Are You Nuts?!?

Over the years there's been a seesaw battle about the health factor of nuts. We were told that although high in protein they are too fatty. Well, the scientists have been studying and as a result, nuts are back! You'll never guess what part of the problem with nuts was. Give up? Portion size. We were over consuming...yet again. Picture yourself at a party. Your wonderful host plops a small bowl of nuts in front of you. You partake, for it would be rude not to. The bowl empties and your fearless host tops it up for you. You, in full innocence only take little hand fulls at a time. Flash forward to two hours later you've been pounding nuts faster than you've been sipping chardonnay while you wait for the over cooked roast. In short, that's a lot o' nuts people. So keep the intake amount in mind.

Let's look at the top three nuts shall we? First place we have the always enjoyable walnut. Yeehaw! Walnuts not only have a good amount of protein but they possess the ability to attack bad cholesterol (LDL). They show up like a Clint Eastwood character and order the bad LDL out of town...or out of your body. Their also rich in omega 3s, the essential fatty acid that protects the heart. Walnuts also help cognitive function so we can appear like, ah smart and stuff. Also the nut contains the antioxidant ellagic acid which fights cancer. Dude, this nut is no joke.

Next up is almonds. These guys contain magnesium and vitamin E. Add to this potassium which many believe keep muscle cramps at bay during exercise. In animal studies almonds have been found to fight colon cancer.

And now, drum roll please. Rounding out the top three is a favorite of mine which I was even prepared to consume regardless of what scientists found. Wait for it; here it is; cashews. Yeah baby, yeah! My friend the cashew has been beaten up the most for being a fatty offender. Ha, no more. And a big au contaire, for the cashew is lower than most nuts in fat. Furthermore, 65% of this fat is unsaturated fat, and 90% of that is oleic acid which is the heart healthy fat found in olive oil.

There it is. Go nuts for nuts. Just don't knock back nuts for two hours straight while waiting for the lobster bisque to hit the table. Stay fit people, your life depends on it.

TRANS FATS!!! Attacking a heart near you

Welcome back everyone. My apologies for the blogular silence. There is an enemy amongst us and he's in our food. I'm talking about trans fats. This is one bad customer. What is it? Scientifically speaking (and not for long) when a fat molecule is double bonded between carbon atoms the bond results in fewer bonds to hydrogen and thus, its unsaturated; which is another name for trans fat. He's a bad dude because increased consumption of this culprit can lead to stroke and risk of heart failure. Trans fats raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases our HDL (good cholesterol).Talk about a double whammy.

So where does this brigand hang his cholesterol abusing hat? Pie crusts, pizza crusts, biscuits, donuts, crackers, cookies and more. Ever wonder why these things end up in our foods and ultimately in us? I hate to appear conspiratorial but one must look to one's government. Get this: In the United States if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat the manufacturer is allowed to place a label on the product that reads, '0 trans fats'. How do you like them apples? 0.5 grams may seem minuscule but suppose you eat a variety of those '0' labels-they add up, no?

Also look at your friendly food manufacturer who is not unlike a drug dealer. His bottom line is the bottom line-cost. Trans fats are easy to use as well as inexpensive. They cut our food like a drug dealer does his supply to expand it. So, once a gain we have the government in bed with the food company and WE pay the fiddler.

But let us not leave out some restaurants and fast food joints. Many of them use T-fats because their commercial fryers allow them to use the fat/grease over and over again. Yummy! Even in the good old days when we knew nothing and used real butter at least we didn't re-use the old butter. Where's the humanity? N.B. However, in my home we did re-use bacon fat. Ah, the 1970's-it was a different time, wasn't it?

Here's our bottom line fit friends; read the label...as best you can in a society where fraud and false advertising is legal, and keep exercising. Buy organic when you can and anything with a laundry list of ingredients; stop, drop it, and roll on out of there. And if you'd like to get more proactive write your local government representative and demand change. Stay fit, your life depends on it.