The Nutty Truth about Nuts

The Nutty Truth About Nuts

by Laura S. Garrett, RD, LD

Here is a fact that you may not know. The number one killer of American women is heart disease. Of the nearly 500,000 deaths that occur from heart disease each year, 240,000 of those deaths are women. Heart disease is not isolated to men. Women need to be just as careful with their lifestyle to reduce their risk of developing heart disease. This is especially true if you are post-menopausal.

A study involving 31,000 participants investigated the association between eating certain foods and the risk of developing heart disease. All participants were followed for 6 years.

It was discovered that those who ate nuts a few times per week had a significantly lower risk for developing heart disease. Those who ate nuts 5 times per week or more showed over a 50% risk reduction when compared to those who did not eat nuts very often.

What makes nuts so special?

While the total fat content of nuts is high (48-74% by weight), the type of fat is mostly unsaturated. Importantly, most nuts are rich in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat). In addition, nuts are high in dietary fiber.

Nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E which is known to be beneficial to heart health. In fact, nuts contain more vitamin E than any other food apart from extracted vegetable oils. The best nuts for vitamin E content are almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans.

Nuts are a rich source of copper and magnesium. These two minerals which may have positive effects on the level of serum lipids.

Nuts are definitely a healthy food to add to your diet. It should be noted, though, that nuts are high in fat, thus, calories. If you struggle with weight problems, be sure to substitute nuts for foods you would normally eat. Do not include them in addition to your diet, else, you are very likely to gain weight.

Below you will find a list of serving sizes. For each serving of nuts, there are 45 calories and 5 grams of fat (the "good" kind!). Note: The serving sizes are not very big!

Type of nuts	Amount
Almonds	6 nuts
Cashews	6 nuts
Mixed nuts (50% peanuts)	6 nuts
Peanuts	10 nuts
Pecans	4 halves

If you do not like to eat nuts plain, add them to foods. You can add them to salads, yogurt, vegetable dishes, or try blending them in as part of a milk shake. So, enjoy something nutty today!

Written by Laura S. Garrett, RD, Registered Dietitian, Fitness Trainer, & Owner of NutrActive.com
Serving your Complete Nutrition & Active Lifestyle Needs

Contact via e-mail: Laura.RD@NutrActive.com
Weight Loss/Fitness Programs & Diabetes Specialist Also Specializing in Vitamin/Mineral/Herb Supplementation

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