Fat in Nuts

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stealthxstar
stealthxstar Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I've been adding pecans and/or almonds to my oatmeal or salads, maybe 1 serving (about 1/4 cup chopped nuts) once every other day or so. Only problem is that nuts are very high in fat, so they sometimes make up more than half the calories I consume in a meal! I am about 9 months post-op, gastric sleeve, so I eat about four 300 calorie meals a day. But one serving of pecans is 210 calories and 22g of fat. I feel guilty eating them! I know they are healthy fats, and that fat is essential, but I still feel like I am doing something I shouldn't.

What do you guys think? Should I try to limit the nuts to once or twice a week? Keep eating them? Stop eating them altogether? I feel like I'm cheating when I add them to my meal! :(

Replies

  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Eat half a serving instead of a whole serving.
  • ocukor1
    ocukor1 Posts: 66
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    Fat should be 20-30% of your daily requirements, The mfp pie chart can show you the percentage based on your daily food intake.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Blue Diamond 100 Calorie Packs Dry Roasted Almonds are the answer :)
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    pecans are super fatty.

    try almonds.
  • stealthxstar
    stealthxstar Posts: 10 Member
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    I'll check out the almonds, thanks guys! Also I found soynuts are good too, and while they might not taste quite as good they're great for protein so I'm going to try those too.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    The fats in nuts are very healthy unsaturated fats, so from a health perspective, there is no reason to feel guilty. In addition, nuts do not cause blood sugar to spike, so they will not cause cravings later in the day. Sounds like win win to me! I eat a serving of nuts every day and I haven't had any problem!
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    Nuts are "good" fats - the body does need fat. Carbs are the real culprit in obesity...

    Lovin my nuts and Avocados! eat 'em regularly - 170 cholesterol 15% body fat at age 44
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    The fats in nuts are very healthy unsaturated fats, so from a health perspective, there is no reason to feel guilty. In addition, nuts do not cause blood sugar to spike, so they will not cause cravings later in the day. Sounds like win win to me! I eat a serving of nuts every day and I haven't had any problem!

    ^^^^ THIS ^^^^
  • chocolateandvodka
    chocolateandvodka Posts: 1,856 Member
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    I've heard of people trying to spot reduce, but this is a new one...
  • CheriSoVery
    CheriSoVery Posts: 6 Member
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    YES!! Nuts are good good good all around. Keep your servings to actual serving sizes and your body will thank you. We NEED that kind of fat
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    If you're eating low fat the rest of the time and are consistently under on your fat intake, I see no reason to limit nuts to once or twice a week. As you said, they are essential and healthy fats that your body needs. As long as you're not overdoing it, I see no reason to remove them from your diet.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Nuts are delicious, healthy good fats. Keep eating them. However, one serving a day should do you and you should probably weigh it out to make sure it's actually a serving because they're easy to over-portion.
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
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    Carbs are the real culprit in obesity...

    I know you're making a simplified statement here and that your realize there is more to it that you say, but I would argue that overeating and lack of education are the real culprits in obesity. Carbs are an essential part of the diet. We need carbs in order to burn fat efficiently and run away from police and that sort of thing.
  • solomonsmom
    solomonsmom Posts: 57 Member
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    Im ADDICTED to Pastachios!!! so im no help here but would like to know if I need to back away from the bag!!
  • gimedatnow
    gimedatnow Posts: 173 Member
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    Nuts are super healthy for you. They're high in unsaturated fats (thought to lower bad cholesterol levels), rich in omega-3 fatty acids (help regulate your heart health!, also found in many kinds of fish but nuts are a good plant-based source), high in fiber (lowers cholesterol, increases satiety, thought to prevent diabetes), high in vitamin E (reduces risk of a heart attack), high in plant sterols (lowers cholesterol), and high in L-arginine (reduces likelihood of blood clotting).

    That being said, some nuts are definitely better than others! As others have said, many are high in unsaturated ("healthy") fats, but many are also high in saturated fats. Mayoclinic has a good table explaining this:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nuts/HB00085/NSECTIONGROUP=2

    Type of nut Calories Total fat
    (saturated/unsaturated fat)*
    Almonds, raw 163 14 g (1.1 g/12.2 g)
    Almonds, dry roasted 169 15 g (1.1 g/12.9 g)
    Brazil nuts, raw 186 19 g (4.3 g/12.8 g)
    Cashews, dry roasted 163 13.1 g (2.6 g/10 g)
    Chestnuts, roasted 69 0.6 g (0.1 g/0.5 g)
    Hazelnuts (filberts), raw 178 17 g (1.3 g/15.2 g)
    Hazelnuts (filberts), dry roasted 183 17.7 g (1.3 g/15.6 g)
    Macadamia nuts, raw 204 21.5 g (3.4 g/17.1 g)
    Macadamia nuts, dry roasted 204 21.6 g (3.4 g/17.2 g)
    Peanuts, dry roasted 166 14 g (2g/11.4 g)
    Pecans, dry roasted 201 21 g (1.8 g/18.3 g)
    Pistachios, dry roasted 161 12.7 g (1.6 g/10.5 g)
    Walnuts, halved 185 18.5 g (1.7 g/15.9 g)
  • gimedatnow
    gimedatnow Posts: 173 Member
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    Oops, sorry that formatting was abysmal. Check out the link itself for a clearer table. Conclusion: If you're looking for nuts with low saturated fat, go for chestnuts (lol, not actually nut-like but whatever), pistachios, cashews, peanuts, and almonds.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    Carbs are the real culprit in obesity...

    I know you're making a simplified statement here and that your realize there is more to it that you say, but I would argue that overeating and lack of education are the real culprits in obesity. Carbs are an essential part of the diet. We need carbs in order to burn fat efficiently and run away from police and that sort of thing.

    Yeah - sorry, of course carbs are an essential macro. I guess what I meant was that sugar is probably more prevalent in our foods than healthy fats like in nuts. At least for me I am probably more vigilante about the hidden amounts of sugar in my food. Healthy fats are the least of my concerns...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MH_tks_wE&feature=player_embedded#!
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
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    Yeah - sorry, of course carbs are an essential macro. I guess what I meant was that sugar is probably more prevalent in our foods than healthy fats like in nuts. At least for me I am probably more vigilante about the hidden amounts of sugar in my food. Healthy fats are the least of my concerns...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MH_tks_wE&feature=player_embedded#!

    I completely agree. I think people don't realize just how much sugar is in a lot of the foods they consume. I know I didn't until I started logging it. I sure miss those sour gummy worms.

    To the OP - I eat nuts every day. I keep a few jars of them on my counter for variety and always make sure to weigh them out, as it is just like you say - so easy to eat a ton of calories worth. Fats are important, and I am trying to reduce the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in my diet and instead focus on omega-3 fatty acids found such as those found in walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts.

    Large deep sea fatty sigh are also a good source of these.
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
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    Nuts are good fats, but they're still very calorie-dense, so they're not ideal for losing weight. If you're using nuts just for the good fats, you could switch to flax seeds or even eggs to lower the calories.

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