Need A New Years Resolution? – Go Nuts By Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN - Food and Nutrition Columnist - HealthNewsDigest.com

Eating nuts regularly has been linked to a lower risk of early death, less heart disease and a lowered risk for cancer. Eating 1 ounce of nuts fives times a week can reduce heart disease by 25% to 39%. Eating at least 5 ounces of nuts a week cuts the risk for type 2 diabetes. And, they taste good.

Like vegetables, all nuts are good for you, so eating a wide variety is the smartest thing to do. Nuts are unique in their nutrition chemistry, made up of unsaturated fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants.

Almonds: are a top source of alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that is believed to be heart healthy. Eating them regularly may slow the effects of aging and boost the immune system.

Brazil nuts: are an excellent source of the mineral selenium. Just 1 nut provides 160% of your daily need. Selenium is needed for proper thyroid and immune function, and helps protect you against cancers of the prostate, liver and lungs.

Cashews: are an excellent source of zinc needed for healthy vision and a healthy immune system. Cashews also contain cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.

Coconuts: come from tropical palm trees and are higher in saturated fat. They cannot claim the health benefits of other nuts and should be eaten less frequently – a once in a while food.

Hazelnuts: are also called filberts. These two nuts are so similar that experts can’t tell them apart, but they do grow on different but related trees. Hazelnuts are very high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats.

Macadamia nuts: are the highest in total fat and calories, but rich in monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of the B vitamin, thiamin.

Peanuts: are technically beans, but nutritionally they parallel nuts. Peanuts have more protein than other nuts and are rich in the phytochemical resveratrol, found in red grapes and red wine, and saponins which have anticancer properties.

Pecans: are the highest ranking nut on the ORAC scale which makes them very rich in antioxidants. Pecans are rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols and gamma-tocopherol, which inhibits cancer cell division.

Pine nuts: are also called pignoli, pignolia, pinon and Indian nuts. They are tiny, torpedo-shaped kernels harvested from pine trees. Pine nuts are rich in manganese, are a good source of copper, magnesium and zinc, and an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering phytochemicals.

Pistachios: are rich in fiber. They are a top source of potassium which keeps blood pressure normal, and they contain the highest amount of cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.

Walnuts: are rich in heart-healthy alpha-linolenic acid, the same type of omega-3 fat found in fish. Walnuts also contain cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, and are rich in gamma-tocopherol which inhibits cancer cell division.

You should know – the oils pressed from nuts do not contain all the health-promoting compounds found in the whole nut.

Experts recommend an ounce of nuts a day. That can be hard to estimate because of the varying shapes and sizes of nuts. All of the following equal a 1-ounce serving.
Almonds: 24 nuts, 167 calories
Brazil nuts: 8 nuts, 186 calories
Cashews: 18 nuts, 160 calories
Hazelnuts (filberts): 20 nuts, 188 calories
Macadamias: 11 nuts, 200 calories
Peanuts: 30 nuts, 170 calories
Pecans: 15 halves, 187 calories
Pine nuts: 160 nuts, 161 calories
Walnuts: 14 halves, 190 calories

Buy nuts in the shell. They stay fresher longer and shelling slows down eating, providing more satisfaction.

Eat nuts sensibly. Stick with a handful not a canful. Choose unsalted, dry-roasted nuts instead of oil-roasted, salted, sugared or yogurt and chocolate-coated varieties. Go nuts and be healthy in 2012.