The American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Exhibition 2000, in Denver, Co included numerous nut booths. Why are nuts so hot?

Throughout history, nuts have been a food staple around the world and provide the variety of oils for many uses in food preparation. Hu and Stampfer concluded, traditionally nuts have been preceived as an unhealthy food because of their high fat content. However, recent accumulative evidence suggests that frequent consumption of nuts may be protective against coronary heart disease (CHD). So far, five prospective cohort studies have examined the relation between nut consumption and the risk of CHD and all have found an inverse association. Based on the data from the Nurse’s Health Study,they estimated that the substitution of the fat from 1 ounce of nuts for equivalent energy from carbohydrates in an average diet was associated with 30% reduction in CHD risk and the substitution of nut fat for saturated fat was a 45% reduction in risk. Given the strong scientific evidence for the beneficial effects of nuts, it seems justifiable to move nuts to a more prominent place in the U S D A Food Guide Pyramid. Regular nut consumption can be recommended in the context of a healthy and balanced diet.

As a dietetic practitioner it is fun to recommend nuts for our clients. They taste wonderful. I mix cherrios and broken walnuts for a hearty snack.

International Tree Nut Council

Maureen Ternus, MS, RD serves on the nutrition committee of this non-profit organization that represents nine tree nuts: almonds, brazil, cashews, macadamia, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and walnut. The council is dedicated to supporting nutrition research and education. A one ounce serving of nuts reange in fiber from 1.5-3 g, protein 2-7 g, fat calories 122-171, fat 13-19 g, and total calories 160-200. There is no cholesterol and 85% of the fat is unsaturated. The council’s nuthealth web site has a table of nutrients in a 100 g serving of all these nuts. I learned one Brazil nut provides the RDA for selenium.

Georgia Pecans

During the 1990’s , tree nuts received attention as foods having a protective effect against CHD. W Morgan and B Clayshulte reported a significant (2.6-2.46 mmol/L) decrease in LDL-C in a treatment group with adding 1/4 cup pecans/day to a self-selected diet over 8 weeks. They noted increase in mono (oleic acid) and poly-unsaturated fat intake which seems more important than total fat. The handout at the exhibit "A Summary of Tree Nut Studies" shows benefits in cancer, cardiovascular disease, age of menerche and weight reduction.

The pecan growers of Georgia founded the Georgia Pecan Commission in 1995. Their mission is to raise consumer awareness and promote the year-round consumption of Georgia pecns through research, education and promotion programs. Sahlman Williams public relations and marketing account executive, Heather Sherer-Berkoff informed me sales have increased. Recipe brochures were provided

Sunflower Association

The National Sunflower Association is a non-profit commodity organiztion. The packet at this exhibit includes a press release of the benefits of the sunflower kernal, recipes, nutrient profiles highlighting Vitamin E, and a coloring book ‘The Story of the Sunflower’ by Sunny Sunseed, including a recipe for Sunflower Kernal Crunch Balls (nutrition info not included).

Larry Kleingartner, Executive Director informed me international sales have increased and baseball players chew sunflower seeds in the shell to get rid of the tobacco taste and truckers to stay awake.

Walnut Marketing board

Jodi Newman, Assistant Marketing Director of the Walnut Marketing Board quotes Milio Ros, MD, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, "If you eat a handful of walnuts a day, you lower your blood cholesterol; therefore you lower your cardiovascular risk." It is practical and easy to incorporate walnuts into the diet. The Boards Technical Assistance Program produces a Newsletter and the exhibit provided reprints from the New England Journal of Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine about trials showing the positive effect of inclusion of walnuts in the diet.

REFERENCES

www.georgiapecans.org
www.nuthealth.org
www.sunflowernsa.com
www.walnut.org

Morgan W A, Clayshulte B J. Pecans lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in people with normal lipid levels. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100:312

Hu F B, Stampfer M J. Nut Consumption and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Review of Epidemiologic Evidence. Current Atherosclerosis Reports 1999;1:205

Updated: Sunday, March 30, 2008.