nuts as a snack

dotti1121
dotti1121 Posts: 751 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Nuts are supposed to be a great snack choice, but if I have nuts I almost always go over my fat goal! I know it's the "good fats" but still...

On the days I go over my fat allowance, I tell myself "it's ok b/c I had nuts today"...?

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    pretty much, yes.
  • pgp90xer
    pgp90xer Posts: 219 Member
    I think the same way, that it is a good fat. I just don't eat them everyday. Another good choice is pumpkin seeds. 1/4 cup is high in fat at 23 g but I like them because they are higher in protein then any nuts at 18 g or protein.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Fat doesn't make you fat. I snack on almonds every day and am often over on fat. I lost 30 pounds by doing this and have maintained that loss for almost 4 months now. Don't worry about healthy fats!
  • willismack2
    willismack2 Posts: 84
    I eat nuts almost every day. I use eat them a lot in the evenings to use up calories I have left for the day. I don't worry about the fat.
  • mmarcy7
    mmarcy7 Posts: 227 Member
    My problem is once I get started snacking on nuts I overdo it. I have been stalled on weight loss for about a week now, so I am going nut free this week. I'm not worried about the fat, I think it is just the fact that what I guesstimate to be 1/4 cup is probably not so accurate. So for me, nuts are good, if you can stick to eating only what you need to stay under calories.
  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    I totally read this as "nuts in a sack". :blushing:
  • dotti1121
    dotti1121 Posts: 751 Member
    I totally read this as "nuts in a sack". :blushing:

    LOL! We know where your mind is today! :laugh:
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    Many nuts are high calorie. And it's hard to "stop at just one". Sometimes I will have almonds, but I will only have like 5-7 almonds in a day. They are good for you, but not too many! It is too easy to eat like a cup of almonds which is like hundreds of calories.
  • rxj22
    rxj22 Posts: 23
    Nuts are overrated as a snack. They are calorie dense and can send you over your fat goal with just a few handfuls. "Although fat doesn't make you fat" as someone stated, but excess calories do make you fat and nuts are a easy way to put you over your calorie goal. I would limit your intake to 1-2 small handfuls/day. It doesn't matter if they are "healthy fats" or not, calories are calories and you need to leave some room for omega-3's in your fat intake.
  • dotti1121
    dotti1121 Posts: 751 Member
    I never have more than one serving of nuts per day...
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    A serving of almonds (1/4 of a cup) is like a half snack for me! It's just never enough to stave off the hunger.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Nuts are overrated as a snack. They are calorie dense and can send you over your fat goal with just a few handfuls. "Although fat doesn't make you fat" as someone stated, but excess calories do make you fat and nuts are a easy way to put you over your calorie goal. I would limit your intake to 1-2 small handfuls/day. It doesn't matter if they are "healthy fats" or not, calories are calories and you need to leave some room for omega-3's in your fat intake.

    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.
  • rxj22
    rxj22 Posts: 23


    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.

    I disagree. This is completely dependent on your insulin sensitivity. As someone that is lean and exercises, I often eat more carbs than is recommended and less fat. I found that the "Paleoish" High fat/low carb approach didn't suit me well in my goals. However, it may be a great choice for others.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member


    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.

    I disagree. This is completely dependent on your insulin sensitivity. As someone that is lean and exercises, I often eat more carbs than is recommended and less fat. I found that the "Paleoish" High fat/low carb approach didn't suit me well in my goals. However, it may be a great choice for others.

    well...ok...but I am lean and I exercise quite a bit so ...
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    I eat nuts everyday for my AM snack. I rotate between almonds, walnuts, and pistachios and if they aren't pre-packaged, I split them up into portions as soon as I buy them (12 walnut halves, 40 pistachios, 20-25 almonds). If you have a hard time with portions, buy the 100 calorie packs of almonds.
  • acragle
    acragle Posts: 26 Member
    I'm with rxj22 ... you need to keep an eye on your fat macros and not over do it just because they are 'good' fats. You might also want to mix it up a bit to regulate your fat. I have a pretty high fat/protein split and will often use raw almonds (1 oz. at a time), natural peanut butter in a shake (1-2 tbls), black olives, half of avacado, and then fat from the occasional egg yolk or milk.
  • britcurl
    britcurl Posts: 110 Member
    My problem is once I get started snacking on nuts I overdo it. I have been stalled on weight loss for about a week now, so I am going nut free this week. I'm not worried about the fat, I think it is just the fact that what I guesstimate to be 1/4 cup is probably not so accurate. So for me, nuts are good, if you can stick to eating only what you need to stay under calories.

    Thats why I measure out and put in a ziplock bag. Cause I would sooo go over :)
  • rxj22
    rxj22 Posts: 23


    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.

