I WAS eating almonds and pecans by the handful...until I started weighing out those handfuls!  Now I eat ten almonds (69 calories) or 15 pecans (100 calories) at a time.  And, of course, I enter every one in on my CC Food Log.

I just started John Berardi's Precision Nutrition Lean Eating program last week. Our assignment yesterday was to add "good" fat to every meal. Nuts are an excellent source of "good" fat.

It is funny how two independent sources gave me the same information this week.

I added some leftover hazelnuts to a fruit salad with kiwis, mangos and bananas along with a little honey and orange juice... and it added so much to it! The crunchiness and more "earthy" flavor prefectly contrasted all the sweet fruitiness... Also, walnuts in rocket & parmesan salads with balsamic vinegar are a must. Nuts can be used everywhere and add an awful lot to the taste, flavor & texture!

I make a mix of peanuts, cashews, almonds....and then add pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  The peanuts have a cajun flavoring which mix with spicy pumpkin seeds and the other nuts....it makes them delicious.  Have to watch the consumption as mentioned.

"Are you nuts for nuts?"  Yes, I am

As a matter of fact, I enjoyed eating my "portioned" pecan halves as I read this article.  

Our pecan harvest was very good this year! We took 90 pounds to a vendor to have them cracked; we shelled them; packed them in ziplock bags; and gave to family  members and friends for Christmas presents.  We also froze some for our household.

Chopped pecans or walnuts are delicious tossed with baby spinach greens, cubed jellied cranberry sauce, and sprayed with Wishbone raspberry salad spritzer.

I dug out my coffee grinder and grind nuts with grated orange peel then mix it in my home made yogurt or add a touch of water so it has the consistency of peanut butter.  That was rather tasty on my home made sourdough bread.

Get Nuts!  

Love my nuts!!!  I think that for those of us who dealt with food guilt in the past, nuts were a tough one to accept.  They really do play an important role in weight loss and good health.  In salads, as a snack, or a bit of peanut butter on my muffin in the morning, I feel satiated and find myself less hungry during the day.  They truly are a miracle food.

I also learned the importance of taking out the bad fats and putting in the good fats from Zonya Foco''s DIETFREE program. So I have (for the most part) quit eating anything deep fried and have started eating nuts more often.  I used to avoid them b/c they were so high fat. Now, I'm enjoying them as a small snack or on top of salad or in yogurt. My favorite snack has been a small handful of almonds w/ 8 (I counted out to equal 50 calories) dark chocolate covered raisins. What a treat when I'm sitting at my desk at work! 

It is a benefit eat nuts, but when I started seeing the calorie count on almonds. I said, "Hold up, wait a minute."  I need to start taking lower quantities.  Almonds are just an irresistible snack!

Original Post by: ayoder66

I also learned the importance of taking out the bad fats and putting in the good fats from Zonya Foco''s DIETFREE program. So I have (for the most part) quit eating anything deep fried and have started eating nuts more often.  I used to avoid them b/c they were so high fat. Now, I'm enjoying them as a small snack or on top of salad or in yogurt. My favorite snack has been a small handful of almonds w/ 8 (I counted out to equal 50 calories) dark chocolate covered raisins. What a treat when I'm sitting at my desk at work! 

I love Zonya!  Read Water With Lemon: An Inspiring Story of Diet-free, Guilt-free Weight Loss!

My wife and I add 1/8 cup of peanuts or cashew halves in our salad.  We make two salad plates for portion control, rather than make one big salad and dish it out.  We pour the nuts over the salad just before adding the dressing.  The nuts add flavor and a nice crunch, along with giving us the good fat.  Try it!

Two caveats:

Peanuts are NOT nuts. They are legumes. Be very careful with eating these guys as they are not (nut?) what they may seem! Furthermore, they are used as rotational crops for heavily-sprayed crops like cotton-- because as legumes they fix nitrogen in the soil-- and as a result they soak up all of those nasty pesticides. So if you do eat peanuts, don't treat them as you do other nuts and ALWAYS buy organic (unless you don't care about pesticides, which is fine but everyone should make that decision knowingly).

Second, watch out for the salt! Do eat nuts but get unsalted ones.

I used to HATE nuts as a kid, now I've learned to love them.    Almonds, Cashews & Peanuts are my favorite. There are some nuts I don't like though, like Pecans & Walnuts. Blech!

Almost every day I snack on a serving of nuts, it's the only good fat source I'd eat so I have to eat them as often as I can to balance my diet out.

