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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – In the past you were cautioned not to eat nuts because they were high in fat and might sabotage your weight loss plan. Now our advice has changed. Nuts of all varieties are considered one of the cornerstones of a healthy diet, not only because they are heart healthy but they may help you lose weight as well. Why has the advice change?
It can be tricky to determine the actual calorie content of foods. Most calculations are done using the Atwater system, developed over 100 years ago, which showed that carbs and protein have 4 calories and fat has 9 calories in 1 gram. You can think of a gram as about the weight of an average paper clip. Comparing the Atwater system to human digestibility experiments, a number of researches have shown that humans do not digest all the fat calories in nuts. We now know that one ounce of almonds has 129 calories rather than the 168 calories calculated by the Atwater approach. An ounce of walnuts has 146 calories, 21% fewer calories than the 185 calories listed in most calorie databases.
Nuts have gotten skinnier and it is likely that further research will show that this calorie reduction will hold true across all nut varieties. That is why studies have continuously shown that people who regularly eat a reasonable serving of nuts are consistently thinner than people who rarely eat nuts. A study from the New England Journal of Medicine, which followed over 11,000 adults, showed that those who ate 1 ounce of any type of nuts daily were leaner and had a lower risk for obesity.
What is a reasonable portion of nuts?
- 24 almonds
- 8 Brazil nuts
- 18 cashews
- 20 hazelnuts/filberts
- 11 macadamias
- 30 peanuts
- 15 pecan halves
- 47 pistachios
- 14 walnut halves
Each amount listed equals approximately one ounce of nuts.
Shelling peanuts or pistachios causes you to eat less. A study published in the journal Appetite showed that when subjects ate in-shell pistachios they ate 86 calories less than subjects given shelled nuts. The difference in calories may be due to the additional time needed to shell the nuts along with the cue provided by the shell debris to signify how much was eaten. Both helped to promote satisfaction with fewer calories eaten. Couple that with the natural satiety factor and the likelihood that not all the calories in nuts are utilized, it adds up to the positive weight control properties in nuts.
Some nutty facts worth noting:
- Macadamia nuts may help lower inflammation which can protect you against heart disease.
- Walnuts are rich in heart healthy omega-3 fats.
- Almonds are rich in vitamin E and high in fiber.
- Pistachios are rich in fiber and the top source of potassium which helps lower blood pressure.
- Peanuts are rich in protein and resveratrol, the same health-promoting substance found in red wine.
- Brazil nuts are an excellent source of the mineral selenium.
- Cashews and pecans are rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
- Pine nuts and cashews are high in vitamin K and can interfere with anticoagulant drugs like Coumadin (warfarin). Other nuts do not interact with this class of drugs.
Suggestions to add nuts to your meals and snacks.
- Eat unsalted, dry roasted nuts instead of oil-roasted, sugared, salted or chocolate and yogurt covered nuts.
- Swap polyunsaturated nuts for saturated fats like cheese.
- Pair up nutrition powerhouses: apples + nut butters; oatmeal + walnuts; steamed spinach + slivered almonds; dried fruit and nuts; salad greens + pecans; pine nuts + whole wheat pasta; and even consider peanuts in stew.
You Should Know: Oils pressed from nuts do not contain all the health-promoting compounds found in whole nuts.
Bottom line: Nuts can help you lose weight and lower your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as long as you keep your portion size to a handful not a can full.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books. Available as eBooks from iTunes and Amazon Kindle:
Diabetes Counter
Calorie Counter
Protein Counter
Healthy Wholefoods Counter
Complete Food Counter
Fat and Cholesterol Counter
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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