Healthy Bites
They are rich in vitamins & minerals but beware of their saturated fat content.
Love snacking on nuts but worried that they are unhealthy? Not really true, say the experts.
The U.S Food & Drug Adminstration says that eating 1/3 cup or 42.5g of nuts a day as part of your diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Nuts are rich in protein, vitamins (folic acid, niacin, copper, zinc, selenium, phosphorus & potassium). They can be consumed daily but do so in moderation.
Choose nuts that are raw or unroasted, unsalted and without honey or sugar coatings. They can be eaten as a snack or as part of a main meal such as with salads.
However, take note of the saturated fat content as saturated fats – unlike their unsaturated counterpart – are similar to animal fat and contribute to low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is the bad cholesterol which leads to a higher risk of stroke and heart disease when they clog up the arteries. Nuts contain a combination of both unsaturated and saurated fats, so do remember not to overeat them.
Content from The Strait Times, January1, 2009.
