Nuts are tasty, loaded with good fat, protein, fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals that are heart healthy and potentially good for the waistline. Barring allergies, there aren’t many reasons not to include nuts in your diet. Let’s take a look at some interesting studies, tips and tidbits about nuts.
Nuts and the Heart
- A study of 31000 Seventh Day Adventists that ate nuts more than 4 times per week were half as likely to die of a heart attack than those who ate nuts less than once a week.
- The Iowa Women’s Health Study came to a similar conclusion: Women who ate nuts or seeds 4 times per week were 40% less likely to die from heart disease than similar women who didn’t eat nuts.
- The Nurses’ Health Study showed that those who ate at least 140g/week of nuts were 35% less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease than those who ate less than 30g/month.
Nuts and Weight
Most studies have shown that adding nuts to the diet does not cause people to gain much weight, if any at all. As an example, researchers gave participants 45-70g of almonds every day (320 calories worth) and gave them no further instructions about food intake. After 6 months, participants gained a very miniscule amount of weight (.2 lbs in women, 1.4 lbs in men). This study was funded by the almond industry.
There aren’t many studies that show nut consumption to help people lose weight, but one study showed that a low calorie diet that included almonds led to greater weight loss than an equal calorie diet that did not include almonds.
The Seventh Day Adventist and Nurses Health Study showed that those who regularly ate nuts weighed less than those who did not.
The Best Nuts
Are some nuts better than others when it comes to health benefits? All nuts contain good fats, fiber and proteins, but different kinds of nuts have different nutrient profiles.
- Almonds are richest in vitamin E (35% recommended daily intake) and calcium (8%) per 1 oz. (30g) serving.
- Brazil nuts are highest in selenium with just 1 supplying a days worth.
- Cashews are richest in copper and zinc
- Peanuts (technically a legume) contain the antioxidant resveratrol, and are highest in protein and arginine content
- Walnuts have the most alpha linolenic acids (plant-based omega-3′s)
How much?
Nuts are healthy but are a dense source of calories. 1oz/30g of nuts supply about 170-180 calories. Here is a chart that shows how many nuts are in 30g.
Number of Nuts in 30 grams (1oz)
Almonds: 20-24
Brazil nuts: 6-8
Pecans: 18-20 (halves)
Cashews: 16-18
Pine Nuts: 150-157
Pistachios: 45-47
Walnuts: 8-11
Hazelnuts: 18-20
A Guide on Going Nuts
- Eat a handful, not a jarful or bowlful.
- Enjoy them as a mid-day snack to help curb your appetite.
- Sprinkle them on stirfry’s, salads, soups and casseroles
- Enjoy a variety of different kinds of nuts
- Make them the base of a personalized trail mix – add seeds, raisins and other dried fruit
- Try nut butters like almond and cashew as an alternative to peanut butter (get brands that are only nuts)
- Try nut oils to add to dressings or cook with such as; walnut, almond or peanut oil
I think there are many good reasons to include nuts in your diet. To fully reap the benefits of fat loss, consume them instead of, rather than in addition to less nutritious foods.
Sources:
- Archives of Internal Medicine, 152; 1416, 1992
- New England Journal of Medicine. 334; 1156, 1996
- British Medical Journal. 317; 1341, 1998
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 21; 275, 2002
- Nutrition Dimensions: Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Walnuts
Question: I LOVE nuts and am trying to be more vegan-like in my consumption, but how many servings of nuts per day is recommended? I find that when my family and I are on holiday, everyone else is munching on food that I choose not to eat, but I get the munchies, too, so I hit the nuts.
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED “LEGAL LIMIT” FOR NUT CONSUMPTION EACH DAY?
Far better to eat nuts while watching TV than eating chips, chocolate, etc.
In fact, nuts make a great snack anytime you are looking for a snack
i love this post – because i am eating nuts while reading it
has anyone tried macadamia butter before? it is ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL, and the oils don’t separate like many other non-peanut-based butters.
LOL, that’s the Paleo line of thought. Peanuts = legumes = baaad.
I’m fairly sure it’s because a lot of people are way too clean these days. If your immune system never gets exposed to harmless bacteria, it doesn’t have anything to attack. The receptors on certain compounds found in nuts (especially peanuts) seem to be very close structurally to bacteria receptors, so the body’s immune system goes haywire when it sees those compounds and you get the allergic reaction. I don’t think I knew a single kid in my whole school who had a nut allergy when I was a kid…guess our parents just let us eat more food off the floor and didn’t sterilize our toys every five seconds. Too much “helicopter parenting”, if you ask me.
