Topic: cashews

[gadget23]

i have a packet of cashews lying in my kitchen, and 1/4 cup of them is 6g of protein, and a whopping 13g of fat, 1.5g being saturated.

i can eat 1/2 to a full cup of cashews a day, I love em.

my question is, is eating all those cashews bad for you because of the fat, or is it ok since its mostly unsaturated? by the way, the cashews are unsalted, so no worries about sodium 

[chipset]

I say eat them until you can't eat them. With natural foods, body can tell you when to stop.

[Steve Low]

You can never get enough nuts.

Eating a diet high in fat is actually good if you want to decrease your BF% because your body starts metabolizing fat in your regular diet and thus will turn to fat reserves very easily for extra energy.

[Charles Moreland]

It's good fat. Nuts a very good for you and I usually don't go a day without them. However just be ware of the ones that add a lot of salt and other things to them.

[gadget23]

You can never get enough nuts.

off-topic: my sister walked by the computer and sorta took that line out of context. needless to say, she was a little worried at first 

Eating a diet high in fat is actually good if you want to decrease your BF% because your body starts metabolizing fat in your regular diet and thus will turn to fat reserves very easily for extra energy.

this only applies to unsaturated fats correct?

and in your opinion, which nut is the best for you? which has the best unsaturated:saturated fat ratio?

[Steve Low]

You can never get enough nuts.

off-topic: my sister walked by the computer and sorta took that line out of context. needless to say, she was a little worried at first 

She can have some of my nuts anytime... Er, yeah.

Eating a diet high in fat is actually good if you want to decrease your BF% because your body starts metabolizing fat in your regular diet and thus will turn to fat reserves very easily for extra energy.

this only applies to unsaturated fats correct?

and in your opinion, which nut is the best for you? which has the best unsaturated:saturated fat ratio?

Hmm. As long as most is unsaturated it doesn't really matter too much. Your body actually can metabolize saturated and transfats except it's relatively slower to do so if it doesn't use them right away they just go and get stuck places like artery walls.

In any case, pretty much all nuts are good.. I personally like almonds (for taste) although I haven't done any homework on which nuts are best. Maybe there's some posts on CF forum about that if you wanna check it out.

[John [sss24] Chadwell]

you people are sick and twisted(STEVE)

[Charles Moreland]

they just go and get stuck places like artery walls.

I read an article last week discussing this specific topic. Generally this is what happens to people with a modern diet with a good percentage of saturated fats in their diet. However, they performed a study on a nomadic tribe in Africa whose diet was almost solely meat and very high in saturated fats. There was no heart disease what-so-ever to be found in any of them.

They moved some of them (with permission I believe) to Britain and tracked them eating a normal healthy modern diet. Their chance for heart disease and heart related problems sky rocketed. Their conclusion was somewhere along the lines    as to what happens in our bodies. I found it funny.

If I find a link I'll supply one. I found this one in a doctors waiting room magazine pile.

[Chris Salvato]

EDIT: Realized I didn't quote the person who had the original question!

and in your opinion, which nut is the best for you? which has the best unsaturated:saturated fat ratio?

Maybe there's some posts on CF forum about that if you wanna check it out.

I remember reading a comparitive analysis of which nuts were best for you based on Omega-3 to Omega-6 to Omega-9  ratios as well as saturated vs. unsaturated fat ratios.  I don't remember where i read it though, so if i find the link somewhere I will let you know.  I dont remember the details, but I remember the heirarchy was something like this:

Macademia Nuts
Almonds
Cashews
Pistachios
Walnuts or Brazil nuts (can't remember)

Take this list with a grain of salt though, as my memory may be failing me.  I do remember that Macademias were definitely #1, Almonds were #2 and Cashews were #3...i forgot the others aside from that.  The analysis did warn, though, that macademias are much more rich in fat than most other nuts per volume, so be wary when eating them if you are restricting calories.  Plus, they are more expensive.

Also remember that you can get macademias, almonds and cashews in nut butter form.  My favorite is almond butter

EDIT:  I couldn't find the source -- I think i remember that it was from CrossFit live Radio..so you may be able to find it on their archives.  I may just do the analysis myself in a spreadsheet and post the results here once i get some time after I move.

[chipset]

Is nut butter form somehow better than original form?

