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Know Your Nuts? What's in an Ounce

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:50:45 PST

Nuts are one of the best foods you can nosh on because they're full of healthy fats, contain protein and fiber to fill you up, are cholesterol-free, and they're a great snack you can easily pack with you wherever you go. A serving size of nuts is one ounce, which is about a handful. Considering my handful and my hubby's handful look a lot different, I thought it'd be good to go over what exactly one ounce of nuts looks like. Take this quiz to see if you know.

Question 1 of 5

How many almonds are in one ounce?

Healthy Nibbles For Holiday Snacking

Heather Dale — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:51:37 PST

It's inevitable that the snack table is one of the most popular socializing zones in the house during the holiday season. Due to their close proximity to the television, treat-filled coffee tables are prime targets for unconscious nibbling - and who doesn't like snacking while watching a sporting event or a favorite Christmas movie? This year, try removing the bowls of candies and chocolates and replacing them with healthier snack options. Here are some of my favorites that are just as tasty, and your guests won't even know the difference!

12 Days of Edible Gifts: Spiced Pecans

Nancy Einhart — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:42:41 PST

The adjective "spiced" doesn't do these pecans justice. A mix of sweet, citrus-y, salty, peppery, and aromatic, the flavor that coats every cranny of these pecans perfectly enhances the almost gooey but also crunchy texture. The cozy combo of spices is redolent of Winter and makes a delicious holiday snack for a party spread or just around the house.

These spiced pecans also make an easy but impressive edible gift: cook them up in batches on the stove, then package them in cute cellophane baggies tied with a bow. Get the recipe after the break.

Roast Chestnuts This Holiday Season!

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:16:00 PST

You know how the song goes, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . ." Well, in this case, they're roasting in an oven, but the whole thing's still wonderfully romantic and festive. Grab a bunch of them while you can at the grocery store, because these seasonal treats are fleeting!

If you've never tried a chestnut, be sure to peel away the fuzzy inner skin just below the outer shell. Scoring the chestnuts generously prior to roasting them will make this step a lot easier. The inside of a roasted chestnut is soft, warm, and sweet – exactly what the holidays are all about. For this incredibly easy recipe (so easy, it should be called a technique!), keep reading.

Belly-Blasting Nut Recipes For Dropping Those Pounds

Leta Shy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:59:49 PST

It's official - nuts are nature's miracle. Besides giving you a dose of heart-healthy omega-3s and filling your stomach with energizing protein, eating a handful of nuts every day may help you drop the pounds. A new study found that those who ate an ounce a day of raw unpeeled almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts a day had higher levels of feel-good hormone serotonin, which can act as an appetite suppressant.

More importantly, since stress is a leading cause of gaining fat around your waist, higher levels of serotonin may help in the fight against belly fat. Go on; get happy with these five raw nut recipes - just don't go overboard, since nuts have a high (healthy) fat content.

Researchers Identify the Top Foods That Are Making Us Fat

Leta Shy — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:18:10 PDT

A new report from Harvard researchers has found the top foods that are making us fat, and the findings are not at all surprising.

The extensive study used data for over 120,000 healthy men and women from previous studies to track their diet every four years from 1986 to 2006 to see how their lifestyle and what they ate affected their weight. The researchers found that within each period the average weight gain was a little over three pounds - which added up to a 17-pound total weight gain over the 20-year period.

What caused that weight gain? Topping the list of culprits are meat, sweetened drinks, fried foods, and any form of potatoes. The biggest cause of weight gain was eating french fries; every extra serving of fries eaten in a day was linked to a gain of more than three pounds, while eating an extra serving of potato chips led to 1.69 pounds. Other diet busters included refined grains (like white rice and white bread) and butter.

But the news wasn't all bad; the study also identified the foods that helped prevent weight gain. Read on for the list of foods that cause and prevent weight gain.

Fatty Foods Worth a Little Indulging!

Heather Dale — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:06:39 PDT

Not all fats are bad for you; in fact, incorporating healthy fats into your diet can actually be good for you! The general rule of thumb is that good fats are liquid at room temperature and bad fats are solid at room temperature. Therefore, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats fall into the good fats category, while saturated and trans fats fall into the bad fats category. Unlike saturated fats, monounsaturated fats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, while boosting your HDL (good) cholesterol. Dietary fat is also good for us because it is one of three macronutrients that supports a number of our body's functions and provides us with energy.

Now for the fun stuff - the foods with all the healthy fats:

Avocados: Avocados contain monounsaturated fats (and antioxidants and beta carotene too!), which is said to help enhance memory and prevent heart disease. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of fat is 65 grams and one cup of avocado contains almost one third of your fat intake for a day, about 23 grams. So it's probably best to stick with eating just a half an avocado each day.

Keep reading for more healthy fatty foods!

Everything You Need to Know About Nuts

Heather Dale — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:55:06 PDT

I'm a bit of a nut head. An entire shelf in my kitchen cupboard is dedicated to my nut collection, with each kind of nut having its own designated jar. I also keep snack sizes of mixed nuts to stash in my purse when I'm heading out the door. When enjoyed in their raw state and preferably organic, nuts are a great source of protein, fiber, and they even lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides level. Not all nuts are created equal, and not watching your nut serving size can often do more harm than good. Here's a primer on getting the most out of your own nut habit.

A Mini Nutritional Nut Breakdown: A look at popular nuts including pecans, macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, and peanuts. Analysis is based on a one-ounce serving of each nut and includes calorie, fat, saturated fat, and protein amounts.

Keep reading to learn more about your favorite nuts.

Peanuts: They're What's For Dinner

Susannah Chen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:00:34 PST

After a few rough years, it seems that peanuts are finally making a comeback on menus. According to research firm Technomic, the listing of peanuts on menus has jumped nearly 45 percent between 2006 and 2010.

With growing talk about potentially fatal peanut allergies on the rise, everything (including many schools!) put the kibosh on the legume - and a widespread salmonella scare only made things worse.

But according to Nation's Restaurant News, peanuts have begun making a showing across all food sectors, from chains like P.F. Chang's to independently owned upscale restaurants, and in everything from soups to sauces to frozen yogurt and desserts.

I'm glad to see more of this classic nut in San Francisco eateries; for instance, an upscale riff on the Snickers bar at San Francisco's Commonwealth left me blown away. Are you excited for the trend of peanut dishes?

Brunch With the Kat: Banana Walnut Pancakes

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:42:33 PST

Lately, we can't get enough of breakfast foods. Here's another delicious-looking brunch item from OnSugar blogger LesleyKat: banana-walnut pancakes. Yum!

Just in time for weekend brunch, I am sharing my recipe for super yummy banana walnut pancakes. This recipe was modified from the basic pancake recipe in one of my absolute essential cookbooks, The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. They have their own variations to simple pancakes that include blueberry, whole wheat, cornmeal and graham. Um, yeah, these weren't cutting it for me. Instead I opted for walnuts and bananas.

For the recipe, instructions, and more pictures, keep reading.