Walnuts

I love nuts. One of my favorites is walnuts. Even though I don't usually eat walnuts plain as a snack, I love them in cereal, oatmeal, salads, casseroles, and lots of other dishes. They add a nice flavor to so many things it is hard not to love them. And when you hear about how incredibly healthy they are, they will be simply irresistible!

Of all the nuts, walnuts are the highest in antioxidant activity. They actually contain melatonin, which many of us know as a sleep aid. But melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and its presence in walnuts is what boosts the nutritional impact of the walnut. Melatonin may reduce risk of cancer and delay diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. They also contain ellagic acid and gamma-tocopherol (don't worry about these big words, just know they are good antioxidants).

The other big plus for walnuts is the high level of omega-3 fatty acids. They contain ALA, which is different than the omega-3 in fish, but still a good fat that may help reduce inflammation and reduce heart disease risk. Some studies shows promise for walnuts in helping blood sugar control for people with diabetes.

The facts:
1 oz = 14 halves
185 calories
4 g carb
2 g fiber
19 g fat
4 g protein

Even though walnuts are high in fat and calories, research shows that substituting walnuts in the diet for other fats do not produce weight gain. Because nuts contain fiber, fat, and protein, they are very satiating and keep you full.

Check out this recipe for Orange Apricot Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola Topping

For more tasty walnut recipes or information on walnuts, check out www.walnuts.org

Photo of walnut courtesy of loan sameli

Labels: antioxidants, heart health, nuts, Tara Gidus, walnuts

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Alternative Peanut Butter

If you are one of the 3 million Americans who has an allergy to nuts, you know how serious it can be if you accidently eat nuts. How can you enjoy a good old fashioned PB and J without the peanuts? What if you are just looking for alternatives to peanut butter?

If are allergic peanuts or tree nuts, you still have options.
Soynut butter: It is actually quite good. Many schools are switching to soynut butters, making their schools nut free. Soynuts are actually not nuts, but rather soybeans roasted to taste like nuts. Soynut butter is 30% lower in fat than peanut butter and has 7 grams of protein. You can find soynut butters in several varieties and flavors such as creamy, crunchy, honey, and even chocolate.
Check out these websites for tasty soynut butters:
www.soynutbutter.com
www.simplefood.com (You'll love these butters)

In addition to soynut butter, you could go with a seed butter such as sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, or sesame seed butter. Sesame seed butter is called tahini and is used in Mediterranean dishes. I personally love sunflower butter and think it tastes excellent! Sunflower butter is about 200 calories per 2 T. with 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, 4 g fiber, and is a good source of copper, magnesium, Vitamin E, and various antioxidants.
Check out www.sunbutter.com

Other alternatives to peanut butter, but these are not nut free:

• Cashew butter
• Almond butter
• Macademia butter
• Pecan butter
• Hazelnut butter (think Nutella)
• Walnut butter

All of these nuts and nut butters are about 180-220 calories per 2 Tablespoon serving with about 16 grams of fat and 6-10 grams of protein and 2-4 grams of fiber (each nut and brand varies a little bit). Each nut has a unique blend of different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you enjoy peanut butter, give one of these other butters a try and see what you think!

Photo courtesy of www.simplefood.com

Labels: nuts, seeds, Tara Gidus

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Peanut Better?

I love peanut butter. I feel really sorry for people who have an allergy to peanuts because there is nothing like peanut butter, especially with chocolate. I had an aversion to sweets during my pregnancy (which is quite odd for me because I have a mean sweet tooth), but as soon as Basil was born, the sweet tooth came back and it had nothing but peanut butter and chocolate written all over it. Luckily the craving has subsided, but I still love peanut butter.

Is peanut butter good for you? I get asked this question quite often. People are so fearful of carbs and they learn about the glycemic index so they think they can't eat a banana by itself (high glycemic) so they slather peanut butter all over everything to bring the glycemic index down.

Peanut butter (PB) is high calorie at 190 calories per 2 T. serving (some brands are as high as 210 calories). Many think of it as a source of protein, but it is really more fat than it is protein. Most PBs have 16 grams of fat and 7-8 grams of protein. Most also have about 2 grams of fiber. Most of the fat that is in PB is monounsaturated, the "healthy" fat, but it is still fat and calories which can eventually end up around your midsection. About 3 grams of the 16 grams is saturated fat, the artery clogging type (about 15% of your max for the day). Some PBs add hydrogenated vegetable oils, but usually they are only 1-2% of the total weight and not enough to contribute a level of saturated fat that registers on the food label (it needs to be 0.5 grams to register).