[Chris Salvato]

i like nut butters because I can spread them, mix them into oatmeal, blah blah blah blah...somehow they also seem to taste slightly different...

buy natural nut butters...if the nut butter has any other ingredients aside from the actual nut, salt and water, avoid it.  True nut butters are the same thing as the nut...because they should only be made from that nut!  I have seen almond butters, for instance, where the only ingredient is unblanched almonds and other almond butters that have almonds, water and salt...then it just depends on your taste (and i guess how much you watch your sodium)

The only real difference is is that the nut oils (source of most of the fats) tends to rise to the surface.  Mixing the jar's contents thoroughly usually solves the problem for the most part...but when you get to the bottom of the jar it tends to be very pasty, sticky and hard...which means you consumed most of the oils already. 

It's not a huge deal, just changes the ratio of fat to protein per volume a little bit...and only matters if you are a REAL stickler, which most people arent and don't need to be.

[Alissa J. Bratz]

I solve the "dry goo at the bottom" problem by keeping my unopened, new jar of nut butter upside-down in the cupboard for a while before opening it for the first time and mixing it. Refrigerating the nut butter after opening and giving it a thorough mix keeps the oil from separating, and also keeps the oil from going rancid. Kind of makes it tough to spread though. I've been eating natural nut butters for the past 5 years or so. I can't stand anything else: processed nut butters are WAY too sweet for me. Ick.

I keep a stash of cashews in my car, in my desk at work, in my purse, in my dance bag... they're a great "on the go" snack and are very satisfying when I get a bit of a munchie feeling throughout the day. Sometimes I switch it up and buy almonds, but cashews are my fave.

[dinomite]

and in your opinion, which nut is the best for you? which has the best unsaturated:saturated fat ratio?

From looking at almonds, cashews and peanuts that I have around, peanuts have the best protein to fat ratio.

they just go and get stuck places like artery walls.

I read an article last week discussing this specific topic. Generally this is what happens to people with a modern diet with a good percentage of saturated fats in their diet. However, they performed a study on a nomadic tribe in Africa whose diet was almost solely meat and very high in saturated fats. There was no heart disease what-so-ever to be found in any of them.

They moved some of them (with permission I believe) to Britain and tracked them eating a normal healthy modern diet. Their chance for heart disease and heart related problems sky rocketed. Their conclusion was somewhere along the lines    as to what happens in our bodies. I found it funny.

If I find a link I'll supply one. I found this one in a doctors waiting room magazine pile.

I recall a study of Inuit who eat mostly fish and blubber which is pure fat, most of it saturated, though they had no significant incidence of heart disease.

[BobT]

Saturated fat got the blame for artereosclerosis (stuff sticking to your arteries) because of faulty research conducted in the late 60s and early 70s.  Transfat (partially hydrogenated oils/shortening)is the real problem.  For some quick points, read:

http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtnutrition.html

The problem with these oils is that the body doesn't really know what to do with them.  Your body will ingest pretty much every drop of fat that you shove in the pie-hole (btw, all pie crust is made with trans-fat, so avoid it...).  So any fat you consume, has to be metabolized.

Through a long stint of evolution, your body learned how to deal with mono-unsaturated fats, poly-unsaturated fats ans saturated fats.  Trans-fat (which is an unsaturated fat modified by a industrial process to rearrange the moeluclar chain), has been around since the 1930's.  Your body can't really deal with them.  Don't eat them.  Ever.

The other problem that people will also face with a high fat diet is that they also have a high carb diet.  Your body can and will metabolize fat as an energy source, but fat is harder to metabolize than carbs.  If you have a lot of both the carbs get used first.  To get your body into true ketosis (fat-burning as a primary energy source), you need to deprive it of carbs.  For most people, this isn't necessary and you can strike a healthy balance, but to say, 'you can never eat enough...', is untrue. You've got to cut back somewhere else.

It's more appropriate to say that given the choice between a handful of nuts and a power bar, choose the nuts.  Whether you have a high fat diet, a high carb diet or a mixed diet, anything that doesn't get burned will get nicely tucked away by your body...

[dinomite]

The problem with these oils is that the body doesn't really know what to do with them.  Your body will ingest pretty much every drop of fat that you shove in the pie-hole (btw, all pie crust is made with trans-fat, so avoid it...).  So any fat you consume, has to be metabolized.

Not all pie crust; your probably thinking of that which is made with regular Crisco, which has tons of trans fat and is what a lot of people use for baking.  Crisco makes trans-fat free stuff, and an even better pie crust is made from butter, which is naturally trans-fat free.  Trans-fat is an almost completely unnatural creation; it only occurs in small amounts in ruminants (two-stage digestion mammals: cows, goats, bison, deer, etc.).

