Nutritionists Say Adding Nuts To Meals Beneficial To Health

Here’s a healthful tip you may find a bit nuts: Eat a couple of handfuls of almonds each day or sprinkle some walnuts on your dinner salad.

Long reviled as fatty little dietbusters, nuts are receiving high praise from nutrition researchers. Almonds and walnuts are especially favored, though other nuts are also recommended in moderate daily portions of 2 to 3 ounces (about a third of a cup).

“There is good evidence that nuts can produce cardiovascular benefits and even help lower body weight,” said Richard Mattes, a professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University. “Nuts are nutrient-dense, but most people tend to think the high fat content of nuts is a bad thing.”

True enough, a handful of mixed nuts noshed during a football game is about 80 percent fat. But most of that fat is mono- or polyunsaturated, which, like the fats in olive oil, can help reduce cholesterol and improve blood circulation. The most recent studies show that saturated fats, found mostly in meat and dairy products, are the major contributors to clogged arteries.

The fat in almonds is 93 percent unsaturated and 7 percent saturated. Walnuts are split 89 percent unsaturated fats to 11 saturated fats, and peanuts work out to an 86-to-14 percentage. Even the fattiest nut, macadamia, has only 14 percent saturated fat.

Where peanuts are top performers is protein content. A 1-ounce handful has 7 grams of protein, compared with 6 grams in almonds, 4 grams in walnuts and 2 grams in macadamias and pecans for a similar serving.

A “preload” of peanuts, almonds or chestnuts (the least fatty nut) all discouraged research subjects from overeating at their next meal, Mattes said. The nuts caused people to eat less protein and fat at the ensuing meal.

On the other hand, rice cakes and pickles did nothing to suppress hunger, and subjects were at risk of eating too much fat at the next meal. The rice cakes were used to compare similar volume of food to see whether “satisfying hunger is related to stretching the stomach,” Mattes said. The pickles tested a theory that the weight of a snack can curb hunger.

Mattes said both hypotheses proved false. Same goes for conventional wisdom that the fat in nuts is why people feel more satisfied with a snack of almonds or peanuts.

“Energy content, or the density of calories, was the key factor,” Mattes said. “We also found that men reported less hunger in their stomachs while women felt the difference in their heads.”

In any case, the research on nuts is enough to consider adding them to recipes in moderate amounts; about 3 ounces per day is the upper limit. One landmark study of 25,000 Seventh-day Adventists showed that those who ate nuts in small amounts five or more times per week were half as likely to suffer heart attacks as those individuals who consumed few or no nuts. The numbers weren’t affected by gender, body weight, activity level or vegetarianism.

The alpha-linolenic acid in walnuts - a type of unsaturated fat - has been linked to reduced cholesterol. The alpha-linolenic acid converts to omega-3 fatty acid in the body, the same substance touted as why certain fish like salmon are so healthful.

What’s more, studies show that adding almonds to a moderate-fat diet will not result in weight gain. Even some peanut butter (commercial brands contain some partly hydrogenated oils that can act like saturated fats) on your morning toast or bagel gets the thumbs-up from nutritionists advising clients about controlling hunger and getting enough energy for an active lifestyle.

Adding nuts to a midafternoon snack will curb hunger and provide both physical and mental energy for exercise. Nuts also provide important minerals to exercisers, including potassium to regulate heartbeat and circulate oxygen in the muscles, magnesium to support muscle exertion and zinc for metabolizing energy.

Potassium is frequently depleted during longer workouts. Studies show getting enough magnesium is a particular challenge for older active people, and zinc can be elusive for those who don’t eat meat and seafood.

The best nuts for potassium are Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans. Peanuts and other legumes (edible seeds in pods) are also good sources. Magnesium is plentiful in almonds and cashews. The best zinc sources are pecans (almost double any other nut), almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts.