If I had to pick a nut to eat, it would be the cashew. My husband too. He sometimes buys the big container when shopping in bulk and together, we manage to polish the whole thing off. Not in one sitting, mind you, but we probably do eat too many, too quickly. And then we swear off these nuts for a while because we're never quite sure how healthy they are, in the whole scheme of nuts.
It can sometimes seem like the world is a little nuts, but that's not always a bad thing. Case in point: there is growing evidence showing that nuts can benefit for your cardiovascular health. I know, I know...a while was macadamia nuts, then it was pistachios, and now, well, now I'm going to mention the benefit of the rest of the lot.
Be it peanuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts or of course the two kinds I mentioned in earlier posts, nuts are clearly a healthy way to reduce cholesterol and reduce caloric consumption. A study, conducted in Spain, involved the survey of almost 9,000 people and their nut consumption and weight. Twenty-eight months later, a follow-up survey was held -- showing that people who ate nuts at least twice a week were 30 percent less likely than non nut eaters to put on some extra poundage.
The reason behind this is that nuts contain good fats; providing the body with a sustainable energy source, and they also contain a fair amount of protein. Couple these factors with the feeling of overall fullness a person experiences after eating nuts (and therefore doesn't feel the need to reach for a bag of cookies), and you have found a good explanation for the lessened chance of weight loss in the study participants.
