Go Ahead. Go Nuts

Nuts (the fruit composed of an inedible hard shell around a crunchy seed, not the typical American voter) have a well-earned reputation as a healthy, nutritious food. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fat. And unlike many "good for you" foods, nuts taste pretty good too. They make a superior snack to sweets and salty chips, help lower rather than raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, are readily available and come in an astonishing variety. But they are not entirely without issues.

Nuts are a very calorie-dense food. That means that a small serving of nuts pack a lot of calories. A 1/4 cup serving of mixed nuts will cost you a little over 200 calories. For comparison, a similar size serving of pretzels will have about 40. This doesn't mean you should avoid nuts. Just be sure you know how many you are eating. Measure them out. They are nutritional powerhouses even if you are watching your calories.

Keep an eye on the salt. Most nuts that you buy pre-packaged will be roasted and salted. But you can easily get them unsalted if you look. Generally though a serving of salted nuts do not pack a lot of sodium, 100mg - 175mg is typical. Just check the labels before you buy.

Avoid nuts that have been heavily processed. Glazed or coated nuts or clusters or bars are often more sugar than you need or want. Again, read labels. You want nuts with no added sugar at all.

Most nuts have about the same amount of fat - typically 15g - 20g per ounce. But the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats varies quite a bit. Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts are on the low end with less that 15% saturated fats. Cashews and Brazil Nuts serve up about 25%. Peanuts, macademias and pistachios fall in between. If you are replacing cheese, meat or highly refined carbs with nuts, don't lose any sleep over the fat ratios. Any of them are better for you.

Labels come in terms of servings, so what is a serving of nuts? Here is a handy guide to what a 1 oz serving looks like.

The key with calorie dense foods like nuts is not to add them to your diet but to replace other, less healthy choices with them. Leave some on your counter and snack on them instead of, well, most any other "snack food".