What's So Great About Nuts

As long as you don't have a food allergy to them, nuts are an excellent addition to your weight-loss plan. High in protein, fiber, some vitamins and minerals, nuts will give you energy, add diversity and satisfying crunch to meals and are a quick-fix snack if you're feeling hungry between meals. Nuts and nut butters have been found to be beneficial in everything from cancer prevention to lowering cholesterol. One caveat: nuts are high in fat, so you can't eat too many of them (more than a couple of handfuls a day is probably overdoing it). BUT, the fat is mainly heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, so if eating nuts keeps you from eating other less-healthful snacks, then keep your pantry stocked with them. Just monitor your portion sizes so you're not going over your calorie limits for the day.

Some ways I incorporate nuts into my diet:
* slivered almonds in cereal
* walnuts mixed into non-fat yogurt and honey
* chopped pecans tossed into veggie-based salads, couscous or brown rice
* finely chopped nuts of any kind used to coat fish or boneless chicken before baking or pan-sauteing
* chopped peanuts or walnuts on a fruit salad
* walnuts mixed into tuna or chicken salad

Nut butters make fantastic quick protein meals, too. Don't forget about good old PB&J or banana and peanut-butter in a whole-wheat tortilla. Add a spoonful of nut butter to your fruit-and-yogurt shakes for additional staying power and great flavor. Try experimenting with some other butters, such as almond, cashew and macadamia, too. These days, you can find some natural-style butters that don't separate, so you don't have to stir the oil back into the spread.

The most healthful nuts, of course, are unsalted and in their most natural state, but if you can only manage them "adorned," that's OK. Try mixing them with the unsalted kind and see if you can slowly wean yourself away from the sodium. Excess sodium can inflate your weight, so if you lay off it the scale will thank you.