What You Need to Know About Nuts, Beans, Oils

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What You Need to Know About Nuts, Beans & Oils

Nuts and beans are packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. And if

you choose wisely, even oils can be good for you

By David Bjerklie

Posted Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003; 1:36 p.m. EST

 

http://www.time.com/time/fidylcovers/1101031020/nuts.html

 

MAGIC FOODS

In other cultures, nuts, seeds and beans make up a major part of the

diet, supplying all sorts of key nutrients that are hard to replace.

If Americans could incorporate more of them into meals, much as we

have embraced olive oil to replace less healthy sources of fat, our

collective health would improve, and our average waistline would

shrink. Here's why:

 

SEAL OF APPROVAL

Although we tend to think of them as snack foods, nuts and seeds are

actually terrific sources of protein, healthy oils and other

nutrients, especially vitamin E. For that reason, the American Heart

Association has allowed packages of nuts to carry the qualified

health claim that they " may reduce the risk of heart disease. "

 

RESTRAINING ORDER

But, yes, you can have too much of a good thing. For all their

benefits, nuts and seeds are high-calorie foods because of the oils

they contain. Beyond that, they often come heavily dosed with salt,

sugar or both. Tossing back bagfuls of salted fidyl, sugared beer

nuts

while watching the ball game on TV is not the same as going to the

gym.

 

SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUT

As a healthier alternative to chips or pretzels, try reaching for

almonds, walnuts, pecans or plain old goobers. But, again, use

moderation. Once you start eating nuts, it's hard to stop. Think

handfuls, not bowlfuls. Eat like a bird: add seeds such as sunflower,

pumpkin and sesame to your diet in trail mix, granola, muffins, bread

and occasionally even cookies.

 

FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE BEAN

No restraint is necessary with kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas and

their brother beans. They're low in fat and calories and packed with

fiber, protein and minerals—and they fill you up to boot. There's a

big, beautiful world of legumes, and they play an important role in

many ethnic cuisines. Use them dried, fresh, canned or frozen in

soups, stews, chilies, curries, pilafs and falafel.

 

BATTLE OF THE FOOD PYRAMIDS

The USDA's Food Guide Pyramid has turned into a battleground over how

much fat is good for you. On one side are those like Dr. Dean Ornish

of the University of California, San Francisco, who want you to slash

fat intake to 10% of daily calories. On the other is Harvard's Dr.

Walter Willett, who favors the Mediterranean diet, which permits as

much as 40% of calories to come from fat as long as they are from a

healthy fat such as olive oil.

 

LESSER OF TWO EVILS?

When all fat became bad, anything nonfat became good. Unfortunately,

" low-fat " or " fat-free " products are often high in sugar, making them

caloric catastrophes.

 

WARNING

We usually know when we eat animal or butterfat. But we often don't

when we consume palm and coconut oils, used to fry chips and often

found in margarine, prepared gravies, whipped cream and toppings,

even nondairy creamers.