I have written extensively about nuts and seeds and health, including a book chapter, which you can see here.
The research on nuts and seeds has grown quite a bit over the last 20 years. It used to be that people thought of nuts as a fattening snack, because of the fat in the nuts. They weren’t really looked on as a healthy food choice.
But more and more the research shows good benefits from eating 1 to 2 ounces of nuts and seeds a day. Nuts are chocked full of fiber, healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals, and extra “phytochemicals”. Generally, they are more nutrient dense than grain-based foods. In fact, they are generally more nutrient dense than most legumes, except lentils. (It’s really hard to be more nutrient dense than a lentil.)
The Evidence for Eating Nuts
One massive review I have cited before showed that consumption of nuts was associated with a 19–20 percent decrease in all-cause mortality. Coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence was reduced by 20–34 percent and CHD death was reduced by 27–30 percent. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence (includes strokes as well as heart disease) was reduced by 19 percent and CVD death was reduced by 25 percent. Stroke incidence was reduced by 10–11 percent and stroke death was reduced by 18 percent. Another large review found a 15 percent reduction in cancer deaths and a 39 percent decease in diabetes deaths from eating tree nuts.
Mechanisms for How Nuts Improve Health
How do nuts help? Here is a graphic that illustrates the various ways, from nutrients, healthy fats, fiber, and polyphenols. Nuts, like other high fiber whole food, stimulates the normal release of GLP-1 peptide, helping with satiety signals to the brain. I could write more, but the graph is pretty self-explanatory. Or you can click through the link to the full article if you want to read more.
How Many Nuts?
Between 1 and 2 ounces of nuts seems to give people the benefits of nuts. It doesn’t take a lot, but 2 ounces is a good target. It is the quantity of nuts more than the specific kind of nut that is most important. Even peanuts have some good effects, though they are not a tree nut.
