Nuts Are A Rubbish Source Of Protein

mirandamayhem

This annoys me, I don't dispute there are better sources of protein. But i'm so fed up of this "Good food, bad food" stigma attached to foods.
Nuts have their place in a healthy balanced diet.
As with an awful lot of stuff you can have too much of a good thing. But come on, they have many plusses, so long as they're not maple covered, or salted, or whatever else.

Hendrix7

This annoys me, I don't dispute there are better sources of protein. But i'm so fed up of this "Good food, bad food" stigma attached to foods.
Nuts have their place in a healthy balanced diet.
As with an awful lot of stuff you can have too much of a good thing. But come on, they have many plusses, so long as they're not maple covered, or salted, or whatever else.

Right I will reiterate my point AGAIN as it seems people are struggling to understand

I am not saying nuts are BAD, nowhere I this thread have I said nuts are unhealthy, i am not telling everyone to stop eating nuts immediately. I do not hate nuts, I have no anti-nut agenda.

I am simply pointing out there are other sources of protein and fats available, which IMO could be more beneficial.

mirandamayhem

This annoys me, I don't dispute there are better sources of protein. But i'm so fed up of this "Good food, bad food" stigma attached to foods.
Nuts have their place in a healthy balanced diet.
As with an awful lot of stuff you can have too much of a good thing. But come on, they have many plusses, so long as they're not maple covered, or salted, or whatever else.

Right I will reiterate my point AGAIN as it seems people are struggling to understand

I am not saying nuts are BAD, nowhere I this thread have I said nuts are unhealthy, i am not telling everyone to stop eating nuts immediately. I do not hate nuts, I have no anti-nut agenda.

I am simply pointing out there are other sources of protein and fats available, which IMO could be more beneficial.

ok I'll let you off :laugh:

Hendrix7

Intermittent fasting overlord Martin Berkhan agrees with me as well apparently, not that that adds any weight to my point in particular.

Nuts, protein bars and dried fruit

Nuts in all their various forms are the most overrated and overhyped foods in the “health conscious” community. Just because it’s a natural food doesn’t mean it’s all that diet friendly or even healthy for that matter.

Packing a higher calorie density than chocolate, it’s no big mystery that people easily overdo it with nuts. Some people rationalize a high nut consumption by saying it’s a healthy and natural snack, but this is wrong. Nuts contain an incomplete amino acid profile and consist mostly of plant fats. The westernized diet is already highly unbalanced in the omega 3: omega 6-ratio—the polyunsaturated fats from nuts certainly won’t help.

Optimize the fat composition of your diet by kicking nuts to the curb and add more fish, that’s my recommendation. You’ll be more satiated and healthier to boot.

http://fitnessblackbook.com/diet-tips/martin-berkhan-scorch-through-your-fat-loss-plateau/

I always thought that nut protein had quite a good amino profile so I'm not sure about this, can anyone confirm?

mirandamayhem

Intermittent fasting overlord Martin Berkhan agrees with me as well apparently, not that that adds any weight to my point in particular.

Nuts, protein bars and dried fruit

Nuts in all their various forms are the most overrated and overhyped foods in the “health conscious” community. Just because it’s a natural food doesn’t mean it’s all that diet friendly or even healthy for that matter.

Packing a higher calorie density than chocolate, it’s no big mystery that people easily overdo it with nuts. Some people rationalize a high nut consumption by saying it’s a healthy and natural snack, but this is wrong. Nuts contain an incomplete amino acid profile and consist mostly of plant fats. The westernized diet is already highly unbalanced in the omega 3: omega 6-ratio—the polyunsaturated fats from nuts certainly won’t help.

Optimize the fat composition of your diet by kicking nuts to the curb and add more fish, that’s my recommendation. You’ll be more satiated and healthier to boot.

http://fitnessblackbook.com/diet-tips/martin-berkhan-scorch-through-your-fat-loss-plateau/

I always thought that nut protein had quite a good amino profile so I'm not sure about this, can anyone confirm?

The thing is, for weight LOSS I would whole heartedly agree there are far better ways of getting your nutrients, and if I was plateauing, I would be looking at things that might be obstacles in my weight loss. But the thing is, nuts have been given such bad press, people seem terrified to even consider them as part of a balanced diet. Of course, I'm coming from a vegan stand, so I'm not exactly going to go back to fish. tried that a few weeks ago, didn't like it. I'll take some cashews tossed in a salad over a piece of fsh (that's a fish with no eyes, sorry, it's been a rolling joke this week)

Ken4Life

I see a lot of people recommending nuts as a snack for people who want to bump up their protein intake. Imo this is a poor choice once you realise the volume of fat you need to consume to get a decent serving if protein out of them, and a poor choice for dieters generally.

For this I will consider 20 grams of protein a 'decent serving' of protein and take 2 typical nuts cashews and almonds.