I am a vegetarian, to get my daily dose of protein, I usually eat a lot of legumes and and what nuts (punny), I am also a peanut butter lover.  collectionsetc

I get most of my protein from nuts and legumes, and I'd never give up either one. "Ants on a log" (celery with peanut butter and raisins) is still one of my favorite snacks although I sometimes vary the nut butter and/or dried fruit (e.g., almond instead of peanut, cherries instead of raisins). I'd never give up dried fruit either, but that's another topic.

since i don't keep goodies in the house any more my major sweet tooth attacks have been on peanut butter (a tbsp at a time) and jam.  

I am currently trying to keep the 50-calorie apple sauces at hand because sometimes i wind up eating 30% of my total daily in peanut butter and it's only like two little globs! definitely not a good idea :S and frustrating too. 

I have a sweet tooth and nuts sometimes satiate it. Unfortunately It would probably be better calorie wise to just eat a cookie LOL 

i'm so torn and i'm sooo obsessed with peanut butter! LOL! Help! :P (j/k)

ack... my little brother is incredibly allergic to nuts, so I can't have any- even though they're not evil.

 Well, i guess they're evil to him. ^^

You should be careful with walnuts: I used to eat a half cup of raw walnuts a day until I started to develop canker sores. I had no idea about the connection until my dentist asked me "Do you happen to eat sugary candy or walnuts?" Ooops.

It seems that walnut oil can be very hard on your gums and this makes them susceptible to attack by mouth bacteria specifically streptococcus. Her advice was to alternate with almonds or rinse out my mouth with water or milk after eating them.

I add chopped walnuts to my quick oats in the morning with just a splash of maple syrup...very tasty!

Great post!  I try to eat the highest nutrition per calorie.  I don't always hit this mark but I do give it a try.  Low calorie doesn't always mean it's healthy or good to eat.  

claireberry: Good info and well put.  Seems there's lots of controversy about pesticides and herbicides.  There's lots of info out there and it can be confusing.

PS Love to eat nuts, any kind.  I have to be careful about portion control....

I love the 100 calorie snack pack

what about peanuts?  I love dry-roasted peanuts :)

I like to put some (shelled) brazil nuts in my mini food chopper with a little virgin coconut oil.  It blends up into a wonderful nut butter that is so healthy and fresh!  Perfect for a low carb snack too.

I eat a cup of oatmeal with 1 tbls of sliced (blanched) almonds with a  bit of milk and 1 tbls of honey for breakfast every morning. Tastes great!

i have a love/hate relationship with nuts- nuts make me nutty! whenever i eat a few, i can't seem to stop! and don't even start me on my jiff peanut butter...:)

I eat nuts every day, I LOVE THEM!

Just made my own peanut butter- literally can't believe how easy it is- and if you don't want to, you don't even need to add oil at all! All you need is peanut butter. This has put my mind at rest a lot; I don't eat palm oil because it is responsible for the destruction of rain-forests in a big way- not to mention unhealthy- and it is really hard where I live to find peanut butter that doesn't contain palm oil. This way I can have peanut butter just how I like it- no sugar, less oil, and less salt- and it tastes WAY more peanutty, and you can have it as smooth or crunchy as you like- all you really need are some roasted peanuts and a food processor... everyone should try it!

What difference does it make to the calorie count of nuts when they are soaked? It does make them more digestable, so I soak them for atleast an hour and enjoy the sweet test, just curious to know if it reduces their calorie count too?

My breakfast routine is the same...a serving of oatmeal and chopped pecans at my desk.  This fills me up well into the day, and sometimes I don't even get hungry for lunch.  My problem is that I keep the can of pecans in my office, so I'm apt to take snack of them in the afternoon. 

Did you know that cashews are high in Magnesium? They keep you "regular" in the same way as milk of magnesia does. I really like the raw cashews which I find in my general grocery store.

I don't bother adding nuts to salads. Make your crunch from carrots and celery. Leave the nuts till snack time - when you are looking for something to nibble.

they will always be a staple in my diary, yum.

I love a heaping tablespoonful of natural peanutbutter as a snack or dessert.  I know it's about 200 calories, but I must be addicted because I LOVE it so much!!  I can easily get out of control when there's a jar in the house, and it's become a bit of a joke with my husband that I always eat it all.  It's true, though - sometimes he doesn't even get to taste it before the jar is empty. 

I also love nuts mixed into salads and a couple as a snack.  They are nicely filling and taste great.