Australians need to go 'nuts'

Despite the benefits associated with decreasing heart disease, as well as diabetes, research shows that Australians aren’t eating nearly enough nuts. According to the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey, Australians consume just six grams of nuts on average each day -- which means they should be increasing nut consumption by 350 percent.

Katherine Baqleh, an accredited practising dietitian of Health Victory Nutrition Experts explains a lingering theme in her everyday interactions is that people tend to think nuts are high in fat and therefore should be avoided.

While many would argue the savoury snacks are overpriced and more hassle than they’re worth (sorry, pistachios) Baqleh explains in just one week of eating nuts, your risk of heart disease is still lower than those who don’t consume any at all.

However, Baqleh warns due to nuts being very energy dense, overeating them can easily add several hundred extra calories to your daily intake, contributing to weight gain.

“Think of nuts the same way you think of fruits and vegetables,” Lisa Yates, Nuts for Life dietitian and program manager told HuffPost Australia. “As plant foods, each nut type has a range of different nutrients so if you’re eating mixed nuts, you’re going to get a bit of all those nutrients. Certainly if you’ve got a particular condition, for instance, if you’re lactose intolerant and are unable to have dairy you’ll therefore need to up your calcium intake and almonds are great for that.”

While the Australian Dietary Guidelines advise 30 grams of nuts each day is sufficient, new research out of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people can benefit from increasing intake to two handfuls -- especially those people with type 2 diabetes.

Source: huffingtonpost.com.au