FitSugar

Know Your Nuts? What's in an Ounce

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:27 -0800

Nuts are one of the best foods you can nosh on because they're full of healthy fats, contain protein and fiber to fill you up, are cholesterol-free, and they're a great snack you can easily pack with you wherever you go. A serving size of nuts is one ounce, which is about a handful. Considering my handful and my hubby's handful look a lot different, I thought it'd be good to go over what exactly one ounce of nuts looks like. Take this quiz to see if you know.

Question 1 of 5

How many almonds are in one ounce?

Go Nuts Nutritional Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:00:03 -0800

Nuts have to be one of the world's perfect snacks. They're filling because of their fiber content, a great source of protein, and full of healthy fats. As wonderful as they are, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and in the case of nuts, I'm referring to calories. One ounce of nuts (about a handful) is the perfect serving size, but if you start mindlessly munching, you could be consuming way more calories than you thought. To see which nuts are high in certain nutrients, check out my breakdown below.

To see the rest of the snack breakdown, read more.

Snack Attack: Almond Tin to Keep Your Portions Honest

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:00:53 -0700

Nuts make a great snack. Not only are they high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, almonds are high in calcium too. Even if you know a serving size of nuts is one ounce, it's tough to know how many almonds it takes to make that ounce. I found this cute little tin to help you control your snacking portions.

It holds exactly one ounce of almonds, so you can keep this tin in your purse, on your desk at work, or in your gym bag. It's an easy way to know you're getting about 160 calories, six grams of protein, 200 mg of potassium, 75 mg of calcium, and 1 mg of iron. The tin looks to be the size of an Altoids tin, so you can make your pocket sized case for almonds, walnuts, or pistachios.

Best Foods For Runners

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

You guys picked running as one of your favorite sports, and while it's great, it can also drain your energy if you're not eating properly. If you're a runner, be sure to fuel up using Health's picks for the top foods for runners, rounded up in this slideshow.

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Food Review: Almond Nut-Thins

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I have a friend who can't eat foods that contain gluten, and the other night I was having a little dinner party. I wanted to make sure she could eat the cheese and crackers, too, so I decided to pick up some gluten-free Almond Nut-Thins. I've definitely eaten some not-so-great gluten-free foods in my day, so how did these taste? To find out read more.

I've got to say that these crackers didn't look too appetizing when I peeked in the box, but when I tried them, they had a nice buttery flavor. The texture was very light, crunchy, and crispy, and they tasted great on their own or with hummus or cheese. Plus, check out the calories - only 130 for 16 crackers! Not to mention that each serving is cholesterol free, low in sodium, and contains 3g of protein (from the almonds). I'd definitely buy these again for myself and not just for my gluten-free friends.

Healthy Recipe: Coconut Macaroons for Passover or Anytime

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Passover begins this weekend and that means macaroon time. If you're looking for a more traditional recipe than the recipe I posted last year for Almond Macaroons, then check out this recipe. This recipe is a bit more traditional since these macaroons are made with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and egg whites. Plus they're cholesterol free (yes, coconut is cholesterol free). Shredded coconut and sliced almonds add a little fiber to these cookies, which we all could use.

To check out the recipe, just read more.

Coconut Almond Macaroons for Passover or Anytime
From my Gram

These macaroons are a cinch to make and taste out of this world.

Ingredients

2 egg whites
2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup Sucanat (or turbinado sugar)
Pinch of salt
1 tsp almond extract (omit if observing Passover)
Sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Separate the egg whites and place them in a bowl.
Pour in all the other ingredients into bowl with egg whites and mix them well. They should look like this.
Lightly grease two cookie sheets with a little Canola oil.
Drop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet, about an inch or two apart. If you want to add some almonds, sprinkle them in the middle of each cookie and gently press them in.
Bake until light brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Allow them to cool on the pan for at least five minutes before removing with a spatula (if you try to remove them right out of the oven, they'll break apart).
Store uneaten cookies in a sealed container and they'll stay fresh for up to three days. This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Print recipe with images | without images

Nutty About Nuts

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I think of nuts as little nuggets of energy, since ounce per ounce they are one of the most nutritionally dense foods around. Nuts are high in protein, but unlike meat, they are low in saturated fat. Also absent from nuts – cholesterol. Instead nuts contain phytosterols, which are considered heart healthy since they help to lower cholesterol.

We all know that variety is the spice of life, and this philosophy holds true for nuts. Not only do they vary in taste and shape, but they each have fairly unique nutritional properties too.

