No, I’m not talking about going over for dinner at your in-laws. (sorry) Most people love nuts, but if you are counting calories, you know they eat up your calorie budget FAST. Ads tell us that nuts give us energy, lower our cholesterol, or can even help with weight loss, but are those claims substantiated? Consider this: most studies require 1½ to 3½ servings of nuts a day (a serving is about ¼ cup) to see any benefits, and a 3½ servings of most nuts pack a 600 calorie punch. In some studies, 1½ servings (about 250 calories) wasn’t even enough to lower LDL significantly.
Here’s a PDF report giving you ‘just the facts, m’aam’, along with a calorie chart of different brands and types of nuts and the nutritional breakdown to help you make a decision for yourself.
Our Summary?
Studies have shown that LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is 2 to 19 percent lower when people are fed almonds, peanuts, pecans, or walnuts than when they don’t eat those nuts, AND people who eat more nuts are less likely to die of a heart attack. They also found that nut eaters are typically leaner, nonsmokers, and more active. (or… could it be that lean, active, nonsmokers eat more nuts?)
They found that adding nuts to a diet didn’t cause the corresponding expected weight gain for the increased calories. Maybe the added protein made them less hungry later, but the bottom line was eating nuts didn’t seem to help you lose weight-but didn’t cause the weight gain expected, either.
The added energy that many packages will say comes from eating peanuts is capitalizing on the fact when the word “energy” appears on food labels, it means “calories.” So, yes, it’s true that nuts are a natural source of calories!
There’s no argument that nuts are a healthy snack. Most nuts are rich in unsaturated fats, magnesium, and copper, with smaller amounts of protein, fiber, and iron. Unfortunately, cashews, Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts are not in the ranks of healthier nuts. Also, watch the sodium intake if you don’t buy the unsalted ones.
The good news is roasted nuts (with or without oil) are no higher in saturated fat or calories, so feel free to choose whichever you like better.
The verdict? Nuts are a healthy food that can be worth the calories if you watch your portions carefully. Nut butters are evil, only because they taste so good and are so calorie concentrated that it’s very easy to eat a little more than you should while your calorie counts run up like a meter on a taxi.
Read the fact sheet and get the nutrition facts and calorie counts of your favorites at:
http://cspinet.org/nah/10_09/rating.pdf
Here’s a coupon for $1 off Diamond and Emerald Walnuts http://www.feedyourfingers.com/Coupons.aspx
Or try roasting your own:
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