Of course, there are always exceptions, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one.
Why do we have this epidemic of nut allergies compared to the previous generation?
Nut allergies (and food allergies in general) are much more common among children than they are among adults. More kids are diagnosed now than were 30-40 years ago, and nut allergies, though they usually aren’t outgrown completely, do wear off in severity. So the kid that could go into anaphylaxis from being around nuts (no, ingestion is not necessary in all, or even the majority of cases, with nut allergies) may not be able to eat them as an adult, but will probably be able to accidentally touch them or breath in the dust.
I think that they have to eat the nut to have an allergic reaction, not just smell them. However, the school and the parents don’t want to take the risk. Children can be messy eaters and may swap lunches when they eat as a group. The child in my sons class has an allergy to nuts so severe that she develops anaphylaxis. She stopped breathing and was unconcious from eating peanut butter when she was 4. Pretty scary for the mum.
Yeah, but didn’t you see that when the test subjects ate the nuts, they didn’t gain an appreciable amount of weight? I always thought that if I ate nuts, I’d gain a lot of weight, but I didn’t…I gained maybe a pound, but my overall health improved quite a bit.
My point is that it’s always the healthiest to eat from the widest range of foods.
Why? What do you mean why… I LIKE IT. That’s why. I wasn’t talking about people. I was talking about me.
People can eat whatever the hell they want. All nuts are great.
Um why? People should eat all kinds of nuts.
It’s all about the peanut and almond butter.
BTW, if nut allergies are so horrible why don’t all offices become “nut free zones”? It’s very simple, public education bureaucrats are out of control. Down with the NEA!!!!
Do kids with nut allergies get reaction from simply smelling the nuts?
I get mine in the natural food section of Kroger, I don’t know whether or not it’s out by the normal peanut butter/jelly, too.
I am a nut freak too! Unfortunately the school my children go to have a ‘nut free’ policy due to some children being allergic to nuts. So, we tend to eat lots of nuts on the weekend to make up for it.
Angie, while you are there look out for ‘ABC Butter’. It has Almonds, Brazil and Cashew nuts and is delicious. I find it at our health food store.
Once I started eating 2 servings of nuts a day, my cholesterol numbers got almost instantly better. It went from an LDL of 122 and HDL of 57 to LDL of 90 and HDL of 75 and triglycerides of 53. I eat two handfuls a day…one as a snack, one on top of my salad at dinner. They really fill you up and they taste great. Plus, they have protein in them and they’re probably one of the more perfect plant foods out there. LOVE THEM!!
I’ve tryed cashew butter and didn’t care for it. I am willing to try almond butter. I assume it’s in the grocery store in the same place as the peanut butter.
When I was younger & did not do things the “right way”, I avoided all fat like the plague. I then learned that healthy fat is good for you & for years have been including about 25-30% of my calories from healthy fats. Different varieties of nuts have been a great addition. I actually saw better results in my body when I added them in. I like my power peanut butter but I eat raw, unsalted almonds & pistachios & love them! I just practice portion control!
I am assuming that in your chart, the pistachios are in the shell for 45-47 of them for 30 grams?
I love pistatcios even though they are expensive. I also really like peanuts as long as they are honey roasted.
It’s still too easy to eat too many of them. They’re so tasty.
That’s why you should never eat out of the container… You measure out the portion you want to eat, close and put away the container, and then eat your nuts!
I put the (natural, it’s tastier) almond butter in my morning oatmeal. Sooo tasty. And covers up the protein powder flavor.
You can ignore nuts but the nutritional value that it gives is greater that a common vegetables can give
Nut are great. The only problem is that it’s hard to get nuts in small packs. And a big can of nuts has 1000+ calories. It’s hard to stop eating them.
I’m a peanut butter fanatic, but I recently discovered almond butter which I think was sent from heaven…
I don’t know where you got that peanuts clog the heart. True they are a legume, but they aren’t bad for you.
Peanut consumption reduces serum triglyceride levels by up to 24%; and reduce cardiovascular risk by up to 6 – 8%. Furthermore, peanuts added significant magnesium, folate, fiber, copper and arginine to the dietary intake.
http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/riskfactors/a/peanuts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut#Nutritional_value
Almonds and Walnuts are awesome. I eat them almost every day. Peanuts, being a legume, I avoid (along with all other heart clogging legume).
=^.^=
This nut study makes me happy…. I eat nuts at least once a day, either in my oatmeal as peanut butter. As a peanut butter sandwich or a handful cashews as a snack. They’re yummy, good source of healthy fat and protein. I feel bad for the people that have nut allergies.