ReannaNasrina's Journal, 12 October 2014

8cals/nut; What I've read all you need is between 10-15........yeah right just try and stop at 10 -15:-)  

THANK U ALTAGENT ^_^ 

Almonds have good fats and good proteins among other nutrients.  

You can spread out the calories over the day. I used to eat more almonds, but now I eat 3 with my breakfast and another 3 during the day for a snack.  

Deb, can I sprinkle it on top of my greek yogurt for lunch? about 4 pcs? together with half of medium apple chopped? 

3 almonds, dang Deb you have amazing control... 

Friends --eating 4-6 almonds per day accomplishes absolutely nothing. Seriously -- I know it's scary when you look at the calorie count of a serving, but 4-6 almonds don't provide sufficient nutritional benefits to warrant wasting the calories and fat. See the information below. I am struggling with this problem because I need to raise my good cholesterol, and all the foods that help, except for green tea, are high in calories and good fats. So I am adjusting my diet to make room for daily snacks of sufficient amounts of pistachios, walnuts, avocados, and olives to get the benefit from those foods. What I believe that will accomplish, in addition to raising my good cholesterol, is to lower both my carb and cholesterol intake -- since if I use calories on half an avocado, I won't use them on other foods. I think we have to shake off our fears and really look closely at the nutritional benefits of foods... Nutrition Eating about 23 almonds a day is an easy way to incorporate many crucial nutrients into your diet. Almonds are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Additionally, almonds are a significant source of protein and fiber, while being naturally low in sugar. One 23-almond serving packs 13 grams of healthy unsaturated fats, 1 gram of saturated fat and no cholesterol or salt. Of all tree nuts, almonds rank highest in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin content by weight. There are 160 calories in 23 almonds. While many of these calories come from fat, it is primarily the healthy unsaturated fats and not the unhealthy saturated kind. Heart Health According to the FDA, eating 1.5 ounces a day of most nuts, like almonds, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Many of the nutrients in almonds help contribute to increased heart health. For one, almonds are rich in magnesium, which is critical in preventing heart attacks and hypertension. Several clinical studies have also shown almonds can be effective in reducing bad cholesterol and preserving healthy cholesterol, which plays a major role in heart health. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-eating-almonds-daily-5007.html 

thanks so much for your info hermione.. wow, almonds does contains lots of nutrition. thanks so much draglist, i'll indulge it and at the same time keep in track on the portion.  

ReannaNasrina, I used to add almonds to my oatmeal, so putting them on yogurt would be yummy. Bill, 100 calorie packs are great to limit the calories. Jeri, I am on a limited budget, so I like to stretch my snacks. I like to eat less than the serving size on the package. No company is going to tell me how much I should eat. lol  

Hermiones Mom, thanks for the info. I take vitamins, so I eat almonds for the protein, fiber and the heart healthy fat. I will do the math and try to eat more almonds! 

You are welcome. Here's a trick I use: I have small custard cups. I use them to weigh out a 1 oz portion of nuts. 1 oz fills up the little cup, so it looks like quite a lot. That way I can benefit from the cost savings of buying bags of nuts at the Costco. I use the single-serving packs of nut butters sometimes - but mostly I just measure portions because single-serving packs of anything tend to be more expensive  

I also would prefer to buy in bulk, besides saving money it helps the environment with less packaging. But if the single serve packages work, do it. I have a collection of small storage containers I use to portion dressings, sauces, nuts, etc. I use them constantly in taking my lunch to work. I should be eating more nuts, will stock up on them and freeze them when they go on sale through the holidays. I don't have good control with nuts or peanuts!! One way I limit consumption is to crush them and dip a banana into them. Yummy desert.  

Boy - freezing is a great idea. I have a freezer in the basement - 2 full flights down -- and it takes a lot for me to tramp down there if it's not laundry day. I think I will send all the nuts down to live in that freezer. Thanks, Wholefoodnut -- I don't know why I didn't think of this. By the way, I get most of my nuts at Costco. Much, much cheaper.  

Freezing them keeps them fresh. I really do not like the bitter taste of stale nuts, especially walnuts. Buying them in the fall they are more likely to be fresher nuts to begin with.  

Hermiones Mom, great tip with the custard cups. I bought custard cups with plastic lids. They are great for storage!  

I just discovered buying raw almonds, and roasting myself with a small amount of oul and salt, can save a liitle money. They taste great, didn't know they fight belly fat too. Yay. 

Good for the hdl's as well.  

I totally agree that even more important than calories is the nutritional value of our food. 100 calorie packs are often high in something else, like sugar or salt, or void of nutrition. They are WalMart's way of making more money off of those of us trying to consume less. Trust youself with food that does not come in small packages. 😊 

The hdl's are my issue. After a whole summer of being ill from a food borne infection and then on a special diet because the cipro for the infection destroyed my digestion... anyway, my hdl dropped to 27. This is not just low -- it's ridiculous. So I have to get back into my diet as many foods as possible that build hdl: nuts, especially pistachios and walnuts, avocados,green tea, and olives and olive oil. Of these foods of course, only green tea has no calorie impact, so you can see the problem1 

Definitely understand, that hdl Is rather low. my gross hdl/ldl's are almost even. Yuck!! Want that good ones to below. Doc says I'm in good shape on that but does not make me happy. I really don't know about the "fluffy" ldls that are supposed to be harmless. I really want my hdl to be higher and ldl's lower Just think the avocados are good for you as are the nuts. Might jump your calories but the benefits are good. Just eat more veggies, to keep your nutrition up and your calories low.