Here's a little lesson on nut nutrition:

Almonds: An ancestor to stone fruits, the almond is high in vitamin E. Vitamin E is considered a powerful antioxidant that helps prevents cells from damaging oxidative stress that has been linked not only to heart disease, but to Alzheimer’s as well.
Brazil Nuts: Just one of these large nuts exceeds the daily requirement intake (RDI) for the mineral selenium. The mineral selenium is also an antioxidant proven to reduce the risk of cancer.

To learn about three more nuts just read more

Peanuts: Technically, the peanut is considered a legume and is related to peas and beans, but we tend to treat it like a nut. They are high in niacin and folate. These B vitamins are known to decrease the risk of certain cancers and protect against cognitive decline. Folate is extremely important for women before and during pregnancy.
Pecans: This North American native is packed with antioxidants. They are considered to be on par with antioxidant superstars cherries and cranberries.
Pistachios: This nut is extremely high in phytosterols that are know to fight cholesterol. These green nuggets also protect against breast and prostate cancer.
Walnuts: Singular among nuts in their omega-3 fatty acid content, walnuts have gotten much press of late. Omega-3s help protect against coronary heart disease, depression, and menstrual cramps.

Fit's tip: Just want to remind you that while nuts are a great food, you want to eat them only a handful at a time due to their high fat content. Sprinkle chopped nuts over salads, oatmeal, or pastas.

For a caloric breakdown on nuts check out this nut breakdown.

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What Does Your RDI Look Like: Calcium

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Drink Your Milk. Milk Does a Body Good. Got Milk?

Alright already, so we know we are supposed to be getting calcium daily, and dairy products do contain this valuable mineral, but you can find calcium in many other foods including broccoli, almonds, salmon, and fortified orange juice. Try to get your calcium from the food you eat, rather than supplements, since a new study shows that it's better for your bones.

For women over the age of 19, we should be getting 1,000 mg of calcium a day. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. It is also vital in daily body functions like muscle contraction and relaxation, blood clotting, and the transmission of nerve impulses. Our bodies do not produce it, so we need to get it from the foods we eat, or from supplements. If we don't get enough, our bodies will drain calcium from our bones, leading to osteoporosis.

Are you getting enough? To help you figure that out, I made a chart listing a variety of foods and the amount of calcium they contain. To check it out read more

Food	Amount	Amount of Calcium in mg
Milk	1 cup	300
Hard cheese (cheddar)	1 oz	240
Nonfat or 1% cottage cheese	1 cup	155
Plain yogurt	6 oz	290
Ice cream	1 cup	218
Tofu	1/2 cup	258
Fortified soy or rice milk	1 cup	300
Fortified orange juice	1 cup	300
Black beans	1/2 cup	38
Pinto beans or chick peas	1/2 cup	40
Sesame seeds	2 tbsp	180
Tahini (sesame seed butter, used to make hummus)	2 tbsp	130
Almonds	1/4 cup	93
Almond Butter	2 tbsp	86
Brazil nuts or hazelnuts	1/4 cup	55
Bok choy	1/2 cup	75
Kale	1 cup	94
Broccoli	1 cup	178
Celery	1 cup	54
Cooked green beans	1 cup	58
Cooked butternut squash	1 cup	84
Cooked sweet potato	1 cup	70
Naval orange	1 medium	56
Raisins	2/3 cup	53
Dried figs	5 medium	135
Sardines (canned)	8 medium	370
Salmon	3 oz	180
Oysters (canned)	1/2 cup	60
Shrimp (canned)	1/2 cup	40

Can you get too much calcium? Yes, if you are consuming more than 2,500 mg a day from food and/or supplements, it can interfere with the absorption of zinc, iron, and magnesium. It may also increase the risk of kidney stones. So check your diet and make sure you're getting the right amount.

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More LARABAR Love

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:30:00 -0700

Go Nuts! Eat Healthy Fats

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Women are scared of FAT. We think that if we eat fat, we'll become fat. It's true that certain types of fat are unhealthy for us. Trans fat should be avoided like cigarettes. Also, foods high in saturated fat like butter, cream, sausage, bologna, and bacon can clog up your arteries, so moderation is key when it comes to those fats.

Then there are unsaturated fats. Nuts, olives, olive and canola oil, avocado, and pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds all contain these healthy fats. Some people avoid nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts because of their high fat content, but most of the fat is monounsaturated (a kind of unsaturated fat) - which can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.

Besides lowering LDL cholesterol, nuts are great sources of protein, fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, potassium, riboflavin, and selenium.

Fit's Tips: Try to include a variety of these heart healthy fats in your diet. You can replace unhealthy saturated fats with these healthy fats by spreading peanut or almond butter on your toast instead of butter. Also instead of adding chocolate chips to your cookies, add walnuts. You can also eat snacks that contain nuts such as LARABARs and KIND Fruit + Nut bars.

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