Health Nuts: Eating Nuts May Be Healthful

Belief.net
by Diane Voyatzis, RD

You are what you eat. You may think you’re a health nut — you eat whole grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables. But if you avoid nuts because they’re high in fat, you may not be as healthy as you can be. Nuts have traditionally received a bad rap for their high-fat, and therefore high-calorie, content, especially from people watching their weight. But recent research reveals many reasons to include nuts in your diet — one of which is the very fat that made you avoid them!

Nut Nutrition
Nuts contain mostly “good,” unsaturated fat — the type that is believed to help improve heart health. Most Americans consume too much “bad,” saturated fat, which is found mostly in meats and high-fat dairy products. Research has shown that reducing saturated fat and increasing unsaturated fat can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. One study published in November 2002 in the Lancet indicated that a diet including unsaturated fats from almonds and walnuts (in addition to whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), may lower cholesterol levels to a greater degree than the traditional, cholesterol-lowering, National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) step I diet.

There are two types of unsaturated fat: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Nuts contain both types of unsaturated fat and only small amounts of saturated fat, in varying amounts depending on the type of nut. Some research suggests that one type of polyunsaturated fat, called omega-3 fatty acids, may play a role in the prevention of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. Most Americans need to increase their intakes of these healthful fatty acids. Walnuts and almonds contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Source: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 13

* Someone following a 2,000-calorie diet should average a maximum of 67 grams of fat per day.

¤ Someone following a 2,000-calorie diet should average a maximum of 22 grams of saturated fat per day.

× Someone following a 2,000-calorie diet should average a maximum of 45 grams of unsaturated fat per day.

In addition to fat, nuts contain many other important nutrients.

Protein

Nuts are a great source of protein and unusually rich in one amino acid (a building-block of protein) called arginine, which may also be linked to heart health benefits. Arginine widens and relaxes blood vessels; this, in turn, may reduce the danger of blood clots that can lead to heart attacks.

Vitamin E

Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are rich in vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that is important for normal development of nerves and cells in the lungs and blood. Researchers at Tufts University have found that vitamin E may also play a role in keeping the immune system strong as we age. Some studies have shown that vitamin E may lower the risk of heart disease, too, although studies have been conflicting.

Specific Nutrients in Specific Nuts

Almonds contain eight percent of the Daily Value of calcium, which is the amount in about one-third of a cup of milk.

Brazil nuts contain about 210 times the amount of selenium found in other nuts; selenium may help protect against cancer according to a study published in the February 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Some nuts, such as hazelnuts and walnuts, contain eight percent of the Daily Value of folate, which is a B vitamin that protects against birth defects and may also protect against cancer and heart disease.

Other Benefits

Peanuts contain plant sterols, or phytosterols, which have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, and have been used in margarine-like spreads, such as Benecol.

Some nuts, including peanuts, also contain the substance resveratrol — the same compound found in red wine — which has been shown to lower heart disease risk.

In a nutshell, the table below summarizes the nutrient contents of several types of tree nuts and peanuts. (While similar in nutrient content and usage to tree nuts, peanuts are actually legumes, which grow underground).

Source: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 13

¤ Someone following a 2,000-calorie diet should consume approximately 60 to 75 grams of protein per day.

× Someone following a 2,000-calorie diet should consume 25 grams of fiber per day. A high fiber food has at least three grams of fiber per serving.

* Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Of course, while nuts have many benefits, you still need to make room for them in your diet by cutting down on calories from other foods or drinks. Check out these 10 foods and drinks you could skip today to make way for an ounce (a small handful) of nuts.

Each serving listed is approximately 180 calories, the amount in one ounce of nuts.

• 9 restaurant-style tortilla chips
• 1 ½ chewy chocolate-chip granola bars
• 14 ounces of soda or beer
• 1 package of 6 cheese and crackers (found in vending machines)
• 1/3 cup ice cream
• 10 ounces of Fresh Samantha fruit juice smoothie (a little more than half the bottle)
• 18 Baked Lays (potato chips)
• ¾ of a package of plain M&M’s
• Six ounces of a 10-ounce café mocha
• 1¼ Nutri-Grain (cereal bar) strawberry

Nuts are easy. They don’t require cooking or preparing. They are portable and even found in vending machines. And they go well with everything from gourmet meals to beer.

• Add nuts to your morning meal.
• Make an easy batch of homemade granola bars with oats, cheerios, peanut butter, and dried fruit. Grab and go.
• Make your own trail mix with your favorite nuts, dried fruits (apricots, cranberries, raisins), and a higher fiber cereal (shredded wheat, Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, Cheerios, etc.).
• Mix some nuts into your pasta dishes. Try adding walnuts to your pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh basil, and tomatoes. Also try using peanut butter as a sauce, tossed with penne pasta, roasted butternut squash, eggplant, and shallots.
• Add nuts to side dishes. Try brown rice, raisins, and hazelnuts. Or add pine nuts to your couscous, with feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Add almonds to your green beans, or hazelnuts to your sauteed spinach.
• Mix finely chopped nuts with an equal amount of seasoned breadcrumbs to coat your fish or chicken with flavor before baking, broiling, or grilling.
• Stir nuts into your stir-fry dishes. Cashews and peanuts work well. Also try adding some peanut butter to create a thicker stir-fry sauce.
• Add nuts to your favorite chicken salad recipe. Spice up your chicken salad with curry powder, grapes, and almonds. Or try chicken salad with apples and walnuts.
• Try whipping up an almond smoothie. Put a handful of nuts in a blender with some milk, ice, vanilla or almond extract, and a sweetener of your choice (maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, etc.). Blend well. Make it thick, freeze it, and eat it like ice cream.

No-Bake Granola Bars

2½ cup cheerios, crushed

2 cups quick-cooking oats, uncooked

½ cup raisins or chopped apricots

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup honey

½ cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate morsels

Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl; set aside. Bring brown sugar, honey to boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until blended. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in chocolate morsels. Press mixture into a 13 x 9 inch pan; cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars; wrap individually with plastic wrap.