On a cold winter night nothing is more enticing than the thought of curling up on the couch with a piping cup of hot chocolate and crunchy biscotti. But the reality is, this seemingly inoffensive treat can sabotage a full days worth of healthy eating. Would you believe that this one ounce serving of biscotti contains 250 calories! Besides, who eats just one? Continued over the course of a year, this could result in an extra 20 pounds of weight gain.

Besides the frustration of not fitting into your jeans, there are also serious health risks associated with weight gain such as coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Studies have shown that weight gain of as little as two pounds a year can increase your chances of those health risks by 5 percent.

Now the news isn't all bad, and anyone who has ever been on a diet knows that cutting out occasional treats entirely leads to a diet disaster.

Pair my Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti recipe with a sugar-free or diet hot cocoa for a treat that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without jeopardizing your waistline.

Peanut lovers are just barely bouncing back after a major salmonella scare. Now the news is breaking that the country's second largest pistachio farm is recalling its entire 2008 crop -- or a million pounds of nuts -- due to concerns that the pistachios might be contaminated with salmonella.

If you're a nut lover or a vegan/vegetarian who depends on nuts for protein, you're probably saying nuts to all these food safety concerns. I don't blame you. But nuts are far too good for you to give up on them altogether -- not only can they help control weight gain, they're also rich in healthy fats and good for the heart. While you're waiting for your favorite nuts to be cleared, here are a few healthy choices to try instead:

• Almonds: Low in saturated fat, an ounce of almonds fulfills 35 percent of your vitamin E for the day for only 160 calories.
• Walnuts: An ounce of tasty walnuts will give you a day's worth of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Cashews: Go crazy for cashews -- they're a lower-fat nut and rich in oleic acid.
• Pecans: A handful of these offer 19 different vitamins and minerals and could lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol.

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It's okay to go a little nuts once and a while, especially when it means preventing heart disease.

Women's Health reports that participants in a Penn State study who at 1.5 ounces of pistachios daily for four weeks, then ate three ounces daily for four more weeks, saw a nine percent drop in LDL cholesterol after the four weeks and a twelve percent drop after boosting their intake during the weeks that followed.

According to the Women's Health article, pistachios -- which are rich in good, healthy fats -- help lower levels of interleukin-1 -- an indicator of inflammation, which is a risk factor for heart disease -- by 15 percent. Related studies have shown that walnuts, almonds and many other nuts can also reduce heart disease risk.

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Man, nuts are expensive. A strange way to open a discussion, I know, but I needed to get right to the point. And as I take a quick look back at that first sentence, I'm thankful for the way a comma can help clarify the meaning of a statement. Anyway, back to what I was saying: nuts are not cheap these days. Where I shop, a good sized package of almonds can run about six bucks. Walnuts are only slightly cheaper. With the exception of peanuts, it seems as though the price of nuts has become ... well, for lack of a better term, nuts.

This is too bad, really. Nuts are an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat -- the kind that helps reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol. In addition, studies have shown that nuts may also reduce inflammation in blood vessels, helping to prevent against the development of heart disease.

Considering that nuts contain the antioxidant vitamin E, as well as a fair amount of folate and niacin (among myriad other nutrients), you'd think there would be government action taken to make them more affordable. A handful of almonds, for example, would make for a much healthier snack in a kid's lunchbox than would a bag of potato chips; yet, the small container of almonds cost twice as much as an overstuffed bag of the latter. With the growing problem of obesity (no pun intended) in this country among kids and adults, efforts should be made to make healthy foods such as nuts the better financial option than sugary and salty snacks.

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Want a convenient and healthy snack? Try pistachios! Not only are they yummy to munch, they have a lot of health perks to boot. Like most nuts, pistachios are high in fat: 13 grams. But 7 grams are monounsaturated and 4 grams are polyunsaturated -- both of which are beneficial fats when eaten moderately. In fact, research conducted at the Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia shows that people who ate two to three ounces of unsalted pistachios every day for four weeks raised their HDL cholesterol by 6%. HDL is considered the good cholesterol (think "H" for "Healthy") because it helps carry fatty acids and cholesterol to the liver for removal.

Pistachios used to be dyed red to hide imperfections in the shells, but they're more commonly found in their natural colored shells now. You can also buy them pre-shelled. For more quick health tips, go to AOL Body.

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I don't think there's a person out there who doesn't want flatter abs, and if you don't, that's probably because you already have washboard abs, and you should know that we are all insanely jealous of you. But seriously. Getting flat abs is hard, but there are a few steps that can help you get closer to your goal.

The first step? Eating well. According to AOL Body, you should add these items to your diet to shrink your belly:

• Almonds
• Avocado
• Chocolate -- the dark or semi-sweet kind
• Flax seed oil
• Macadamia nuts
• Natural peanut butter
• Olive oil
• Pistachios
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

Things to avoid? Think white -- mainly anything with refined sugar or refined flour. And go easy on the carbs, mmmmkay?

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In 90-seconds, you can walk to the kitchen and open a bag of chips and a soda. Or you can improve your health -- which sounds better? I know you're leading towards the chips, but think about how much better you'll feel if you choose your health.

According to Prevention, you can improve your health in 90 seconds. Now, that's not that's all it takes, but here are some easy things you can do in addition to leading a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat the apple peel. You might like apple slices bare, but most of the nutrition is in the skin.
  
• Sniff lavender and rosemary. Studies have shown that doing this can help slow the aging process.
  
• Add pistachios to your salad. This can significantly reduce your cholesterol
• Instead of pouring on the sugar, use buckwheat honey.
  

Want more great tips? Click here.

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