Ditch Vending Machines For Nuts

Are you looking for a better snack option than your third floor office vending machine? Try nuts for a change.

If you read my previous article on saying YES to fat, you already know what a great source of protein and nutritional goodies these bad boys are. Are nuts fattening? Yes. Will they make you fat? No. At least not when served in appropriate serving sizes! Quite on the contrary, they can actually keep you thin. Let your brain digest that for a change!

My favorite nuts include almonds, cashews, walnuts and peanuts, all which provide roughly eight grams of protein per serving. Also, they reduce the “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and keep the “good” cholesterol (HDL) high. Basically, they can reduce your risk of having a heart attack while keeping your waist line trim.

Since nuts are so filling, you only need a small amount to satisfy you. For an example, does a Lance cheese and cracker package from the vending machine satisfy you? No really. The correct answer here is NO. It might keep hunger at bay for about thirty minutes, but after that you are grazing again on office goodies, leading to overeating and binging. Nuts, on other the hand, WILL keep you full and reduce your risk of binging on those office doughnuts. Don’t believe me? Give it a try. For your next afternoon snack pack a plastic baggie with portioned out raw almonds. Eat them around 3:30 when the post-lunch slump has thoroughly set in. Notice how you feel thirty minutes later…..an hour later….even on your drive home. I’m betting your energy has increased and you haven’t eaten anything else.

The wrong way to eat nuts, however, is chowing down by the handful. Yes, nuts are a wondrous healthy food but too much of anything is never a good idea. Keeping the open cashew can next to your desk at work and gobbling down a handful after your vending machine snack WILL lead to a slow weight gain. Not a good idea.

So what’s the best nut to nosh on? I love almonds, personally, but walnuts are right up there. The omega-3 fats in walnuts really could save your life by preventing clots and reducing potentially deadly erratic heartbeats. Another benefit of nuts is that they contain arginine, an amino acid needed to form blood platelets. Vitamin E, folic acid, potassium and fiber are just another handful of the goodies involved.

And then there is my absolute favorite form of nuts…or anything for that matter: nut butter. Oh, the smooth and creamy taste of almond and peanut butter makes my life complete and don’t doubt me when I say I consume it every single day. People are actually quite aghast when I tell them I do indulge in peanut butter daily and yet I’m quite thin. Take my advice though, go for the natural stuff.…not Peter Pan.