The term “nut” refers to hard-shelled fruit of a wide variety of trees. They come in many flavours and forms, including almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, and chestnuts.

Are nuts good for me?

Nuts are very nutritious and a great source of healthy, unsaturated fats, fibre and protein. Many nuts also include a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant sterols. The nutrient content of nuts offers a number of health benefits. The type of unsaturated fat found in nuts may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Both the high fat content and the fibre help you feel full, which makes nuts a great snack! The fibre and the plant sterols can help reduce the reabsorption of cholesterol in the gut, keeping levels in a healthy range. The antioxidants — including the antioxidant vitamins and minerals — may be protective against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. And because nuts are high in potassium, they may help with maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Too much of a good thing?

To enjoy the health benefits of nuts, be sure to choose unsalted nuts to keep sodium levels in check. It’s also important to watch your portion sizes.

One serving of nuts is just a handful, or about one-quarter of a cup. This would translate into approximately 20 almonds or hazelnuts, 15 cashews or pecans, 30 pistachios, or nine walnut kernels.

If you use nut butters, a serving would be the size of your two thumbs, or two tablespoons.

Adding nuts to the mix

There are many fun ways to incorporate nuts into your daily diet. Nut butters can be a great source of protein, especially for breakfast. Nuts also make a great snack! Since nuts can be addictive, a good strategy would be to pre-package one-quarter cup portions of nuts for snacks. You can also try sprinkling nuts on your salad, cereal or yogurt, or use ground varieties as coating on your fish or chicken. Try different varieties to benefit from the different nutrients that they offer!

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But recently, there has been buzz around saturated fats being heart-friendly. This is following a study that looked at research assessing the effect of dairy intake on heart health. Some coverage of this study has made it sound contradictory to previous research, and people are confused! As always, it’s important to read beyond the headlines.

The main finding of this study is that eating both full and low-fat dairy products is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. It is presumed that the specific type of saturated fatty acid found in dairy products may be responsible for the potential benefits that were observed. However, the exact reason underlying this association is not clear and calls for further research.

Skim milk or whole?

Until we know more, the recommendations have not changed. Dairy is still considered to be a part of a healthy diet, as outlined by Canada’s Food Guide. It’s recommended that you choose low-fat dairy products including low-fat cheese (≤20 per cent M.F), yogurt and milk (preferably 1 per cent or 2 per cent) and limit the intake of higher-fat dairy products, such as cream cheese, dipping sauces and ice cream. And whenever possible, replace saturated fats with healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, found in foods like nuts, fish and olive oil.

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