Nuts are an excellent food, very high in nutrients and good fats, they shouldn't impact your blood sugar because aside from cashews and pistachios (which aren't that high) they are very low carb. They are high in calories though, a handful of walnuts can contain a couple of hundred calories, depending on the size of your handful, so they could lead to weight gain if you eat enough of them. That said, since they're high fat they tend to satisfy the urge to nibble quickly and actually stop me wanting to eat other things so some people believe they are an appetite suppressant. They're full of good stuff mind you, very high in omegas, fibre, magnesium, selenium and other nice minerals so a much better option than crackers, crisps or those sort of snacks. I suppose it's really about your snacking personality. If you're happy with an occasional nibble on a few nuts thoughtout the day I'd guess they're a good option, if you're more likely to want to eat several good handfuls then probably they're not the best option. Full disclosure here, I'm a nut fan, I eat my own body weight in almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts and nut butters, love the blighters, although they are apparently the reason I have an HDL level higher than the GP has ever encountered (that's the good cholesterol) so it has been suggested I might want to throttle my nut intake a little in the interest of a balanced diet 😱, ahem what he actually said was "do you eat anything other than nuts?". So I'm biased 🙂 as a fully certified nut lover. I eat them frequently in low quantity btw, I just love them!
