Newsletter – Are nuts fattening?
Are nuts fattening?
Many people love to sit down with a bowl of nuts for a snack. But is it a healthy option? Nuts do contain quite a lot of fat and are therefore high in kilojoules. You should take this into consideration if you are watching your weight and choose the raw unsalted varieties. The table below shows the fibre, fat and kilojoule content of some common nuts.
Research has shown that nuts are very nutritious and contain mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which we know are good for our hearts and cholesterol levels. They are also a good source of protein, fibre, Vitamin E, magnesium and selenium.
There is also emerging evidence to suggest that an increase in nut consumption may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is great news considering it is estimated 1 million Australians have diabetes and half don’t know they have it. (Diabetes WA)
Most people would find it relatively easy to eat ½ cup of nuts and this would provide around one quarter of the total daily kilojoule intake for most women and some men.
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends a handful (30 grams) of nuts five times weekly for good health.
A healthy sugar
Recently, CSR released a new type of sugar called LoGiCane, which is the worlds first low glycaemic index (GI) cane sugar. To refresh your memory, the Glycaemic Index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates in foods on a scale of 0 to 100, according to the extent at which they raise your blood sugar levels. It is advisable to choose lower GI carbohydrates on a regular basis (less than 50) as they will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Low GI Diets are especially helpful for diabetics and for weight management.
Back to the LoGiCane. Yes, it does have a lower GI of 50 (+/- 5) as compared to regular sugar at 65-70. However, it still has the same amount of calories or kilojoules as regular sugar and wouldn’t it be easier to just reduce the amount of sugar that we add to food and our tea and coffee?
Speedracer?
A racing car, named ecoF3, has been launched in the UK recently with a steering wheel made of carrots, a body made of potatoes and a seat made of soybeans. The mental picture you are getting is probably the same as mine but it looks just like a regular F1 racing car. It uses plant-oil based lubricants and a biodiesel engine capable of running on chocolate and vegetable oil. Vegetable fibres are mixed with resins to produce the car parts and the oils in the chocolate are refined to produce fuel.
This is a world first but at the moment it doesn’t meet regulations due to its unusual fuel. What a great concept though, think of the environmental advantages it offers. Does this mean that chocolate will have a whole new role to play in the future?
Let me know what you want to know!
If you have a burning nutrition question or would like to know more about my nutrition and performance programmes for your staff or team in 2009, I can be reached on my email at julie@juliemeek.com.au.
The best days go the fastest. Keep up and eat well.
Until next time,
