Health Nuts

FAQs

Health Nut and Registered Dietitian Molly Morgan put together answers to our customers’ most frequently asked questions.

• Foods for Weight Loss & Fitness

  • I’d like to lose some weight. What are some good snacks for mixing up my routine?

    Mix up your snacking routine with combinations of nuts and dried fruits like these:

    • Pistachios and tart cherries
    • Apricots and cashews
    • Mixed Berries and pecans

    Or consider our freeze dried fruit for a change in pace (available in tons of flavors).

  • What’s the best breakfast for weight loss?

    Statistically, people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less compared to breakfast-skippers. You may find it helpful to add some fiber to your breakfast routine because fiber will help to keep you full longer. Instead of cornflakes, for example, try switching to oatmeal or another whole-grain breakfast cereal. Look for at least 2-3 grams or fiber or more per serving. Or, if you’d rather stick with the cornflakes, add in some dried fruit for fiber.

  • I want to lose weight. Can you give me some tips on Nuts.com products that might help me do this as quickly as possible?

    Be sure to add fiber and belly slimming fat to your diet, and watch your portion size. For more details, visit my blog post about healthy foods to help weight loss.

  • What should I eat to help me recover from high intensity workouts? I’d like it to be low in fat and sugar, without artificial ingredients, and portable.

    A blend of carbohydrates and protein after a workout is the perfect nutrient mix to refuel tired muscles. Aim for mostly carbohydrates and some protein and, of course, remember water! Check out my blog post about post-workout snacks for weight management.

  • Can you suggest a light snack for me to eat prior to my Yoga class?

    How about some dried fruit, which is quickly digested to give you energy during your yoga class? Any dried fruit would do, but raisins tend to be a favorite among athletes. Pack a handful (one-ounce) of raisins for your pre-workout snack. And, if raisins are too sweet for you, consider mixing the raisins with our mini chocolate pretzels, which are perfect for snacking.

  • I'm on a weight loss diet, and need a high-fiber product that tastes good. What would you suggest?

    Fiber is an important part of a weight loss eating plan (and any eating plan) because fiber helps to keep the body full and slows the digestion of food through the digestive system. Fiber is part of plant foods that passes through your system basically undigested. A daily goal for fiber intake should be between 25-38 grams or more per day. Don’t forget to also increase the amount of water you drink when you consume more fiber because the extra bulk can be difficult to digest without plenty of water.

    Fiber, specifically the soluble type (dissolves in water) is linked to lowering bad (LDL) blood cholesterol levels and it can slow the release of sugars into the body, which leads to better blood sugar control. Eating a diet that is high in fiber may help prevent of certain types of cancer including, colorectal cancer. Soluble fiber is found in foods like beans, oats and flax seed.

    Try these fiber-boosting ideas:

    • High Fiber Hot Cereal – Each serving has 10 grams of fiber and is made from a blend of ground oatmeal, flax seed wheat germ, oat bran and wheat bran.
    • Chia Seeds – This seed is loaded with heart helping omega-3 fats plus each ounce has 11 grams of fiber! Try sprinkling a teaspoon on salad, in cereal or yogurt. Or try my Chia Seed Pudding Recipe.
    • Dried Figs – Figs are great to curb a sweet craving, diced and added to cereal or trail mix, or just to snack on! Each serving of figs has 5 grams of fiber! Try other dried fruits as well that range in fiber content from about 2 – 5 grams of fiber per serving.
    • Quinoa – Although technically a seed, quinoa cooks up like a grain and is a great stand-in for side dishes and salads for a fiber boost. Most whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, millet, or barley will have about 3 grams of fiber per serving.

  • What can I add to my morning smoothies to keep me regular?

    Adding fiber to your smoothies may help your regularity. I would suggest trying chia seeds or ground flax seeds to start. You can also check out my recent blog post on high-fiber foods.

• Superfoods, Super Snacks, and Other Healthy Ideas

  • Which superfoods do you recommend?

    One key to superfoods is consuming a variety of healthful foods, including ones like maca powder, cacao nibs, and moringa powder! Below are a few other foods you could consider adding to your eating routine.

    • Quinoa - A great grain-like food that is loaded with protein and contains all essential amino acids. It also has fiber, which can help to slow the movement of food through your system and maximize nutrient absorption. Try servingit as a side dish. Or, try a personal quinoa favorite of mine, quinoa puffs!
    • Walnuts - This nut contains more omega-3 than other nuts. Omega-3 is linked to helping heart health. Try adding a small handful to hot cereals and salads or having it with dried fruit for a snack!
    • Dry roasted edamame - These soy beans provide protein, fiber, and crunch! Try them as a snack or add them to salads in place of croutons.

  • Do you have any tips for how I can add superfoods to my diet?

