Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.  Nuts are a great way to get a dose of heart-healthy fat, as well as a mix of valuable vitamins and minerals.  The National Center for Biomedical Information states that “by virtue of their unique composition, nuts are likely to beneficially impact health outcomes.”  Research suggests that regular nut consumption is unlikely to contribute to obesity and may even help in weight loss!  But that doesn’t mean you should eat handful after handful of nuts.  They need to be eaten in moderation.  Ideally, a serving of nuts should be about the size of a golf ball.

All nuts are not created equal.  Many nuts have a high fat content, as nuts are one of the natural plant foods richest in fat after vegetable oils.  But, nuts are beneficial because the saturated fatty acid content is low and the fats included in most nuts are the healthy kind.  In addition to healthy fats, nuts contain essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.  They are also a great source of plant-based protein.

Here is a breakdown of some of the characteristics and nutritional information about some popular nuts for snacking and cooking:

• Almonds: contain calcium, vitamin E, and flavonoids (good for protecting the heart).
• Brazil nuts: good for thyroid function because they contain the mineral selenium.
• Cashews: high in protein, contains iron, zinc and magnesium.
• Hazelnuts: good source of folate, which can help with conditions like Parkinson’s disease
• Pecans: can help lower cholesterol levels, are antioxidant-rich, and rich in oleic acid, which is the healthy fat found in olives and avocados.  Also a good source of vitamin B3, which can help with fatigue.
• Pistachios: Rich in vitamin B6, which is important for keeping hormones balanced.  Also good for the eyes.  Contains potassium and fiber.
• Walnuts: Strong in antioxidants, which can help fight cancer.  Can help reduce LDL, a form of “bad” cholesterol.  And, rich in omega-3’s, which is also found in fish like salmon.

Now that we know the good attributes of nuts, let’s explore some of the potentially bad ones.  Many nuts sold on the shelves of our favorite grocery stores are fried at high temperatures in unhealthy oils such as cottonseed oil or soybean oil.  These oils typically come from GMO (genetically modified) seed and are NOT the type of fats you want to be putting into your body.  I looked at the ingredients of a few popular brands to find these oils among the ingredients:

• Planters mixed nuts – peanut and/or cottonseed oil
• Planters NUT-rition Enery Mix – soybean oil
• Archer Farms Tex Mex Trail Mix – cottonseed and partially hydrogenated soybean oil
• Kirkland Signature Extra Fancy Deluxe Mixed Nuts – peanut oil (not as bad)
• Back to Nature Cashew Almond Pistachio Mix – contains no added oils

The point here is, please read the ingredient labels on the nuts that you are buying, and try and avoid unhealthy ingredients like cottonseed and soybean oil.  Look for brands that contain just the nuts without added oils.  Another option is to roast your own nuts at home.  You can roast them at a low temperature (I do 200 degrees) so that you help preserve the nutritional benefits.  You can also control the sodium content when you roast your own nuts, as many commercially produced nuts contain high amounts of processed salt.  I prefer to use sea salt when roasting my own nuts.

I’ve included two of my favorite roasted nuts recipes: