we are famished, and we meander home with no energy, collapsing in our chairs and eating our dinners.  What a way to go through life, but unfortunately it is the way most Americans struggle through their work week.  It is not a happy lifestyle, not to mention an unhealthy one.  You need to try and consume some form of food during your morning and afternoon; otherwise you will eventually burn out.  A good snack to have at your desk during the day is a handful of pecans, or maybe a couple of handfuls.

Pecans are good for you

A pecan is an American food; the United States produces almost 90% of the pecans consumed by the world.  There are grown mainly in the South, with Georgia and Texas being the most productive pecan states.  They are high in fiber, keeping your digestive system regular and happy.  They contain high amounts of essential minerals and ingredients like copper, magnesium, and zinc. In addition, they are considered a very powerful antioxidant, which can aid in the prevention of many infections and   diseases, including the onset of cancer.  They are rich in protein, a necessary staple of your daily diet.

Many different ways to serve pecans

Long ago, before they were harvested and farmed on a regular basis, these nuts were considered a delicacy as a wild pecan.  The settlers in the South collected these wild pecans and treated them with respect and care. Over the years, many dishes have been altered to include pecans.  You can eat them straight out of the shell, or have them already shelled and salted.  One of the bets ways to eat them is in pecan pie, a great dessert for any occasion.  You can add them to brownies, fudge, or pralines, or simply eat them as a chocolate covered snack.  A pecan can be substituted in any recipe where nuts are needed, as a delicious complement to your meals.

Pecan is a way of life

The peanut and almond get more attention than the pecan.  But, pecan farmers are a huge economic base in the United States, especially the South.  America supplies the rest of the world with quality harvested pecans from a number of locations across the Southern States.  The pecan tree was designated the state tree of Texas one of the largest pecan producing states in the country.  As a part of our heritage, April was deemed to be National Pecan Month.

Mike Johnson