It's best to choose unsalted or unsweetened nuts. Adding salt or sugar to nuts may cancel out their heart-healthy benefits. Here's some nutrition information on common types of nuts. All calorie and fat content measurements are for 1 ounce, or 28.4 grams (g), of unsalted nuts.
Conducted in partnership with Texas Tech University, the study found that eating 35 grams of lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts before two main meals each day can contribute to weight loss, lower blood pressure and improved fasting glucose levels.
Both raw and roasted nuts are good for you and provide health benefits. Both varieties contain similar amounts of calories, protein, carbs and fiber.
A study comparing the effects of salted, roasted nuts with raw nuts on heart health indicators including blood pressure, found that the addition of salt did not affect blood pressure [2]. In fact, the results showed that both the salted, roasted nuts and the raw nuts significantly reduced blood pressure.
Worst nuts for your diet
Ounce for ounce, macadamia nuts (10 to 12 nuts; 2 grams protein, 21 grams fat) and pecans (18 to 20 halves; 3 grams protein, 20 grams fat) have the most calories - 200 each - along with the lowest amounts of protein and the highest amounts of fats.
Shell-on nuts are also generally unsalted (pistachios are an exception). Try to avoid dry-roasted, salted, flavoured or honey-roasted nuts, which come with extra salt and sometimes sugar too.
Peanuts are not only valuable for their nutritional content. They also have a low impact on blood glucose levels. The glycemic index (GI) rates foods based on how quickly they cause an increase in blood sugar.
Benefits of roasted and salted cashew nuts
Cashew nuts are high in healthful fats, proteins, critical vitamins, and minerals and are nutrient-dense, and they can be a healthy supplement to your diet when consumed in moderation.
The recommended limit for how many peanuts you should eat per day is around 42 grams. This is about 16 peanuts. Eating peanuts in moderation is important as they are high in fat and contain a lot of calories. They are healthy food but should not be eaten in excess.
When it comes to sodium, Malik says that eating lightly salted peanuts is fine for most people, especially if it will make you choose them over a less healthy snack, such as potato chips. But if you have certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure, go for the lower sodium or unsalted versions.
When it comes to the healthier choice, it's a bit of a toss up between dry-roasted and oil-roasted peanuts. Dry-roasted are lower in calories and fat and may be better for the calorie-counter. But oil-roasted contain less sodium, which is better for your heart.
Just last month, a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 1.5 ounces of dry-roasted, lightly salted almonds daily helped curb participants' appetites and significantly improved vitamin E and monounsaturated (“good”) fat intake.
The five best nuts that may help you lose weight are almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts. These nuts are rich in several essential nutrients that promote weight loss.
An ounce of cashew contains about 18 medium sized nuts. 15-18 cashew nuts a day is the average amount that can be consumed to get some great benefits. Cashew nuts actually have multiple other nutritional benefits. These nuts are amazing as healthy snacking options.
Nutritionists suggest limiting cashew nut kernel consumption to up to 5 – 10 cashews a day to avoid weight gain. You can eat 15–30 cashew nuts a day for a primary source of fat and a secondary source of protein. Not all fats are bad for you, and some types of fat can actually help your heart health.
Almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pecans also appear to be quite heart healthy. So are peanuts — though they are technically not a nut, but a legume, like beans. It's best to choose unsalted or unsweetened nuts. Adding salt or sugar to nuts may cancel out their heart-healthy benefits.
Avoid nuts that are coated in salt — Dobbins notes that sodium is bad for your blood pressure — and sugar. More bad news if you love the sweet-and-savory combo: Chocolate-covered peanuts and honey-roasted cashews are high in carbs and not the best choice when you have diabetes, Dobbins says.
Walnuts are known to have more fibre as compared to other nuts. Fibre tends to digest slowly, resulting in instant spikes in blood sugar after meals.
Almost all nuts offer something good for people with diabetes. Salted nuts, however, should be avoided. Excessive salt consumption is consistently linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Almonds and other tree nuts can improve blood cholesterol. A recent study concluded that a diet supplemented with walnuts can lower the risk of heart complications in people with history of a heart attack.
So is dark chocolate actually healthy? Studies show that dark chocolate — when it is not loaded with sugar and saturated fat — is indeed a heart-healthy chocolate treat and more. Dark chocolate is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies show it can help reduce blood pressure and lower your risk of heart disease.
Nuts are crunchy and snackable, so it is easy to eat too many nuts at a time. It is important to stick to the recommended daily serving size. You must eat only a handful of nuts (42 grams) in a day.