The Doctor's Diet: Dr. Travis Stork's STAT Program to Help You Lose Weight & Restore Your Health (35 page)

NUTS FOR KIDS

Nuts are great for children as well as adults. In a 2013 study of sixth-graders, those who ate peanuts at least once per week were less likely than non–nut eaters to be overweight or obese. They also had lower levels of total blood cholesterol and higher intakes of vitamin E, fiber, potassium, and magnesium.

SHOPPING FOR NUTS

When it comes to choosing nuts to include in The Doctor’s Diet meal plans, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

Choose raw nuts over roasted nuts. Scientists have found that the roasting process destroys some of the antioxidants and other nutrients in nuts.

Choose unsalted (or low-salt) nuts over salted nuts. You just don’t need all the sodium in heavily salted nuts. At first you may balk at the salt-free taste, but before you know it your taste buds will adjust and you’ll be perfectly happy enjoying the nutty taste without a heavy dose of salt. There are usually plenty of lower-sodium versions to choose from.

Choose unsweetened nuts. Americans find a way to put sugar on nearly everything, including nuts. Check the label for added sugar, and watch out for nuts coated with honey, brown sugar, or any other sweetener.

Buy nuts in amounts that will be eaten fairly quickly, because they can oxidize and develop an off taste if you keep them too long. (Raw nuts are especially prone to this.) And store nuts in a cool, dark place. Some people keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Experiment with different kinds of nuts. Most of us rely primarily on peanuts. But nuts vary in their nutritional content and since peanuts are considered a legume, it’s definitely worth expanding your nut repertoire to open you up to a wider variety of flavors and nutrients.

Try walnuts. Walnuts contain a few things that other nuts don’t, such as certain kinds of phytochemicals. They also seem to come out ahead of other nuts in studies of cancer prevention, although researchers aren’t exactly sure why.

Explore the world of nut butters. Everybody’s had peanut butter, but what about almond butter, cashew butter, and pecan butter?

Check out the appropriate section of your local grocery store, natural foods store, or online retailers for different kinds of nut butters. Check the label to make sure there’s no sugar, added fats, or other ingredients mixed in. (To keep the oil in nut butters from separating, stir them well and then store them in the refrigerator.)

Q: I’VE HEARD THAT SOME KINDS OF PEANUT BUTTER CONTAIN SUGAR. IS THAT TRUE?

A:
Unfortunately, it is true—most of the well-known brands of commercially made peanut butter contain sugar. It’s not a huge amount of sugar—only about three grams in a two-tablespoon serving—but that’s about three-quarters of a teaspoon, and if you’re eating peanut butter on a regular basis, that adds up to a lot of sugar. Many kinds of peanut butter also contain small amounts of hydrogenated vegetable oils, which help prevent the peanut oil and solids in peanuts from separating.

Most grocery stores carry several brands of “natural” peanut butter that contain neither added sugar nor hydrogenated fats. These do taste a bit different than the sugar-sweetened peanut butter you are used to eating, but most people find that once they get accustomed to the difference, they actually like the natural peanut butter better because it has a purer peanut taste. If you can make the switch to unsweetened peanut butter you’ll be better off, because you’ll be eating that much less sugar and that much more healthy peanut butter. And if you can’t stand the natural kind, experiment until you find a peanut butter or nut butter that pleases your palate. I’ve tried some brands of nut butters that I absolutely hate, but the ones I like always leave me saying, “I can’t believe this is actually healthy for me!”