Nuts and Seeds
- Jul 15, 2016
- 4 min read
Image from: Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are being touted as "superfoods" and everyone seems to be jumping on the chia seed bandwagon. But, we're also told that nuts have a lot of calories, and in today's weight conscious world, calories are Public Enemy #1. As humans, we have been eating nuts and seeds for thousands of years. And each nut or seed brings its own benefits to the table.
Health Benefits of Nuts
There is a lot of data that suggests that eating tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc) reduces a person's risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer by lowering the risk for conditions that contribute to those diseases, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and inflammation. The benefits are thought to come from the mono- and polyunsaturated fats, plant protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals in the nuts.
The Mediterranean Diet has been said to be one of the healthiest 'diets' a person could follow. A Mediterranean Diet that includes one serving of nuts per day has been found to be protective against heart attacks, stroke, or death from heart disease, by one major study. This same study suggests that 3 servings of nuts per week reduces risk from death from many diseases. Data from a 15-year study of almost 3,000 people showed that eating nuts was associated with decreased risk for vascular disease death, especially for women. The greatest benefit appears to be among people who eat one serving of nuts per day.
The evidence for the health benefits of nuts is so great, the the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends including nuts as part of a healthy diet. HERE
Calories and Weight
Yes, nuts and seeds are energy-dense, meaning that they have a high amount of calories. But, multiple studies have found that while they are high in calories and should cause weight gain, they have the opposite effect on BMI and weight. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005-2010 show that people who ate at least 1.5 ounces of tree nuts per day and lower weights and BMIs than people who didn't eat nuts. This may be because nuts are filling and because they are high in fiber, some of those calories may not be absorbed as well. Recent studies have also shown that we may have over-estimated the amount of calories in nuts like almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. These studies found almonds to have 32% fewer calories, pistachios 5% fewer, and walnuts 21% fewer calories than we previously thought.
Although eating nuts is associated with a healthier BMI, nuts and seeds are still higher in calories, so one should be mindful of portion size. A typical serving is 1 oz or about 1/4 cup or a palm-full. See HERE for a visual of 1oz of nuts.
An Inside Look
Table source: USDA (per 1 oz serving)
Almonds
high in monounsaturated fats
associated with lower LDL cholesterol and reduced risk of heart disease
high in vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant
Brazil nuts
1 oz contains 767% daily value for selenium, which is way over the Tolerable Upper Intake Level
eating 2 Brazil nuts per day has been shown to safely and healthfully increase selenium levels (selenium is a powerful antioxidant)
Chia seeds
high fiber content (10g per oz)
excellent source of plant-based ALA omega 3's
contain good amounts of calcium and other minerals for bone health
contain several antioxidants
Flaxseeds
excellent source of plant-based ALA omega 3's
ground flaxseeds are more digestible than whole - buy ground flaxseed or grind your own in a coffee grinder
Hemp seeds
high protein content (9g per oz)
good source of iron
Walnuts
excellent source of plant-based omega 3's
highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts
Pecans
contain multiple forms of vitamin E
highest levels of flavonoids of the tree nuts (see my post about flavonoids HERE)
Ways to Incorporate Nuts Into Your Diet
Mix an ounce of nuts with 1-2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips
Make homemade energy bites: in a bowl combine 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter, 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds, 1/4 cup chipped dried fruit, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup. Roll mixture into balls, place on cookie sheet, and freeze for an hour and store in the freezer or refrigerator.
Stir powdered peanut butter into your oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, or protein shakes
Add chia seeds or flaxseed to your next smoothie
Add slivered almonds to a salad with fruit
Mix chopped hazelnuts into your morning oatmeal
Make homemade granola with pumpkin seeds
Make homemade trail mix bars. HERE is a recipe
References:
1) Dennett, C. "The Wonders of Nuts & Seeds." Today's Dietitian. 2016; 18(3): 23-26.
2) Bao Y, Han J, Hu FB, et al. Association of nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(21):2001-2011.
3) Ros E. Health benefits of nut consumption. Nutrients. 2010;2(7):652-682.
4) Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(14):1279-1290.
5) Guasch-Ferré M, Bulló M, Martínez-González MÁ, et al. Frequency of nut consumption and mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial. BMC Med. 2013;11:164.
6) Grosso G, Yang J, Marventano S, Micek A, Galvano F, Kales SN. Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101(4):783-793.
7) O'Neil CE, Fulgoni VL 3rd, Nicklas TA. Tree nut consumption is associated with better adiposity measures and cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome health risk factors in U.S. Adults: NHANES 2005-2010. Nutr J. 2015;14:64.
8) Novotny JA, Gebauer SK, Baer DJ. Discrepancy between the Atwater factor predicted and empirically measured energy values of almonds in human diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(2):296-301.
9) Baer DJ, Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Measured energy value of pistachios in the human diet.Br J Nutr. 2012;107(1):120-125.
10) Baer DJ, Gebauer SK, Novotny JA. Walnuts consumed by healthy adults provide less available energy than predicted by the Atwater factors. J Nutr. 2016;146(1):9-13.
11) Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, et al. Direct comparison of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods with a statin in hypercholesterolemic participants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(2):380-387.
12) Bolling BW, Chen CY, McKay DL, Blumberg JB. Tree nut phytochemicals: composition, antioxidant capacity, bioactivity, impact factors. A systematic review of almonds, Brazils, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. Nutr Res Rev. 2011;24(2):244-275.
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