What are the best nuts to eat for a healthy snack? (vitamin, vitamins)

[Ron.]

I like nuts but I don't buy them enough to know what to eat for the best health advantages.


Which do you eat?

[FalconheadWest]

Almonds. I've always followed the rule that I heard a couple of years ago that 5 almonds are for a snack and 20 almonds can replace a meal. That's how much "stuff" is in them. I usually eat 1-2 at a time and do that 2-3 times over an hour or so just to get me to the next meal time.

[Luckyd609]

I eat all of them. They are all good. I wouldn't worry about the 'best' ones as they all have something to offer.

[LindaWatson]

The best healthy nuts are almonds, walnuts,pecans, brazil nuts and cedar nuts.

[kayo_michael]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but are there any nuts to avoid?

I love Hazelnut, Cashew, and Macadamia.

[Luckyd609]

Originally Posted by kayo_michael

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but are there any nuts to avoid?

I love Hazelnut, Cashew, and Macadamia.

I cannot think of any. Some are more nutritious than others but they are all good for you.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Almonds. Get either raw and unsalted or roasted and unsalted.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by kayo_michael

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but are there any nuts to avoid?

I love Hazelnut, Cashew, and Macadamia.

Technically, a cashew isn't a nut. It's a seed. It's not only a seed, but unopened, the outer shell acts the same way poison ivy acts on the skin because of a high urishiol content. Cashew seeds cannot be served raw for this reason - they must be roasted to ensure safe consumption. Cashews are mostly starch and fat, with just over 50% of that fat the "beneficial" monounsaturated. Mixing some cashews in with other nuts would make a great snack, but I wouldn't recommend eating just a bunch of cashews.

Macadamia nuts are high in fat and low in protein. The fat is the "benificial" monounsaturated fat, and they have more of this than any other nut. So if you're needing monounsaturated fats, macadamias are a great snack. If you're trying to avoid all fats, I'd skip this for snacking and save it for a rare treat instead.

Filberts (hazelnuts) are a better choice because in addition to having a high proportion of monounsaturated fat, they're also lower in starch than Mac and Cashew, and higher in several other vitamins and nutritional components.

A great mix might be -

A cup of almonds
half cup halved walnuts
1/4 cup filberts
1/4 cup cashews

All *un*salted

Then add in 1/2 cup mixed dried cranberries and raisins, cover the container and shake it to mix up all the ingredients.

Out of that finished batch, grab a palmful every day for a mid-day snack.

I personally would never mix macadamia nuts with anything else, they're too rare, expensive, and exquisite and best enjoyed as a solo treat. A dozen at a time, maybe once a month.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by LaoTzuMindFu

Almonds. Get either raw and unsalted or roasted and unsalted.

Almonds are great. All nuts are best if they are raw, but it is harder to find them that way.

Macadamia nuts have the best ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats.

Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium.

Just keep in mind that peanuts and cashews aren't actually nuts, they're legumes.

[AnonChick]

Cashews aren't legumes. They're seeds.