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Science has shown that nuts can be a healthy addition to the diet. How many nuts should you be eating?

The evidence continues to build that nuts are a healthy addition to the diet. While they are high in calories and fat relative to other foods like grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, the type of fats (mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) are very important in promoting good health. Plus, whole nuts have other very important nutrients like vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants including vitamin E.

When replacing unhealthy, saturated fats in the diet and eaten in moderation, certain nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans and peanuts (which is technically a legume) have been shown to reduce risk of diabetes in women, reduce cholesterol in men and women, reduce risk of sudden death from heart attack, and lower overall risk of heart disease.

The addition of only one serving of nuts per day is most frequently recommended. How many nuts equal a serving? How many calories are in 1-ounce of nuts? The following table can help.

Nut	Number of Nuts (1 ounce)	Calories
Almonds	24	160
Walnuts	14 halves	190
Peanuts	28	170
Peanut Butter	2 Tbsp.	170
Pecans	20 halves	200
Cashews	18	160
Pine Nuts	157	160
Pistachios	47	160
Macadamias	10-12	200
Hazelnuts	20	180
Brazils	6-8	190

Incorporate nuts on a daily basis as a heart-healthy snack, in breakfast cereals, yogurt, salads, casseroles, and desserts. Because they are high in calories, take care to incorporate nuts into an overall healthy diet balanced in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat protein and calcium sources and total calories.

Albert, CM, Gaziano, JM, Willett, WC, Manson, JE. (2002). Nut Consumption and Decreased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Physicians’ Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162(12): 1382-1387.

International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. Internet site: www.nuthealth.org. (December 2002).

Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Liu S, Willett WC, Hu FB. (2002). Nut and Peanut Butter Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women. JAMA, 288: 2554-2560.

Zambon, D, Sabate, J, Munoz, S, et al. Substituting Walnuts for Monounsaturated Fat Improves the Serum Lipid Profile of Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 132:538-536.