Peanuts do have nutritional benefits. They do have protein, fiber, magnesium, Vitamin E, niacin, and riboflavin. Researchers have actually found peanuts to be as high or higher in antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables. One of the antioxidants in peanuts is resveratrol, the same one that is in red wine. These antioxidants may have heart disease and cancer preventing benefits.

Interesting facts:

• By law PB must contain 90% peanuts. Some brands add sugar, salt, hydrogenated oils, or stabilizers to make up the other 10% of the ingredients by weight.
• Natural PB does not have added hydrogenated oils or stabilizers. The result is often PB that separates and oil collects at the top. Don't pour it off because you will get PB that is too stiff to spread. Mix it back in for best results.
• Some natural PB companies are now using patented techniques to mix their PB to keep it from separating without using the hydrogenated oils or stabilizers.
• One serving of 2 Tablespoons is roughly the size of a golf ball.
• Reduced fat peanut butter is NOT reduced calorie. Most have added sugar and sodium to make up for less fat. They also have more hydrogenated oils.
• If you are looking for fewer calories in your PB, look for Whipped PB. It is similar to the whipped tub vs block cream cheese. The trick is that more air is whipped in, so for a 2 T. serving it has fewer calories. It is also easier to spread, so you end up using less while saving even more calories!
  
• About 50% of the peanuts consumed in the US are in the form of peanut butter
• Peanuts are not really a nut, but rather a legume and are grown underground!
  

Flavored PBs are all the rage. Right now at home I have deep chocolate PB, caramel PB, banana PB, and raspberry PB. I got them from a company called Peanut Better. Yes, I stole their name for the title of this blog.
They have other flavors such as sweet molasses, vanilla cranberry, and even savory flavors like rosemary garlic, thai ginger, spicy southwestern, and hickory smoked. They have recipes and ideas of what you can do with these unusual flavors such as dips, sauces, desserts, and even in soups. Check it out!

Another interesting PB is called "PB2". It is powdered peanut butter and only has 54 calories per 2 T. serving with 3 grams of fat. You can find it at Bell Plantation I also have some of this at home and I will mix it into smoothies or into my Greek Yogurt. It is actually tasty and has far fewer calories than regular PB. You can also mix it with water and have a normal PB and J sandwich.

I know not everyone can eat peanut butter, so tomorrow I will talk about other nut butters and alternatives to peanut butter for you allergy sufferers. Stay tuned!

Photo courtesy of Dr Stephen Dann

Labels: nuts, peanut butter, Tara Gidus

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Pecan Goodness

The race for the healthiest nut is on! I was at the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition over the weekend and I was overwhelmed with all of the different nuts competing for which is the healthiest! All nuts are pretty good, but they all have slightly different nutritional profiles. I learned a little bit more about pecans, so I thought I would pass the info along to you.

Pecans are actually the highest antioxidant nut! The USDA measures the antioxidant content of foods and they found that pecans were the highest in terms of total antioxidant activity. Not only are they the highest nut, but they are actually one of the top 20 foods tested. Why is this important? The higher the antioxidant content, the better a food is at killing off free radicals leading to heart disease, cancer, and other health problems.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating four to five nut servings per week, and pecans definitely can be included in that recommendation. Also, did you know that pecans are actually perishable? Because they have such a high fat content, once they are shelled they should be kept in an airtight container either in the fridge or freezer.

Info on pecans (courtesy of Georgia Pecan Commission):

• About 200 calories per 1 ounce serving
• Rich in Vitamin E, thiamin, magnesium, manganese, copper
• Good source of fiber
• Contains oleic acid, which can help lower LDL cholesterol
• There are over 500 varieties of pecans
• Georgia leads the nation in pecan production, averaging 88 million pounds per year
• Pecan trees are often used for lumber to make beautiful furniture
• Pecan trees are the only tree nut native to the United States
• Each pecan pie uses about 78 pecan halves
• Georgia pecan wood was selected to make the handles of the torches for the 1996 Olympic Games

Here is a great recipe for Spiced Snapper with Georgia Pecan Crust

Click here for more Pecan Recipes

Check out www.georgiapecansfit.org

Photo courtesy of foepoooey

Labels: antioxidants, nuts, pecan, Tara Gidus

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