    Have one or two superfoods on hand at all times. For example, maybe one week buy chia seeds and then use them until they are gone. Then, swap to ground flax seeds and then, when they are gone, move to the next superfood! A regular routine of adding in one or two superfoods per day would be great, too. So, for example, you could add ground flax seeds to your oatmeal at breakfast and have chia seed pudding for dessert after dinner.

    Although you might not think of nuts as a superfood, I believe nuts should be incorporated into a daily eating routine because of their heart health benefits and their protective effect related to diabetes.

  • What are some of healthy snack choices from Nuts.com?

    There are definitely some great options, but I have to say that healthy snacking is also all about balance and variety! Below are a few of my top picks.

    • Freeze dried fruit – Our “simply fruit“ is available in many types. It's literally freeze dried fruit, and nothing else, with only about 30-40 calories per serving. Our freeze dried strawberries are a popular choice.
    • Whole wheat fruit bars - It's tough to find truly whole wheat fruit bars, and we have them in a variety of flavors, including raspberry, strawberry and apricot.
    • Roasted pistachios (unsalted, in shell) - I love these because they take time to eat, which definitely helps to control the portion size!
    • Why not make your own custom trail mix, with pepitas (no shell pumpkin seeds), raw cashews, diced mango, and diced pineapple.

  • How does trail mix compare to candy, chips, and cereal bars?

    Trail mix makes a great snack, especially when you are traveling.The nutritional content of trail mix depends on what ingredients are in the mix. As an example, let's take my favorite, Organic Trail Mix, which has 120 calories, 4 grams fat, 20 mg sodium, 22 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 13 grams sugar per serving.

    Compared to chips, the above trail mix has 6 grams less fat and about 200-250 mg less sodium. Compared to candy, this trail mix is low in total fat and much lower in sugar content. Plus, the sugar in the trail mix comes mostly from dried fruit (e.g. raisins)!

  • How can I customize trail mix so that it's healthy and tasty?

    Build your custom trail mix by combining a few varieties of nuts, a few varieties of dried fruit, and some whole grains (e.g. granola or whole grain cereal). For a little extra sweetness, consider adding chocolate chips! And, to help manage calories, package the trail mix into mini single-serving bags or containers to help keep portion size in check.

  • How often should I incorporate whole grains into my diet?

    A good goal to strive for is making sure that at least 1/2 of the grains you have daily come from 100% whole grain options such as bulgur, quinoa, amaranth, and farro.

  • How do we translate serving sizes from grams to cups and ounces?

    By weight, one ounce is equal to about 28 grams. For nuts and dried fruit, a small handful is about a one ounce serving.

• Foods for Health & Wellness: Diabetes, Heart Disease, Digestion, and More!

  • I am an insulin-dependent diabetic. Which nuts are good and safe for me to eat and in what quantity?

    Nuts tend to have a protective effect related to diabetes. A recent study (Journal of American College of Nutrition, 2011) found that people who regularly eat tree nuts (pistachios, walnuts, almonds and cashews) have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.

    With diabetes planning, remember to check the carbohydratecontent on the product to account for it in meal planning. One quick tip is to focus on the portion size. One ounce is equal to a small handful. Take a look at my blog post about carbohydrate content in nuts. Try placing single servings of nuts and dried fruit in small containers or bags to help keep the portion size in check.

    Here are two types of mixed nut options that have healthy fats and are lower in carbohydrate content:

    • Organic Mixed Nuts - 7 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber and 2 grams sugar
    • Supreme Roasted Nuts - 6 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar

    Another fun option is to buy a few bags of your favorite nuts and seeds and create your own personalized mix. In general, nuts have about 5 - 7 grams of carbs per serving and will not have added sugar. One of my favorite Nuts.com snacks is whole wheat bars, which are perfect as an on-the-go quick snack!

    Also check out my recent question and answer on our Nutty Scoop blog on nuts for a diabetic diet.

  • As a diabetic and a lover of sweet yummy goodies, how much and how often can people like me eat such things like sugar free mini peanut butter cups or any sugar free candy?

    How much you can eat depends on your carbohydrate intake goals for the day, which vary from person to person with diabetes. For example, one serving of our sugar free mini peanut butter cups has 20 grams of carbohydrates and equals about 1.25 carbohydrate exchanges for diabetes meal planning. Be sure to check the total grams of carbohydrates per serving on the nutrition panel on our product pages and use that as a reference to determine how much is right for you to eat.

  • I am border-line diabetic. Can taking white chia seeds help with my sugar levels?

    Chia seeds have a high amount of fiber, which plays a role in blood sugar control. The right amount would vary from person to person and I would suggest checking with your health care provider on the best time to check post-meal blood sugar levels. Adjusting the timing of when you check your levels (per your doctor's recommendations) may help you better see the impact of the chia seeds. Also, if you ever have a long-range blood sugar control test, like HgbA1C, you may notice the addition of chia seeds will help in the long-term.

