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Question About Nuts - Good or Bad?
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by Stefanie
on February 13, 2013
What are your thoughts on nuts? I've heard some sources claim they contribute to weight gain and should be eaten sparingly, while other sources say that they contribute to weight loss and should be eaten regularly. Any personal observations or sources on the topic you'd like to share?
I think it depends on your boby type. Some people like me except fats well and gain weight from carbs. And some people can eat carbs and sugar often and just cut out fats and oils and loose weight. Your body either burns off fat or carbs as fuel and if you eat alot of fat at same time as carbs then your gonna gain weight. So my advice to u is if you are eating alot of nuts and it seems to work well with your body and fill u up and not bloat you then you probly will do better with fat pretiens instead of starchy proteins. And vice versa. Also most of the time the people who say that nuts are really fatening are also eating meat so the fat and calories from meat in additon to the high calories and fat in nut make you gain weight.
My advice is to have a well-rounded diet with lots of variety so you get all various nutrients we need to make our bodies thrive. A good book to read from a leading vegan nutrition expert is 'The China Study' by T. Colin Campbell. This book has a lot of info about the tremendous benefits of a plant-based diet. In one section, he even talks about the variety of chemicals, nutrients, fats, etc. that we should get from many sources and not rely so much on supplements (with the notable exception of needing to take a B-12 supplement if you are vegan). The he gives a quick guide to ensure your diet meets all of your nutritional needs. I think before you make a decision to rely heavily on or cut out a huge source of protein and healthy fat, like nuts, you should do some serious research and see what credible doctors and nutritionists have to say. Hope this helps!
Campbell's book has been on my to-read list for a while, so I think with that info you gave me I'm going to finally buy it and read it. :)
B12 is an interesting topic. I learned recently that the idea that B12 comes solely from animal flesh is untrue, and I found it interesting. B12 is actually produced by a type of bacteria, which is why it's so easy to get it from animal flesh- they've got a lot more bacteria in them than plant foods. The bacteria can be found in the soil and in veggies/plant foods that are grown in organic soil, but the non-organic varieties don't have B12 because the bacteria has been killed by the chemicals in the soil.
On a personal note, I've never been a fan of nuts until I went mostly vegan. I used to snack on sugary candy stuff, so for now I think nuts are a much better alternative to those type of things, but limiting is probably a good idea.
Thanks for the input, ladies! I appreciate the help. :)
Campbell does mention the exact same thing you were saying about B12 being in the soil and now it is largely gone from plants because most veggies aren't organic anymore. I really think you'd like the book. Another one I recommend is "The Food Revolution" by John Robbins. He talks about many benefits of being vegan (ethical, nutritional, environmental...SO many good things!). If you have any good book recommendations for me, I would love to know. Info keeps me motivated! Thanks and have a great rest of your day :)
My vegan book collection is still pretty small, but I like to watch documentaries. If you haven't seen them already, I would highly recommend "Vegucated," "Food, Inc," and "Forks Over Knives." Another one that's been recommended to me (though I haven't had time to watch it yet) is "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." (If you happen to have Netflix, they have a ton of food documentaries on there.)
My DH gains weight from nuts and he loves them; I don't gain weight from nuts and I don't like them. lol. It really does depend on your body. Do some experimenting and let us know how it goes! :)
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