Nuts are a very popular food. They can be enjoyed as a snack, used in baking, cooking or made into nut butters. Nuts are delicious, convenient, and can be enjoyed on all kinds of diets — from keto to low-carb to vegan.
Despite being high in fat, nuts have a number of impressive health benefits. Nuts offer beneficial vitamins and minerals in varying quantities, and eating a variety ensures we’re reaping the benefits of each. It’s best that you mix them up to reap the best benefits because then you get all the good fats and micronutrients.
Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for heart health. Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. By choosing nuts instead of less healthy snacks like chips may just help you stick to a heart-healthy diet.
Nuts are excellent sources of healthy fat, protein, and other healthful nutrients. One finding from nutrition research is that people who regularly eat nuts are less likely to have heart attacks or die from heart disease than those who rarely eat them.
How might nuts help your heart?
Research has found that people who are at risk of a heart attack can cut their risk by eating a healthy diet that includes nuts.
Research suggests that eating nuts may:
- Lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which play a major role in the buildup of deposits called plaques in your arteries
- Improve the health of the lining of your arteries
- Lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease
- Reduce the risk of developing blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack and death
The American Heart Association recommends consumption of about four servings of unsalted nuts a week. Choose raw or dry-roasted nuts over nuts cooked in oil, salt and sugar. One serving is a small handful (1.5 ounces) of whole nuts or 2 tablespoons of nut butter.
Eating small portions of nuts can reduce foods cravings and is unlikely to cause weight gain. Choose raw or unsalted nuts and seeds in place of other foods as a snack. Nuts and seeds with a higher amount of unsaturated fat and a lower amount of saturated fat are the best choices.
