Did you know that Aussies only consume 6 grams of nuts per day, which is well short of the recommended 30 grams handful? When it comes to eating nuts, Aussies are not “nutty” enough compared to the rest of the world despite the well-known benefits of eating nuts, such as better heart health, a healthier weight, and less chances of type 2 diabetes.
How nutty are Aussies compared to the rest of the world?
US - 4.5 grams per day
Australia - 6 grams per day
UK - 15 grams per day
Vietnam - 51 grams per day
Malaysia - 57 grams per day
Cambodia - 92 grams per day
Let’s talk about why Aussies should go nuts:
Because according to studies, nut eaters often weighed less, had lower BMIs, smaller waist size compared to non-nut eaters. This is against that belief that nuts are linked to weight gain. Because nuts are awesome power snacks with their high protein and high fibre content, which is great at satisfying hunger pains and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
Because nuts are good for your heart! An Australian review of 100 studies showed that eating nuts reduces risk of death from heart disease by 20% and reduced total cholesterol by 3.5%. Because consuming 30 grams of nuts per day paired with a balanced diet can help older Australians keep type 2 diabetes at bay. Apparently, eating two handfuls (57g) of nuts per day has been shown to drop blood triglycerides and fasting blood glucose levels—both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
That said, we encourage you to join the #nuts30days30ways challenge! To participate, all you need to do is to add a handful of nuts to either breakfast, lunch or dinner, take a picture of your meal, then add the hashtag to connect with many others who are taking on the challenge as well. You can use a 1/4 cup measuring cup, shot glass or espresso cup to measure your handful of nuts.
Are you up for the challenge? Join now!
Image credit: Sneh Roy, Cook Republic - http://www.cookrepublic.com/
ABOUT THE EXPERT
Nuts for Life is Australia’s leading nutrition authority on tree nuts and health. The nutrition education initiative educates about the health benefits of regular nut consumption in the Australian diet. To know more, visit www.nutsforlife.com.au.
Agree (0)
Disagree (
__small.png)
