Nuts for Nuts!

Question: I know nuts are high in fat, but they help me feel full longer. Are nuts a healthy snack? Are some nuts better for you than others? I heard macadamias weren't good for you.

Answer: Yes, you are right in that nuts are high in fat, so watching your portion size is important, but nuts can be, and arguably should be, an important part of a healthy diet. The FDA states that "Scientific evidence suggests.... that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." Furthermore, nuts have been found to help aid in weight control. The International Journal of Obesity published an article in October 2001 with research supporting that three times as many people trying to lose weight were able to stick to diet that included nuts versus the traditionally recommended low-fat diet. The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article in Nov. 2002 supporting nuts as a means of reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

As a general rule, nuts are a fabulous source of protein, zinc, phosphorus, fiber, manganese and magnesium and are cholesterol and sodium-free (unless salt is added, of course).

So, to answer the first part of your question, yes, nuts absolutely can be used as a healthy snack choice. As for the second part of your question, really all nuts do add health benefit. All nuts have approximately the same calories per ounce (between 160-200), but macadamias do have more fat per ounce (22) than nearly any other nut and less protein (2 grams) than most other nuts, which average ~15 grams of fat/ounce and 4-6 grams of protein per ounce. As for the FDA claim, I previously mentioned, they restrict this claim to almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts because do not exceed 4 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams of nuts. So, snack away, my friend, but keep it to an ounce or so!