[Chris Salvato]

From looking at almonds, cashews and peanuts that I have around, peanuts have the best protein to fat ratio.

I believe that we were analyzing the nuts as a source of fats, not proteins.  That ratio is somewhat irrelevant in this thread, in my opinion.

Peanuts are also one of the most dangerous nuts to consume.  Allergic reactions due to peanut injestion is a leading cause of food related deaths.  If you suddenly develop an allergy to peanuts (or if you never had peanuts and try them) the effects can be scary and quite fatal. 

I'm not saying to live in fear of the almighty peanuts -- but it is my opinion that there is no real reason to eat them.  This is especially true with other nuts that are a better source of unsaturated fats, have less levels of alfatoxin (caused by improper storage of peanuts) and taste better (in my opinion).

[Steve Low]

BobT:

What you said about trans fats is actually [partially] wrong. In B-oxidation, the process goes through a step in which it metabolizes the fatty acid to a trans-fat and then metabolizes it to a different compound. The problem is that SOME trans-fats cannot be metabolized by the body because they are in the wrong configuration. Namely, I think it's odd numbered chains of carbons that can be metabolized while the body can't do crap with trans-fats that are even numbered.

Here's a schematic of Beta oxidation:
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/images/620fattyacidspiral.gif

The molecule right below "fatty acid spiral" is a trans-fat.

I would still try to avoid the trans-fats as much as possible though regardless even if your body can metabolize some (because you don't really know which ones you're getting). Basically if you don't metabolize them like unsaturated fatty acids they will mess you up.. badly. heh heh.

[Alissa J. Bratz]

Regarding peanut allergies: too true. I ate peanuts all growing up and into my 20s, and then a few years ago I suddenly developed an allergy to them. I was eating peanut-butter toast in the morning, as I had every day for years up until then, and three bites in, my throat started to close up and I got hives all over. Same thing happened to me with soy milk a few days later. Pretty scary.

[BobT]

What you said about trans fats is actually [partially] wrong. In B-oxidation, the process goes through a step in which it metabolizes the fatty acid to a trans-fat and then metabolizes it to a different compound. The problem is that SOME trans-fats cannot be metabolized by the body because they are in the wrong configuration. Namely, I think it's odd numbered chains of carbons that can be metabolized while the body can't do crap with trans-fats that are even numbered.

Quite true. I just didn't want to complicate the discussion by getting into right handed vs. left handed molecular chains (I probably can't explain it right anyway...).

So, for the record, I'm reffering to the un-natural, industrially processed trans-fat that gets used in processed food to cut cost (and keep the stent business rolling).

Not all pie crust; your probably thinking of that which is made with regular Crisco, which has tons of trans fat and is what a lot of people use for baking.  Crisco makes trans-fat free stuff, and an even better pie crust is made from butter, which is naturally trans-fat free.  Trans-fat is an almost completely unnatural creation; it only occurs in small amounts in ruminants (two-stage digestion mammals: cows, goats, bison, deer, etc.).

Good to know - I'll have to check that out.  Slightly off topic, but I thought using butter made it filo dough, not pie crust???

Regarding peanut allergies: too true. I ate peanuts all growing up and into my 20s, and then a few years ago I suddenly developed an allergy to them. I was eating peanut-butter toast in the morning, as I had every day for years up until then, and three bites in, my throat started to close up and I got hives all over. Same thing happened to me with soy milk a few days later. Pretty scary.

It is scary.  My older daughter has a peanut allergy.  When she was little she started getting sick after eating her baby food.  Turns out she had a soy allergy and back then the manufacturers weren't required to list soy in their products .  She outgrew it but retained the peanut allergy.  My wife had to fight for 4 years to get the school to ban peanut butter in lunches.  Not to de-rail this topic further, but take a look sometime at the demographic data on food allergies and it's coorespondence to the introduction of genetically modified foods.  Nobody want's to really bring this to light in the US (after all, Monsanto Corp. and such have good lobbies), but food allergies were almost unheard of prior to GMOs.

[Steve Low]

With food allergies... generally if you eat too much of a food your body will start getting allergic to it.

No clue why but my best guess is that the body knows it cannot sustain itself on mainly just that food so it will force you to eat other things (by giving you an allergic reaction to that food).