Almonds
per 100g
Energy kCal 653
Protein 25.4g
Carbohydrate 26.5
Fat 55.8g

In order to get 20 grams of protein you would need to consume about 80g of almonds which comes with almost 50g of fat.


Cashews
100g
Energy kCal 637kCal
Protein 19.5g
Carbohydrate 26.5g
Fat 49.4g

same for cashews.

Considering most people here are on calorie restricted diets, such a calorie dense food really is not a good choice. A hand full of nuts, which is a tiny serving, could well be over 400 calories and will not keep you satisfied whatsoever.

But what about fats, they must be good for that right right?

Well, the majority of the fat in nuts are omega-6's which most people already get too many of compared to omega-3.So even as a fat source they are.....meh.

In summary, nuts = overrated.

NOPE- Wrong about this one....

melaniecheeks

20g of protein would be what I'm looking for in main meals.

I try to get a little extra in my snacks - it's not my main source of protein, but if its 5-6 g then that's great, it all adds up during the day. Almonds are handy to carry around in my handbag - not sure that shrimp would be just as convenient. But yes I'll have the shrimp for dinner!

InnerFatGirl

I love nuts, and as a vegetarian, they are a helping hand when I care about protein (which I don't, right now). I find a snack of almonds very filling, I just tend not to eat them often because of the calories. But I do find them more filling than most. As for fat, I couldn't give a damn about it.

SkinnyChemicals

Specifically for protein, I completely agree. Too many nuts and nut butters can get you into trouble with concern to calories.

This.

poedunk65

nuts are good for a snack for diabetics between meals. Only a handfull is needd to keep sugar levels in line.

So no they ARE NOT overrated.

marie_cressman

Or ...

http://www.neatorama.com/2012/04/22/add-insects-to-your-cupcakes-for-extra-protein/

Yum... cupcakes... haha I kid. That's disgusting. LOL


I like nuts. I don't eat them for the protein or fats or anything else they have to offer other than nutty goodness (and it's not as bad as my old snack of choice... a hershey's bar... LOL).

HisPathDaily

That's the problem buddy ... you put your opinion on an MFP board ... silly you

I understand your point completely, I've often thought about the same thing. I remember hearing how 5 almonds can settle my cravings ... really? Clearly I wasn't in the case study! lol ... pistachios are my favorite! Trader Joe's makes these thai chili-lime cashews that are awesome too!

Right I will reiterate my point AGAIN as it seems people are struggling to understand

I am not saying nuts are BAD, nowhere I this thread have I said nuts are unhealthy, i am not telling everyone to stop eating nuts immediately. I do not hate nuts, I have no anti-nut agenda.

I am simply pointing out there are other sources of protein and fats available, which IMO could be more beneficial.

KyleB65

Except for the part where the fat from nuts is healthy for you.
Except for the fiber that a serving of nuts provides.
Except where nuts are filling and prevent people like me from hitting the candy machine for a Twix bar some other such bad food. Except for the part where eating nuts has been shown to have a positive effect of cholesterol levels.
Except for the part where nuts have been shown to have a beneficial effect on heart health.

With those slight exceptions, I agree with every word of the OP.

Yup, what he said.

Cindym82

You're rubbish for posting this, fat is not the devil esp if it's good fats like the fat from nuts. smh.....100-170 calories of almonds is not going to ruin someone's day on a calorie restricted diet as you put it...

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I agree. When ever anyone says to me "just eat some [nuts/nut butters] if you're looking for more protein." I chuckle and talk to them about the relativity of that statement. Yes, as opposed to a banana they are a good source of protein, but as opposed to other sources of protein they're an inefficient use of calories if upping protein is your goal.

XXXMinnieXXX

all true, but a few almonds fill a hunger gap for me... x

Kagami_Taiga

Totally agree, Morrisons sell "snack portions" of almonds. When I read the nutrition info in the back I found out it was just over 450 calories.

Seems like quite a few calories for a "snack" :noway:

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Except for the part where the fat from nuts is healthy for you.
Except for the fiber that a serving of nuts provides.
Except where nuts are filling and prevent people like me from hitting the candy machine for a Twix bar some other such bad food. Except for the part where eating nuts has been shown to have a positive effect of cholesterol levels.
Except for the part where nuts have been shown to have a beneficial effect on heart health.

With those slight exceptions, I agree with every word of the OP.

Except for the part where the OP didn't offer a better alternative? What gives? You're gonna go telling everyone nuts are a bogus source of protein, but not offer up your thoughts on what is better?

I usually recommend whole eggs or salmon . . . both are great sources of Omega 3 fatty acids and proteins.

lyttlewon

I always thought that nut protein had quite a good amino profile so I'm not sure about this, can anyone confirm?

Might depend on the nut. I picked almonds because they are fairly popular
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3085/2

And pistachios http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3136/2

Expand the protein and amino acid box to see the profile.

Kagami_Taiga

Turkey's the best I think