Getting nutty is heart-healthy

DALLAS, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Nuts are a big part of holiday eating, but a U.S. dietician says nuts can be a regular treat if they are substituted for less heart-healthy foods.

JoAnn Carson, a clinical nutritionist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, points out nuts are a good-tasting, cholesterol-lowering and fiber-filled food. But on the downside many nuts are also high calorie. The solution, is not to add nuts to the diet, but substitute them for other high-calorie foods, Carson says.

"Adding rather than substituting nuts can tip the energy balance in favor of weight gain," Carson says in a statement. Carson suggests replacing some of the chicken in chicken salad with pecans and celery; or substituting an afternoon candy bar with trail mix that includes nuts; or instead of a ham sandwich, build a lunch around fruit, yogurt and nuts.

English walnuts contain primarily polyunsaturated fats, including alpha-linolenic acid -- an omega-3 fatty acid and research suggests walnuts have cardiovascular benefits. Pecans, peanuts and macadamia nuts are high in mono-unsaturated fats that can lower low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, Carson says.