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NUTS to YOU!
As I mentioned in Winning the Weight Loss Game, nuts are a terrific source of high quality oils. At one point, people shunned nuts because of the fat, now this same fat is a key feature of this food.
Note: many, many people have significant nut allergies. Do not eat nuts if you react to them. And if you are preparing a meal with nuts, always ask guests if they have nut allergies. At the very least, a sudden allergy can spoil a night. At the worst, death can result.
Most nuts are dried fruits from tress. Peanuts, which are commonly thought of as nuts, are actually legumes. They belong to the same family as peas and beans.
Nuts, peanuts and seeds are a very good source of protein and carbohydrates.
Because nuts are a plant food, they are naturally free of cholesterol.
They also provide about 70% of their calories from fat, so eat them sparingly. A few walnuts offer well over 100 calories. But the fat is considered to be a "good" fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated).
Although nuts are high in calories, they are also considered to be a "nutrient dense" food, meaning they contain a lot of nutrients in relation to their calories.
Dr. Gary Fraser at Loma Linda's School of Medicine reported that people who ate nuts were less likely to have a fatal or non-fatal heart attack. Theoretically, consumption of nuts can lead to a healthy heart.
Several studies suggest that nuts help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, commonly referred to as "bad cholesterol". In addition, a study of 31,000 vegetarians showed that eating about 2 ounces of nuts a weeks significantly reduced the risk of death from heat attack.
Another study, involving 40,000 postmenopausal women, found that those who ate the most nuts reduces their risk of coronary heart disease by 60 percent compared to those who didn't eat nuts.
Walnuts and pistachio nuts are a good source of iron.
Almonds and cashews are a good source of magnesium. And many nuts provide the trace mineral manganese, needed in bone development, reproduction and by the central nervous system.
Peanuts provide sulfur which helps build protein, and chromium, needed in the metabolism of blood sugar.
If you are on a low salt diet, buy unsalted nuts. Unless added by the food industry, nuts are naturally low in salt.
Rather than adding these high calorie foods to your diet, use nuts to replace other foods. One idea is to substitute one ounce of nuts for one ounce of meat. Nuts are actually considered part of the meat group because, like meat, they're relatively high in protein and fat.
Snack on nutrient rich nuts, rather than the high calorie, nutrient empty offerings of Corporate America.