Eating Nuts Lowers Cholesterol
By Jacob Schor
There is a growing body of evidence that increasing the amount of nuts people eat can lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease by having positive effects on their cholesterol levels.
A recent study compared the American Heart Association's (AHA) Step 1 diet with a “pecan enriched diet.” The AHA Step 1diet is recommends that less than 30 percent of total daily calories come from fat. In the study, participants followed either the step 1 diet or the "pecan enriched diet" for a month and then switched to the other diet. Both diets had improved cholesterol levels, but the pecan-enriched diet decreased both total cholesterol level and the LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by 6.7 percent and 10.4 percent respectively. In the pecan diet, 20 percent of total daily calories came from pecans. and almost 40 percent of total calories came from fat. If you eat 2000 calories a day, 20 percent would be 400 calories or about 1/2 cup of pecans.
Pecans are not the only nuts that have been shown to be good for you. A Spanish study compared walnuts to a “Mediterranean Diet” and found that walnuts produced an additional 4 percent drop in average cholesterol. An earlier American study produced a 16 percent reduction in total cholesterol when 20 percent of total calories came from walnuts.
Almonds appear to have similar benefits. So do avocados, and Hawaiian researchers even showed a benefit using macadamia nuts. A Canadian study published the most impressive numbers using a diet high in nuts, fruit and green leafy vegetables. In two weeks LDL cholesterol was reduced by 31 percent and other measures of cholesterol were greatly improved too.
Not only do the high nut diets improve cholesterol levels, but they don't seem to cause weight gain. In one study a group of volunteers ate a daily dose of 68 grams of pecans (about 3/4 cup of shelled nuts) a day for two months. Test subjects were not told to change their diets in any other way; they could eat whatever they wanted. After the two months there was no change in weight. Adding nuts to the diet wasn't fattening.
All the pecans did change were cholesterol levels.
Nuts make an excellent breakfast food. The combination of high protein and high fat nuts provide prevents the hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes that many people complain about midmorning. Nuts also make an excellent bedtime snack especially for people who wake at night. Nocturnal episodes of hypoglycemia are a frequent cause of nighttime waking and restless sleep. Nuts because they stabilize blood sugar may be very helpful for these people
Pecan
Sandies (perhaps not perfectly healthy but one good cookie)
cream until smooth:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1
tsp vanilla
Add 1-3 Tb liquid (your choice)
Slowly add 2 cups flour
Then add 2 cups ground pecans (raw)
Chill the dough until it is firm and roll into balls about 1 inch in diameter and place on a cookie sheet. Put a half pecan on top and mash the dough ball down with it. Bake at 375 till done.