Wednesday, October 19, 2005

233: Get Nutty, Snack on Nuts

From "The South Beach Newsletter" : Fall is a season of cooler weather, changing leaves, and bountiful nuts. That's right, most tree nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, chestnuts, and pistachios) are harvested during the fall months. This means that now is the perfect time to rediscover the joy of these nutritional powerhouses.

What's in a nut? These satisfying snacks are low in cholesterol and saturated fat and high in healthy monounsaturated fat, protein, and a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, including folic acid and niacin. Numerous studies suggest that nuts may be effective in preventing heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Nuts can be eaten raw (fresh from the shell) or roasted, and can be used in cooking. Keep unshelled nuts in a cool place for up to a year. Shelled nuts can turn rancid more quickly and often require refrigeration or freezing. And remember that while nuts are good for you, their high fat content makes them potential diet busters. Keep your intake to the portion sizes recommended on The South Beach Diet™ (for instance, 15 walnuts, almonds, or pecans, or 30 pistachios at a time).

Breakfast
2 Slices Zabar's Multi-grain bread
Cheddar Cheese, to top
Tea

Snack
12 oz. coffee (half decaf)
1/3 clementine
1/4 almonds & cashews

Lunch
Thai Beef Salad
Thai Chicken Salad
Brown Rice

Dinner
90 Hamburger
Cabbage Slaw
Pickles
Peppadews
Broccoli

This morning I was getting Ruby ready for school when I noticed, with some alarm, that it looked like she had two black eyes. When I asked her what happened, she answered "I got a mosquito bite", without missing a beat. For a moment, I actually believed her. Then I wizened up and got her to the doctor. It looks like like she might have conjunctivitis—we'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I am trying to cut down on the nuts, and I discovered having cheese on toast might be a way to do that. It's really substituting one fat for the other, but it's something.

Plus, if I don't get some physical exercise I am going to turn into Jabba the hut.

1 comment:

Mom said...

Hi, It's always something with kids. Hope Ruby's eyes are on the mend. Interesting about nuts...the problem for me is the salt. Love, MOM