Just a few years ago, nuts were dietary pariahs.
The perception was that they were fattening. And in the early 1990s, fat was bad. Even the American Dietetic Association was recommending nuts only for weight gain.
By 1996, U.S. nut sales had dropped almost 40 percent from the lofty figures of the late 1980s. Then came the science. And the low-carb diet craze that welcomed fat back to the table. One after another, researchers have shown that people who regularly eat nuts appear to have lower cholesterol levels and may have a decreased risk of heart disease. They’ve also found that nuts can satisfy appetites without causing weight gain.
Today, not only have nuts reappeared in kitchens nationwide, but the Food and Drug Administration in July granted manufacturers of certain types of nuts the right to place a “qualified” health claim on their products. Such permission means there is moderate evidence of a health benefit–but too few studies to say with scientific certainty that nuts can, for example, reduce the risk of heart disease.
“In the food industry, it’s one of the fastest turnarounds I’ve ever seen,” says Pat Kearney, a consultant to the nut industry and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official.
The story of nuts’ transformation from an almost forbidden food to a healthy one is part of the dramatic reappraisal of the role of fat in the diet, experts say.
Throughout the 1990s, most nutrition experts preached that low-fat diets were healthiest. More recent studies have indicated that the type of fat matters most and that some fat is good.
Fats are mixtures of fatty acids that fall into the categories of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated depending on their chemical composition. Saturated fats tend to raise “bad” cholesterol in the body.
Unsaturated fat–found in olive and canola oils in addition to most nuts–does not cause cholesterol to rise.
“People now recognize the dangers of saturated fat and that nuts have the right sort of fat,” says Dr. David Jenkins, a nutrition researcher at the University of Toronto.
Six to consider
These types of nuts can now carry a claim attesting to their health benefits. They received a B-level health claim from the FDA, which means the scientific evidence supporting the claim is moderate but not conclusive.
Type CALORIES TOT. FAT SAT. FAT
Almonds 170 14.5 1.5
Hazelnuts 160 18.0 1.0
Peanuts 160 13.5 2.0
Pecans 190 19.0 2.0
Pistachios 160 14.0 2.0
Walnuts 180 18.0 2.0
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Note: Calories are per ounce; total fat and saturated fat are grams per ounce.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
