Nuts are nature’s way of showing us that good things come in small packages. These bite-size nutritional powerhouses are packed with heart-healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Here’s a look at the pros and cons of different nuts, as well as the best and worst products on supermarket shelves today. Of course, you can get too much of these good things: Nuts are high in fat and calories, so while a handful can hold you over until dinner, a few more handfuls can ruin your appetite altogether. And although nuts are a healthy choice by themselves, they’ll quickly become detrimental to any diet when paired with sugary or salty toppings or mixes.
| NUTS FOR YOUR DIET | |
| Best
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Worst
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| · Almonds
· Cashews · Pistachios
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· Macadamia Nuts
· Pecans
|
| All nuts have good fat in them. Still too much fat can be bad for you. These three have the lowest amount of calories per ounce. Avoid nuts that are roasted in oil or covered in milk chocolate. | All nuts are good, but these two nuts are higher in calories than other nuts.. Macadamia and Pecans are roughly 200 calories an ounce.
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| Best nuts for your heart | Best nuts for your brain |
| · Walnuts
|
· Peanuts
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| Most nuts contain good for the heart omega # fatty acids, but Walnuts contain high amounts of ALA or alpha linoleic acid. This content can help curing or preventing heart arrhythmias.
|
Peanuts has the highest content of folate. This I needed for brain development and protection from Neuro-degenerative diseases. Aside from folate it is also rich in brain boosting vitamin E.
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| Best nuts for men
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Best nuts for disease prevention
|
| · Brazil Nuts
· Pecans
|
· Almonds
|
| Brazil nuts are full or prostate cancer fighting ingredients.
Pecans have properties that aids pain from benign prostatic hyperplasia. |
Almonds are low in calories and have high amounts of calcium, vitamin E and antioxidant.
This makes it perfect for disease prevention. |
| Best snack packaging for nuts | Worst snack packaging for nuts
|
| 100- to 200-calorie packs | Avoid anything in a tub
|
| Nuts are naturally high in calorie. Pick packaging that can help you control consumption. Packets that contain 100 to 200 calories of nuts are ideal for hiking and other rigorous activities. | Never buy nuts in tubs or in bulk. It can be hard to control consumption and make you eat more than necessary. |
| NUTS FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS | |
| BEST | WORST |
| Go for cocoa-dusted almonds | Too much chocolate |
| Cocoa dusted almonds are better for the body than cocoa-coated peanuts or peanut covered chocolate bars.
|
The worst kind of nut is when there is more chocolate than nuts. Those are not nuts anymore, they’re chocolates. |
| Best nuts for your sweet tooth | Worst nuts for your sweet tooth
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| All natural glazed nuts are the best option to satisfy the sweet tooth. It is less in sodium and fat than other sweet nut based products.
|
Chocolates that have nuts in them are not good for the body. Think of these foods as treats. They should be eaten moderately. |
| Best nuts for a salt craving
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Worst nuts for a salt craving
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| Lightly Salted Nuts
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Boiled or BBQ flavored nuts
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| When craving for a salty kick, pick nuts that have a lightly salted label. People who have high blood pressure should avoid high sodium nuts as much as possible.
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Nuts that are flavored with BBQ or hot and spicy are full of sodium! An ounce of this flavored nuts contains 370 mg of sodium. Yikes. Boiled nuts also contain high amounts of sodium because they are |
Best nuts over all!
BUY A MIXED BAG!
You get all the different type of nuts in it. Meaning you get all the vitamins and minerals of each nut.
So which is the healthiest nut overall? A 2004 review in the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide tackled this tough question. Luckily, they concluded, we don’t have to pick just one. Mixed nuts, ideally raw and unsalted, provide the best variety of nutrients and antioxidants.
