food
GO O D A N D H EA LTH Y
BY MARGE PERRY PHOTOS ANDY LYONS FOOD STYLING JILL LUST
WALNUT-LEMON
RICE PILAF
Recipe on page 184
Shell Shock
O n ce a n u tritio n no-no , nuts turn
out to be a healthful ch o ice.
W H A T A R E T H E Y ?
NUTS ARE TINY
STOREHOUSES OF PROTEIN, fats, vitamins, and minerals that give
trees a healthy start on life. Add nuts to your diet and those nutrients
will work just as hard for you. See “Why Nuts are Good For You,”
right.
Because they’re high in calories, eat nuts in moderation—
1/ cup per
day is about right. Even in small amounts, you’ll get the benefits.
W H Y N U TS A R E
G O O D FO R Y O U
“The evidence is consistent and
robust that nuts reduce the risk
of cardiovascular disease,” says
Janet Novotny, research
physiologist at the USDA’s
Beltsville Human Nutrition
Research Center. Three
components of nuts work for
the heart: Polyunsaturated fats
help to lower cholesterol,
phytosterols block natural
cholesterol in food from
absorbing, and fiber lowers
“bad” LDL cholesterol.
Other health benefits:
■ MAINTAIN HEALTHY
WEIGHT Though nuts are high
in calories, studies have shown
that people who regularly eat
them tend to have healthy body
weights. Subjects at Indiana’s
Purdue University who added
500
calories of peanuts to their
diet found that they
compensated for the added
calories by eating less. “The
high protein and fiber content in
peanuts may play an important
role in curbing hunger,” says
Purdue nutrition researcher
Richard Mattes. In another
study,
81
subjects added an
average of
2
V
2
ounces of
almonds to their daily diets and
lost weight, again despite the
added calories of the nuts.
■ GOOD SOURCE OF
MAGNESIUM According to the
USDA, about
50
percent of
Americans don’t get enough
magnesium in their diets,
putting them at increased risk
of osteoporosis. “Magnesium
supports the underlying
machinery of our body,” says
Novotny. “It helps absorb
nutrients and helps cells grow
and divide. Nuts are a great way
to get magnesium.”
182
MAY
2009
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