Not only are nuts great for a healthy snack, they also help your heart, eyes and more.
According to a 2009 Loma Linda University study, women who eat nuts weigh less. They also get more fiber, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Nut eaters also have higher HDL (good) cholesterol and lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body.
So what are the best nuts for your health? Click the arrow below to find out.
Walnuts
Talk about a super food! A 2009 Harvard analysis found that people who ate walnuts improved cholesterol levels without gaining weight.
That’s because walnuts are packed with ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid that helps shield the heart, making it one of nature's best nuts for heart health.
Walnuts might keep you standing straight too. ALA protects your skeleton by decreasing the rate of bone breakdown while keeping its formation constant.
How to eat them:
Store shelled walnuts in the refrigerator or freezer unless you’re going to use them right away.
Dredge fish or poultry with chopped walnuts and herbs.
Toss walnuts into side dishes, such as rice, quinoa and barley.
Stir walnuts into oatmeal or cold cereal.
Nutrients per ounce (14 walnut halves): 190 calories, 2.5 grams omega-3 fatty acids, 4 grams protein, 2 grams fiber
Almonds
Just 23 almonds per day provide one-third of your daily vitamin E dose -- an antioxidant Americans don’t get enough, according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
Vitamin E embeds itself into cell membranes, where it protects against damaging free-radical molecules.
These yummy nuts might even block some of their own calories, which alone earns them a spot as one of the best nuts. A 2007 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that almond’s fiber blocked absorption of some of the nut’s fat.
How to eat them:
Finely grind almonds in a food processor. Sprinkle them over casseroles as you would bread crumbs.
Spread almond butter on toast instead of peanut butter.
Add coarsely chopped almonds to your favorite roast chicken or turkey stuffing.
Nutrients per ounce (23 almonds): 160 calories, 20% Daily Value for magnesium, 33% Daily Value for vitamin E, 6 grams protein, 3 grams fiber
Pistachios
This green nut is dubbed the “skinny” nut, because each has only three calories. Plus, if you shell them, they slow your eating speed and cut consumption.
In a 2009 study, researchers at Eastern Illinois University observed that people ate 35% fewer calories when their pistachio shells remained in front of them compared to when shells were discarded.
Another one of the best nuts for health, the pistachio also bursts with lutein and zeaxanthin, both relatives of beta-carotene that may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65.
How to eat them:
Stir chopped pistachios into chicken salad.
Mix pistachios, dried fruit and a few dark-chocolate chips to make a delicious, nutrient-packed trail mix.
Nutrients per ounce (49 pistachios): 160 calories, 25% Daily Value vitamin B6, 94 micrograms beta-carotene, 342 micrograms lutein and zeaxabthin, 6 grams protein, 3 grams fiber
Hazelnuts
Also known as filberts, hazelnuts have folate, a B vitamin important for preventing heart disease as well as certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and birth defects. The nuts also contain arginine, an amino acid that relaxes blood vessels, and blood pressure-friendly magnesium.
Chicago-based dietitian and certified personal trainer Cathy Leman, M.A., R.D., L.D., recommends hazelnuts because they taste like a treat and keep dieters satisfied longer.
“My clients feel like they’re eating a really decadent food,” she says.
How to eat them:
Choose shelled nuts with tight skins. Store raw nuts in the refrigerator or freezer for up to four months; roasted hazelnuts last up to two years.
Grind them in a food processor and mix with fresh herbs and olive oil for a hazelnut pesto.
Stuff ravioli with finely chopped hazelnuts, herbs and reduced-fat cheeses.
Dress up cookies with chopped hazelnuts.
Nutrients per ounce (21 hazelnuts): 180 calories, 12% Daily Value magnesium, 8% Daily Value folate, 19% Daily Value vitamin E, 4 grams protein, 3 grams fiber
Pecans
Pecans are among the best nuts for health because of their high levels of antioxidants. Pecans contain gamma-tocopherol, a heart-healthy type of vitamin E that protects against unhealthy oxidation of LDL cholesterol in blood, according to a 2006 Loma Linda University study. Oxidation raises your risk of plaque buildup and heart disease.
How to eat them:
Store shelled pecans in the refrigerator for up to nine months; in the freezer for as long as two years.
Sprinkle toasted, chopped pecans on green salads and fruit salads.
Mix chopped pecans into your pancake batter.
Just before serving, toss pecans into a couscous or quinoa pilaf.
Nutrients per ounce (19 pecan halves): 200 calories, 7 milligrams gamma-tochopherol, 3 grams protein, 3 grams fiber
Are You Crazy About Nuts?
Oh, the wonderful things that you can do with nuts! Eat them salted, plain, mixed, covered with chocolate. Or boil, bake, roast, toast or blanche them. But how much do you really know about nuts?
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