Issue date: June 25, 2000
Nuts, your new
superfood
Not only is their
fat good for you, but nibbling nuts also may help you lose weight.
 Recipe:
Versatile Nutty Dressing |
Nuts are ...
... 70% to 90% fat, but most is good fat that protects
hearts. Walnuts also are rich in omega-3 oil, similar to what's
in fish.
... packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, including
calcium, folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and cancer-fighting
antioxidants such as quercetin and kaempferol.
... rich in arginine, an amino acid that may help lower
blood pressure and clear arteries.
... not peanuts, although those legumes have many of
the same health benefits as tree nuts.
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If you're on a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet,
like the Atkins or Sugar Busters! programs, you may be losing weight,
but getting an overload of fatty meat and dairy foods bad for overall
health. Another solution: nuts. They are packed with protein and
fat that fill you up without endangering your health.
"Replace some of that bacon and eggs with nuts if you are following
a high-protein diet," urges Gene Spiller, Ph.D., director of the
Health Research and Studies Center in Los Altos, Calif. "Nuts are
excellent substitutes for meat, cheese and other fatty foods," he
says, and "satisfy the craving for fat."
Plus, a low-fat diet is not always best for the heart, new evidence
shows. Indeed, more fat may be better -- if it's the good monounsaturated
fat found in nuts. Here's how:
Nuts fight heart disease. Consistently, studies find that nut-eaters
have less heart disease. A pioneering 1992 study at Loma Linda University
found eating 2 ounces of nuts four or five times a week reduced
heart attack risk by 50%. Among 38,000 women in the recent Iowa
Women's Health Study, those who ate nuts two to four times weekly
had less than half the rates of heart disease as women who rarely
ate nuts. A large Harvard study found heart attacks one-third less
likely among women who ate 5 ounces of nuts weekly compared with
women who ate nuts once a month.
In several studies, eating almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts
(2-3 ounces a day) depressed high cholesterol about 10%. New research
from Loma Linda University even shows that walnuts enhance the cholesterol-lowering
power of a Mediterranean diet. Eating eight to 11 walnuts daily
instead of other fats, such as olive oil, further lowered bad cholesterol
about 6%. This reduced heart disease risk 11%.
A higher-fat diet, mainly from peanuts and peanut butter, is more
heart-protective than a low-fat regimen, finds recent Penn State
research. Both diets cut cholesterol, but the low-fat diet raised
heart disease risk by lowering good HDL cholesterol, boosting triglycerides
and raising fibrinogen, a blood clot factor that promotes clogged
arteries, heart attacks and strokes. Eating peanuts lowered triglycerides.
Nuts reduce cancer risk. Nuts may lower the risk of colon, stomach
and prostate cancers. In India, eating cashews is linked to less
colon cancer, says Bandaru Reddy of the American Health Foundation.
Canadian research suggests eating nuts and legumes can reduce the
risk of prostate cancer 30%.
Nuts promote weight loss. Contrary to popular opinion, nuts don't
make you fat, says Spiller. In his studies, almond eaters (3.5 ounces
a day) did not gain weight. In fact, research suggests nut eaters
are apt to lose weight and keep it off. A study at Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston compared a low-fat diet (20% of calories from
fat) with a high-fat diet (35% fat, mostly from nuts, peanuts and
olive oil). After 18 months, high-fat nut eaters had lost 9 pounds;
low-fat dieters gained more than 6 pounds. The reason, according
to Spiller: Nuts curb hunger by satisfying the desire for some fat.
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Versatile Nutty Dressing
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor; process to
desired smoothness. Makes 1 1/4 cups.
Per 2 tablespoons: 138 calories, 2g carbohydrates,
15g fat (2g saturated), 1g protein, 117mg sodium.
- For a green salad, toss with a variety of greens, chunky raw
vegetables and chickpeas.
- For cole slaw, toss with shredded cabbage and mandarin oranges.
- Use as a sauce with hot or cold steamed vegetables or fish,
such as salmon or swordfish.
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More ways
to go nuts
Ideas from nutrition researcher Gene Spiller's new book, Healthy
Nuts (Avery, $9.95):
- Put a bowl of raw or roasted nuts on the dining table, as they
do in the Middle East.
- Add nuts to cold and hot breakfast cereals, salads, and pasta,
vegetable and stir-fry dishes.
- Thicken sauces with ground nuts.
- In a food processor, pulverize nuts into "butter" and serve
as a spread or as an appetizer dip with raw vegetables or crackers.
- Make "nut milk" by blending together 1 ounce nuts with 1 or
2 cups water and a sweetener.
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More of Jean Carper's heathful, nutty recipes
NUTTY SALMON
PASTA WITH WALNUTS AND PEPPERS
NUTTY, GARLICKY SPAGHETTI
STONE AGE SALAD
CARROTS AND WALNUTS
CHOCOLATE FRUIT-NUT CLUSTERS
MAPLE APPLE CRUNCH
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SOURCE MATERIAL
Nuts lower cholesterol:
Zambon, D. Ann Intern Med 2000; 132:538-546)
Nuts fight heart disease:
Fraser, G.E. Archives of Internal Medicine 152:1416-1424, 1992
Kushi, L. Iowa Women's Health Study.
Hu FB., BMJ 1998 Nov 14; 317(7169);1341-5
Nuts beat a low-fat diet:
Kris-Etherton PM, Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;70(6):1009-15.
Nuts vs. cancer:
Jain Mg, Nutr Cancer 1999; 34(2): 173-84)
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