100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (68 page)

tein, fiber, and healthy fats. Tasty and great to eat “on-the-go,” nuts are an

easy way to ensure that you’re getting everything you need nutritionally.

Most nuts are great by themselves, but you can also go nuts by adding

nuts to your salad or smoothie, blending them into your soup, or adding

ground nuts to your hot or cold cereal in the morning. In many plant-based

recipes, nuts are used to add creaminess and richness. You can even make

cheesecake using cashews in place of the cream cheese.

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Here is a rundown of the top varieties, their calorie content, and what

makes them so special. I could go on and on about the health benefits (I

am a little nutty about nuts), but these are the highlights.

All the nuts are relatively high in total fat, but the fat contained in nuts

are beneficial to your body instead of settling in your arteries. Still, if

you’re watching your calorie intake, just stick to one or two serving sizes

per day.

Walnuts

Serving size: 14 halves (that’s 7 whole in case you don’t do

numbers)
●
calories: 185

Omega-3: 2.6 grams—the only nut to have high omega-3s, an

extremely important fatty acid for overall health. One serving

of walnuts has as much omega-3 fatty acid as 4 ounces of

canned salmon.

Walnuts are great in muffins and cookies and truly belong in every bowl of

oatmeal on the planet.

Special fact:
The type of omega-3 fatty acid found in walnuts provides

all the benefits that other omega-3s do, but it is high in alpha-linoleic fatty

acids, which has brain-boosting power that can help to prevent dementia

and Alzheimer’s.

Always store your walnuts in the fridge as they can become moldy.

Almonds

Serving size: 23 nuts
●
calories: 163

Almonds are the favorite nuts of dieticians as they are low calo-

rie and high fiber.

Special fact:
Almonds lead the nuts in fiber content, vita-

min E, and calcium. A 1/4 cup serving of almonds has more cal-

cium than 1/2 cup of ice cream (95 versus 85 milligrams), and

it is the only nut that you can sliver. (Go ahead and try slivering a pine

nut . . . I dare you.)

Due to a past salmonella scare, almonds sold commercially in the United

States are processed by pasteurization, even if they say “raw” on the bag.

Perk #69: I Could Finally Admit I Believe in Angels and Fairies

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Macadamia

Serving size: 11 nuts
●
calories: 204

Notoriously hard to shell and expensive, but oh so exotic and

tasty.

Special fact:
Macadamia nuts are high in thiamine, which

helps keep your nervous system healthy. They also make us

think of Hawaii, and that feels nice.

Pistachios

Serving size: 49 nuts
●
calories: 162

Pistachios are related to the mango.

Special fact:
Pistachios are rich in lutein, an antioxidant for

healthy vision and skin. They also have as much potassium as

a small banana (287 mg). Notice that natural pistachios are

beige, not red. The red dye added after harvest that turns your

fingers a pretty shade of pink is used to hide imperfections.

(And I always thought they grew on pink trees.)

Cashews

Serving size: 18 nuts
●
calories: 163

One of the favorites to eat on their own.

Special fact:
You can get 10 percent of your daily RDA of

iron in one serving of cashews. They are also a great source of

folate (a cancer fighter) and vitamin K (which helps blood to

clot normally and is vital for normal vitamin D absorption).

Brazil Nuts

Serving size: 6 nuts
●
calories: 186

Brazil nut trees can live 500 years!

Special fact:
One Brazil nut contains more than the required

daily allowance for selenium. Selenium is the subject of many

studies that suggest it can prevent cancers. While it is essential for

thyroid health, too much selenium can cause hair loss (yikes!),

so limit your servings to one and don’t eat Brazil nuts every day.

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Pecans

Serving size: 19 halves
●
calories: 196

There’s more to pecans than PIE.

Special fact:
Pecans are rich in beta-sitosterol, a type of

plant sterol found to lower cholesterol and aid in prostate

health as well as fight cancer. They’re healthy no matter how

you say them—PEE-cans or pi-CONS.

Pine Nuts

Serving size: 1/4 cup
●
calories: 228

The smallest of the nuts is big on nutrition.

Special fact:
Pine nuts are high in manganese, a mineral

that helps metabolize carbs and proteins and also increases hor-

mones that help you to feel full, which makes it a great “weight-

loss nut.” They are also high in iron (3 milligrams per serving).

Pine nuts are soft when raw but have a wonderful flavor when toasted.

Place on an oven-safe pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a 350°F oven,

stirring every 10 minutes. Pine nuts are great for adding creaminess to

shakes.

Notice I didn’t include peanuts in this list of nuts because peanuts are

technically not nuts at all. They are part of the legume family, as in beans,

and while they aren’t unhealthy, they don’t rate high enough in nutrition

(in my snooty opinion) to belong to the special nut family. If you like

peanut butter, try almond butter, which packs a bit more nutrition (fiber

and calcium) and tastes just as good with grape jelly. Here are some tips

when making your nut selection.