The next time you're planning a midday snack, consider replacing processed treats with heart-healthy nuts. Both tree nuts and peanuts are nutrient-dense foods that pack plenty of protein, fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Like all plant foods, nuts are cholesterol-free. When eaten in moderation, they can help you maintain a healthy blood cholesterol profile.
Misconceptions
In general, foods that are high in calories and fats are considered unhealthy. Although a 1-oz. serving of nuts contains somewhere between 160 and 200 calories, and 80 to 90 percent of those calories are from fat, nuts are still a healthy snack. That's because most of the fat in nuts is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, says the Cleveland Clinic.
Benefits
When you replace saturated fats in your diet with monounsaturated fats from foods like nuts, you can lower your total cholesterol level, reduce the low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol in your body and maintain healthy levels of high-density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Nuts are rich in antioxidants, like vitamin E as well as plant phytochemicals that help prevent coronary heart disease. They're also rich in arginine, a nonessential amino acid that protects the inner walls of your arteries. The omega-3 fatty acids in nuts lower blood pressure, says MayoClinic.com.
Significance
Coronary artery disease begins when excess fats and cholesterol floating around in your bloodstream start to accumulate on the inner lining of the arteries that supply your heart. Over time, these rigid plaques restrict the flow of oxygen and other vital nutrients to your heart. If one of the plaques breaks off, it can travel to a smaller vessel and cause a heart attack. Nuts have a positive effect on various steps along these pathways, reducing your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.
Expert Insight
Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts and other nuts are so heart-healthy that MayoClinic.com identifies 1 1/2 oz. of nuts as one of the top five foods to lower your blood cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends you eat at least four servings of nuts, legumes or seeds each week.
Considerations
Remember that nuts are calorie-dense foods, so it's easy to go overboard if you sit down with a bowl of them. Serving sizes may seem surprisingly small. A 1-oz. serving is 24 almonds, 12 hazelnuts, 35 peanuts or 14 English walnut halves. Think of nuts as a garnish to be added to stir-fry dishes, salads or yogurt. Choose raw nuts and avoid products that are coated with sugar, salt or chocolate.
