Comments on: Nuts Aren’t Protein – They’re Fat!

By: thedoc

thedoc — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:10:56 +0000

As a weight loss surgeon – no, nuts are dense in calories- they are not something you give to someone who wants to lose weight. But I have a lot of weight loss patients who believe that, and once they put the nuts aside they start to lose weight.
The bit you read was cautious to state small portions. What they cite are some population studies- not scientific research.
Here is something simple to remember- when you eat snacks high in calories, your odds of weight loss are very small. If, however, you have very small portions for meals, and small bits of nuts (about 17 nuts at the most) you can do ok. The key is not the nuts, the key is everything else, so you have room for those calories

By: Devon

Devon — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:42:11 +0000

I have read that nuts actually help you lose weight according to a number of websites such as http://www.m.webmd.com/diet/features/its-full-fat-and-helps-you-lose-weight

By: The Doc

The Doc — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:24:18 +0000

Nuts are over-rated as a snack in terms of calories – and it is way to easy to over eat nuts. When we start talking about the amounts of and different types of fats, it has to be done in balance with what else a person eats.

By: The Doc

The Doc — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:23:11 +0000

71% of the calories in almonds come from fat. That means nuts are just fat, and the point of this is to point out the myth that nuts are protein. In terms of good fats and bad fats one has to look at the total quantity of fat that one has and keeping that quantity lower, and reducing weight is key. For people trying to diet having calorie dense items, such as nuts- is not healthy. When you say good fat or bad fat, you are talking about saturated versus unsaturated fats. Fat is, whether “good” or “bad” is calorie dense – more than twice that of protein. One ounce of almonds is anywhere from 17 almonds to 24- not too many. High calorie – too much fat, not a snack for people trying to lose weight

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:23:14 +0000

Almonds have protein and are high in good fats. Good fats actually help us lower the amounts of bad fats in our body. See the article from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/skinny-fat-good-fats-bad-fats. The USDA says that 1 ounce of almonds contain 161 calories with 14g of fat. 13g grams of this fat is the good unsaturated fat that is healthy to eat. 1 ounce of almonds also contains 6g of protein and 3g of fiber. It is a very health snack if you don’t over-indulge. Peanut Butter is similar in calories, has the same amount of fat but only 11g grams of the fat is the good fat. Still a healthy snack in moderation, but not quite as healthy as almonds.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:23:31 +0000

Eh, I think most nuts are overrated. Even though they have some protein, isn’t the amino acid profile of most nuts incomplete? I’ve also been seeing a lot of stuff about having a one to three ratio of n3 to n6 polyunsaturated fats. I don’t know much this new advice, but aren’t most nuts also rich in n6 polyunsaturates that could easily break one’s ratio? What do you think The Doc?

By: The Doc

The Doc — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:01:23 +0000

Nuts are mostly fat- some over 80 per cent fat- they are not protein, they are fat. In terms of meat- it has far more protein per ounce than any nut or seed does (with a few rare exceptions). The obesity crisis is not from eating meat, or fats- but too large a portion throughout. In terms of avoiding one fat, yes, some are worse for you- but if you have any in excess, they are still fat, and still can cause a problem

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:29:32 +0000

I thought the objective was not to avoid fat, but to consume good fat (unsaturated), avoid bad fat (saturated), end exercise…if people did that, we wouldnt have an obesity crisis.

Maybe im missing something, but dont the facts support nuts and seeds? They have a high quality protein, fight cholesterol, high density calories, and they dont impact your colon…none of those things can be said for meat.

By: thedoc

thedoc — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:01:31 +0000

You can do the experiment for yourself with cooking- weigh the oil you put in the pan, cook the veggies and weigh the veggies after. In most calorie counting books that is the reference. We have done the experiment with our cooking – weighed the veggies going in- weighed the oil coming out.

Diets don’t work – you are correct. And yes, people say “diets are lifestyles” and yet, most use a diet for short term. The only long term benefit from short term diets are woman who have just given birth. Surgery is the ultimate life style changer – if the person allows it to be. Surgery doesn’t do the work of weight loss, but people can eat out of it.

How to change lifestyle- you have to be willing to (a) try new foods to change the ones you are eating (b) get rid of some foods that are an issue. A lifestyle change can be as little as changing from burgers and fries for lunch to a tuna sandwich. Or it could be giving up white flour altogether as if it is an allergy. (c) begin a moderate exercise program that is routine- like walking the dogs briskly every day. Lifestyle is what a person makes it- wanting to lose weight is not the same commitment as changing a lifestyle. So- it can be simple – after all, getting rid of 100 calories a day is about ten pounds in a year. It can be complex- some people want to have a plan with a major dietary change. That is a great question btw. Thank you