  • What are good nut choices for diabetics and others watching their diets?

    Below are the carbohydrate and fiber breakdown of many popular nuts, based on a one-ounce serving size (about a handful):

    • Almonds: 3.3 grams fiber (5.4 grams carbs)
    • Pistachios: 2.9 grams fiber (8 grams carbs)
    • Hazelnuts: 2.75 grams fiber (5 grams carbs)
    • Pecans: 2.7 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)
    • Peanuts: 2.4 grams fiber (4.5 grams carbs)
    • Macadamia Nuts: 2.4 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)
    • Brazil Nuts: 2 grams fiber (3.5 grams carbs)
    • Walnuts: 2 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)

  • I've read that eating a handful of nuts is good for heart health. Do you have any suggestions for the best nuts to eat and the proper amounts?

    Nuts in general have heart healthy unsaturated fats that help to decrease bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and boost good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Peanuts are a legume even though they have a similar nutrition profile to other nuts like almonds, cashews or walnuts. Any type of nuts is great, in moderation. A small handful of nuts is approximately one ounce and is a full serving. Try having one or two servings throughout the day and, to help control portion size, distribute the nuts into small single serving containers!

  • I have slightly high blood pressure and I read that almonds and chocolate are both good for the heart and blood pressure (in moderation, of course). Are chocolate covered almonds a good snack?

    Dark chocolate covered almonds would be a great food to add to your eating routine in moderation. A small handful would be a good portion size! Dark chocolate covered dried fruit, like dark chocolate covered raisins, could be a good solution as well.

    And as always, remember... if some is good, more is not better!

  • Are there any nuts thatare good for controlling high cholesterol levels?

    Nuts are full of heart healthy fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) that should help to lower cholesterol levels. Typically, the American Heart Association recommends 25-35% or less calories from total fat per day. For example, if you have 2000 calories per day, you should have 50-70 grams of total fat or less per day as per these guidelines. One small handful of peanuts (about one ounce) has 12 grams of total fat. Also, you may want to consider nuts in the shell because they take longer to eat, which can help control portion size!

    Also you may want to consider adding walnuts to your diet. They are linked to helping heart health because of their omega-3 fat content, which may help to improve heart health and lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.

  • I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis. Can you recommend any healthy, beneficial Nuts.com snack foods that will satisfy my craving for crunching?

    If you were told to stop eating nuts, you will likely need to watch or stop eating seeds and skins too. You should check that with your health care provider to best clarify the restrictions that you should be following to prevent another diverticulitis attack. Also, see if your health care provider feels that smooth nut butters may be better tolerated. If so, crackers and smooth almond butter or smooth peanut butter may be good stand-ins.

    In the meantime, here are some crunchy snack ideas that you may want to try:

    • Cheese Sticks
    • Garlic Bagel Chips
    • Carrot Chips

  • Recently I was diagnosed with and underwent radiation treatment for breast cancer. Are there certain foods that a person can eat to help prevent cancer and the recurrence of cancer?

    Wishing you all the best with your fight against cancer! One of the goals to help with cancer prevention from the American Cancer Society on Nutrition and Physical Activity is having more whole grains. Try these ways to add in more whole grains to your eating routine:

    • Start your day with hot cereal like oatmeal or quinoa topped with walnuts and dried fruit.
    • Plan in side dishes like: brown rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, or farro.
    • Snack on whole grains like: whole wheat snack bars, trail mix, with granola or try my Peanut Butter Quinoa Energy Bites recipe.

• Special Diets: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, and More!

  • I’m a vegetarian who has celiac disease and is sensitive to soy, dairy, and nuts. Can you recommend any easy-to-digest, high-protein food sources?

    Have you tried quinoa? It's grain-like and easy to cook. It's great for salads and a good stand-in for brown rice. Plus, it's gluten-free and has all essential amino acids. You could also consider adding spirulina powder to salads and dishes. Spirulina has 16 grams of protein per ounce.

    My blog post about vegan nutrition may give you some additional ideas.

  • As an egg and dairy-free vegetarian, I know it's important to get enough of the amino acid lysine. Which nuts and seeds are the highest in lysine?

    Great question! Here is a list of the nuts and seeds with the highest lysine content:

    • Pistachios (1/4 cup) = 367 mg lysine
    • Cashews (1/4 cup) = 280 mg lysine
    • Sunflower seeds (1/4 cup) = 254 mg lysine
    • Almonds (1/4 cup) = 207 mg lysine

  • How much protein do I need as a vegetarian who eats a plant-based whole food diet?

    On a daily basis, you need approximately 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight or 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. However, there are certain factors, such as strength training, endurance exercise, or illness, that can increase protein needs. For example, for endurance and strength training athletes, protein needs increase to 0.6 to 0.85 grams per kilogram of body weight. Thus, your protein needs should be considered on an individual basis.