    I disagree. This is completely dependent on your insulin sensitivity. As someone that is lean and exercises, I often eat more carbs than is recommended and less fat. I found that the "Paleoish" High fat/low carb approach didn't suit me well in my goals. However, it may be a great choice for others.

    well...ok...but I am lean and I exercise quite a bit so ...

    So what? Research as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that high fat foods (including nuts) tend to be not very satiating and easy to overeat (especially when palatability is increased by salt or other seasonings). Hence my opinion that nuts tend to be overated as a weight loss food.

    On top of that, volume of food has also been shown to contribute to satiety, for 100g of almonds you get approx. 578 calories, while for 100g of potato you get 74 calories. Potatoes have been shown in clinical research to be more satiating than almonds.


    Blundell, J.E., and MacDiarmid, J.I., "Fat as a risk factor for overconsumption: satiation, satiety, and patterns of eating," J Am Diet Assoc 1997 97(7): S63-S69

    Holt, S.H., et al., "A satiety index of common foods," Eur J Clin Nutr 1995 Sep; 49(9): 675-690
  • acragle
    acragle Posts: 26 Member
    On top of that, volume of food has also been shown to contribute to satiety, for 100g of almonds you get approx. 578 calories, while for 100g of potato you get 74 calories. Potatoes have been shown in clinical research to be more satiating than almonds.


    Good read, but I think I would stick with sweet potatoes/yams if cutting fat .. ;)
  • rxj22
    rxj22 Posts: 23
    On top of that, volume of food has also been shown to contribute to satiety, for 100g of almonds you get approx. 578 calories, while for 100g of potato you get 74 calories. Potatoes have been shown in clinical research to be more satiating than almonds.


    Good read, but I think I would stick with sweet potatoes/yams if cutting fat .. ;)

    That was just an example, I regularly eat both :)
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member


    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.

    I disagree. This is completely dependent on your insulin sensitivity. As someone that is lean and exercises, I often eat more carbs than is recommended and less fat. I found that the "Paleoish" High fat/low carb approach didn't suit me well in my goals. However, it may be a great choice for others.

    well...ok...but I am lean and I exercise quite a bit so ...

    So what? Research as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that high fat foods (including nuts) tend to be not very satiating and easy to overeat (especially when palatability is increased by salt or other seasonings). Hence my opinion that nuts tend to be overated as a weight loss food.

    On top of that, volume of food has also been shown to contribute to satiety, for 100g of almonds you get approx. 578 calories, while for 100g of potato you get 74 calories. Potatoes have been shown in clinical research to be more satiating than almonds.


    Blundell, J.E., and MacDiarmid, J.I., "Fat as a risk factor for overconsumption: satiation, satiety, and patterns of eating," J Am Diet Assoc 1997 97(7): S63-S69

    Holt, S.H., et al., "A satiety index of common foods," Eur J Clin Nutr 1995 Sep; 49(9): 675-690

    so what? the original question did not mention satiety. you said nuts were over rated as a snack. they arent. the question isnt about satiety or insulin or carbs.
  • rxj22
    rxj22 Posts: 23


    the fat goal given by MFP is LOW and the carb goal given by MFP is HIGH. Assuming your total calories are in check, almonds, cashews, pistachios are not over rated as a snack. Peanuts on the other hand are not really a nut and should be limited. I love peanuts but the other real nuts are better.

    I disagree. This is completely dependent on your insulin sensitivity. As someone that is lean and exercises, I often eat more carbs than is recommended and less fat. I found that the "Paleoish" High fat/low carb approach didn't suit me well in my goals. However, it may be a great choice for others.

    well...ok...but I am lean and I exercise quite a bit so ...

    So what? Research as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that high fat foods (including nuts) tend to be not very satiating and easy to overeat (especially when palatability is increased by salt or other seasonings). Hence my opinion that nuts tend to be overated as a weight loss food.

    On top of that, volume of food has also been shown to contribute to satiety, for 100g of almonds you get approx. 578 calories, while for 100g of potato you get 74 calories. Potatoes have been shown in clinical research to be more satiating than almonds.


    Blundell, J.E., and MacDiarmid, J.I., "Fat as a risk factor for overconsumption: satiation, satiety, and patterns of eating," J Am Diet Assoc 1997 97(7): S63-S69

    Holt, S.H., et al., "A satiety index of common foods," Eur J Clin Nutr 1995 Sep; 49(9): 675-690

    so what? the original question did not mention satiety. you said nuts were over rated as a snack. they arent. the question isnt about satiety or insulin or carbs.

    I just explained why nuts are overated as a snack and gave you research based evidence to support this position. You counter with satiety/overconsumption not being related to the original question. A vast majority of people on this site are seeking weight/fat loss, correct? Fat loss is dependent on a caloric deficit, correct? Caloric intake of your average person is dependent on satiety, correct? So how is satiety not relevant to the original question? Unless you are compulsively weighing your food, I would not recommend regularly snacking on nuts simply because based on evidence they are likely to be overconsumed, hence overrated.

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