What do peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts and pecans have in common?

• High in monounsaturated fatty acids
• Low in saturated fat and contain no trans fats
• High in vitamin E 
• High in protein

Nuts have re-entered the nutrition scene! If you banished nuts from your diet back in the 90’s (when fat gram counting was popular) you should reconsider. Nuts are nutritious!

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension) advises eating a small handful of nuts about 5 days a week.

Another recent study showed that “dieters,” who included nuts as part of their calorie allotment, were able to “stay on their diet” better than calorie-counters who didn’t eat nuts. Do bear in mind that nuts have ~170 calories per ounce. One PALM DOWN handful is the right portion. Obviously, it’s NOT a good idea to leave a bowlful of nuts on the coffee table while you’re watching the game!

What? You don’t have time to cook? Nonsense!
Nuts are the easiest entrée around! One ounce of nuts “counts” as 2 ounces of meat. Just add an ounce of almonds, pecans, peanuts (pick your favorite) to almost any side dish for an INSTANT meal.

Stuffing + nuts = instant entrée
Fruit Salad + nuts = instant entrée
Green Bean Casserole + nuts = instant entrée
………get the picture? No need to fire up the grill. NUTS ARE A MEAT REPLACEMENT!