    The protein found in plants, especially when consumed from a variety of sources like nuts, seeds, grains, quinoa, and beans, can definitely meet daily protein requirements while providing all of the essential amino acids required to fuel a healthy body.

    For more ideas, check out my blog post about how much protein you need.

  • I'm on a low-sodium diet, but I love nuts! What kinds of nuts and snacks can I eat?

    When you are searching for products on Nuts.com, you will be happy to know that the Nutrition Facts panel is available for almost all items. Refer to the panel to ensure that you are selecting types of snacks that are low in sodium or have no sodium. Below are some suggestions for tasty treats that are lower in sodium.

    • Cherry Berry Soybean Trail Mix (3 mg sodium)
    • Organic Trail Mix (20 mg sodium)
    • Raw Almonds (0 mg sodium)
    • Raw Cashews (0 mg sodium)
    • Pecans (0 mg sodium)

  • What is the best way for someone on a gluten-free diet to get enough fiber?

    Gluten-free beans and chia seeds are two great gluten-free sources of fiber!

    Here are a few ideas for how to use beans:

    • Consider preparing a 3-bean salad with green beans, cannellini beans and cranberry beans marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add some chopped veggies for even more fiber. Diced red, green and orange peppers are perfect in this salad!
    • Try stirring beans into some favorite dishes, such as gluten-free soups or gluten-free pasta dishes.
    • Dry roasted beans like our Certified Gluten-Free Dry Roasted Edamame are a great option, too, with 4.5 grams of fiber per serving.

    For chia seeds, try my Chia Seed Pudding recipe, which has 11 grams of fiber per serving.

    Keep in mind that when you increase fiber intake, it is very important to drink plenty of water. Otherwise the extra bulk from the fiber could cause discomfort.

• Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Nuts

  • What is the healthiest nut?

    Incorporating a variety of nuts is best because they all have different benefits. For example, Brazil nuts are highest in selenium, almonds are high in calcium, and walnuts are highest in omega-3 fats. All nuts contain antioxidants, healthy fats and other beneficial nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and fiber. And, if you'd like to combine nuts with chocolate, opt for dark chocolate to maximize antioxidants!

    Be sure to check out our Nutty Nutrition Nuggets about Nuts infographic to learn more about calories, fat, and other fascinating nut nutrition facts.

  • What type of nut is best if you are watching your weight?

    Personally, I think in-shell pistachios are great if you are watching your weight because, if you buy them in shells, they take longer to eat and will help stretch the portion size (approximately one ounce or one handful of nuts).

  • Which is better nutritionally, black or English walnuts?

    Black walnuts and English walnuts have the same health benefits, but black walnuts tend to have a more intense flavor.

  • What nuts have the most omega-3?

    Walnuts are highest in omega-3.

  • What nuts and other foods are good for combating inflammation in the body?

    Tree nuts, including almonds, walnuts, and pistachios have been linked to reducing inflammation. Try adding in one to two ounces of nuts per day as a snack or as a topping for salads.

  • Which nuts have the highest protein content?

    Leading the pack for protein content are peanuts, pistachios, and almonds.

  • Are honey roasted or chili & lime flavored nuts healthy? I try to eat clean, but sometimes I just need a sweet/spicy healthy snack.

    Eating flavored nuts is still a great snack option! Another fun way to switch up nuts is to mix them with dried fruit. You can also try apple or banana slices with a light spread of almond butter, instead.

  • Are raw nuts healthier than roasted nuts? Do nuts lose nutrition when roasted?

    In general, the choice for raw nuts versus roasted comes down to taste preference. There isn't much research to truly suggest one way or the other. Either raw or roasted will still provide healthy unsaturated fat. The only caution I have about caramelized or other sugared nuts is that they do have added calories and sugar, although they are still a fun option for a salad topping or mixed in a trail mix!

  • Can nuts go bad over time? What's the best way of keeping nuts fresh?

    Due to the high unsaturated fat content of nuts, they can go bad overtime. Freeze nuts to save them for next year's baking and store them in the refrigerator. They will hold up great, just be sure to defrost them before eating or cooking with them.

  • Do raw nuts need to be soaked prior to eating?

    Soaking sprouts the nut. Sprouting involves soaking the nuts in water and then seasoning and gently air-drying them at low temperatures less than 115 degrees. Drying at low temperatures instead of roasting protects all of the live enzymes and nutrients in the nut. If you don't want to sprout nuts yourself, check out our line of sprouted products. Even if you don't soak your raw nuts, you are still definitely gaining health benefits from eating the nuts raw.

  • What is the “good” fat in nuts? Are nuts still healthy even though they contain fat?

    The fat content in nuts is mostly unsaturated fat, which is considered a healthier type of fat. Plus, nuts have fiber, vitamins and minerals. Just be sure to watch your serving size (one serving is about a handful).