Nutrition: The full lowdown on nuts

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, and we have evidence that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually found a nut (both literally and figuratively) when agency officials gave almonds a nod of approval.

In 2003, US companies that supplied products made of five varieties of nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts - were given the OK to make this claim: Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove 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.

Fast-forward to March 2005: A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports on a trial of 16 adults who consumed three controlled diets; a diet without almonds, a diet in which 10 percent of the calories were supplied by almonds (low-almond diet), and a diet in which almonds accounted for 20 percent of the calories (high-almond diet).

When blood levels were checked for tocopherol (vitamin E), researchers found that levels of the vitamin were increased by nearly 14 percent by the low-almond diet, and nearly 20 percent by the high-almond diet. Those in the high-almond group also had a 7 percent drop in the LDL cholesterol level.

Of course, HSI members have known for years that nuts provide good nutrition. But what about those other nuts (cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, and pine nuts) that the medical authorities say have too much saturated fat? Are these four outlaws unhealthy?
Youd have to be nuts to believe it.

Fat chance 
During the low-fat mania of the 80s and 90s, nuts got a bad rap. Too high in fat, went the thinking. And the over-simplified, flawed logic followed: fat intake raises cholesterol, cholesterol causes heart disease, therefore; nuts contribute to heart disease. Verdict: Nuts are bad for you. Case closed.

The irony is that anyone who paid attention to that misguided advice was rejecting a natural method to help prevent heart disease, and an excellent source of fibre, protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Fortunately, long-term studies were underway that would eventually dispel the nonsense. Research from the Iowa Womens Study in the US (more than 40,000 postmenopausal women followed for eight years) showed that subjects who ate nuts on a regular basis reduced their heart disease risk by 40 percent. And in the similar US Nurses Health Study, those who ate five or more ounces of nuts each day had a 39 percent lower risk of a fatal heart attack than women who never ate nuts at all.

These are just two of many studies that refuted the idea that fat content automatically upped the risk of heart disease.

US physician Dr William Campbell Douglass II, has summed up the situation, It is simply wrong to blame fats for degenerative conditions. The scientific research and the historical data of tribal eating habits simply dont support the saturated fat/atherosclerosis theory of heart disease.

And addressing nuts specifically, Dr. Douglass says, What the nutrition experts wont admit is that nuts keep you slimmer because theyre fattier than other snacks. Their fat content fills you up on much less than you would eat of other foods like pretzels.

Dr. Douglass recommendation: Forget the past 30 years of nutritional hogwash: fat does NOT make you fat! So go ahead, eat all the nuts you want.  

The carb issue
As is typical of the mainstream, the tunnel vision focus of nuts has been on fat.

So...what about carbohydrates?

Because nuts have good fibre, carbohydrate content isnt a serious issue (unless youre on a zero-carb diet). But if youre trying to curb the carbs, the nut to avoid is the cashew. One ounce of cashews (about a handful) contains 9 grams of carbs, but only one gram of fibre. Thats 8 net carbs, and no other nut comes close to that amount. The next highest in the carb category is the pistachio with 5 net carbs.

Most of the others have only two or three net carbs.

The lowest on the carb-o-meter is the pecan, with just 1 net carb per ounce.

The good stuff 
In a previous e-alert I told you that walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. But walnuts also deliver vitamin B-6 and folate. And this packaging of multiple nutrients is typical among all nuts.

If you want more calcium in your diet, almonds are a good source. They also deliver magnesium, which helps the absorption of calcium. If youre not an almond-lover, you can choose hazelnuts to boost vitamin E levels. Pecans have copper and potassium (as do hazelnuts).

The ubiquitous peanut contains good amounts of niacin, folate, vitamin E, and a rich combination of minerals. And in several e-alerts Ive mentioned the high selenium content of Brazil nuts, which also deliver linoleic acid and zinc.