MARY CONCANNON
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Nut Case

9/28/2013

 
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My father lived until his early 90s and was my wellness role model.  He maintained a healthy weight measured by the fact that the suit he wore on his wedding day fit him throughout his life.  A former high school and college athlete, he continued regular physical activity until his late 80s.  Dad controlled his portions by performing what he claimed was the most important exercise – pushing yourself away from the table. 

I remember that he enjoyed snacking on nuts and yet, because he was mindful of their high caloric content, he would only have a handful saying how much he enjoyed them as long as he didn’t eat too many.  We could all benefit by adopting his healthy approach to nutrition and physical activity…

One of the things I like about nuts aside from the healthful NUTrition they provide is that they’re a very portable, non-perishable source of protein. I have a small bag of unsalted nuts and raisins in my purse for when hunger strikes and healthy food isn’t readily available.  The combination of the nuts (i.e., protein and healthy fats) and raisins (i.e., carbohydrate) makes it a perfect snack. 

I'm fortunate to live in Baltimore where I can buy Jeppi nuts that are freshly roasted in their Lutherville store.  At the Jeppi Nut and Candy Company, it’s best to purchase unsalted varieties of your favorite nuts and go easy on trail mixes because of their added high-calorie, high-fat items such as chocolate coatings and candy.
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I buy one pound bags of raw almonds, peanuts, and walnuts for snacking and baking and keep them in the kitchen.  Interestingly, Mindless Eating author Brian Wansink conducted research and found that people who enter their homes through the kitchen door weigh a bit more than those who enter through the front door because they mindlessly graze on foods in the kitchen.  Not surprisingly, one of the high-calorie culprits in the study was nuts. 

To control your portions, keep in mind that a one ounce serving of nuts varies depending on the type and size of each nut:

one_ounce_nuts.pdf
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According to MyPlate, a 1/2 ounce serving of mixed nuts is considered a “one-ounce equivalent" from the protein foods group.  Eating nuts is one of the ways to add variety to your protein sources:
protein_foods.pdf
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This Greatist infographic beautifully illustrates the case for including nuts in a healthy diet:


Be Well,
Mary

P.S.  Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.

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    I'm Mary Concannon.
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