Healthy Food Choices: Nuts

Video Transcript

MICHELLE COOPER: Next, we are going to talk about nuts. Nuts, although high in fat and calories, are actually high in a good kind of fat, the monounsaturated kind. In fact, eating nuts can help lower your LDL cholesterol and help lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. A lot of nuts also are a good source of protein and a good source of fiber. For example, take walnuts. Walnuts are actually a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, they are going to start containing a label that tells you that eating walnuts can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Another good one is pistachios. A cup of pistachios contains more fiber than a cup of spinach and an orange or an apple. So pistachios would be a good nut to choose as protein and fiber. The other thing that you want to be careful of when you are selecting your nuts is if sodium is an issue, you want to get the unsalted version, so you can still have the fiber and the benefits that you get without having the sodium. So when choosing nuts, number one, they can be part of a healthy diet because they do contain fat, but it is monounsaturated, which helps lower your LDL cholesterol. Number two, some of the nuts that you will see up here are going to provide you with other benefits like the walnuts giving you the omega-3 fatty acids and the pistachios giving you the fiber. But lastly, remember, if you are watching your sodium or your calories, choose the unsalted version and replace some of the protein in your diet with nuts, but don't add it on top of what you are already eating.