Good thing nuts are good for you because I’m a nut junkie! Are you? Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, pine nuts…doesn’t matter, I eat and like them all.

Nuts and seeds are simple to add to your diet:

1. As a snack by themselves.
2. Add nuts to salads or pasta dishes. The colors of pistachios make an eye catching salad topping when combined with fresh citrus sections or sliced strawberries.
3. Toss nuts in cereal and oatmeal.
4. Add nuts to cookie and bread batters….toast to intensify the flavor.
5. Stir nuts or pumpkin/sunflower seeds into yogurt.

Do you have favorite ways to use nuts? Share your ideas on my blog at susanmitchell.org

If your cholesterol is elevated or you’re trying to keep a lid on it because high cholesterol runs in your family, perk up for this news.

A 2010 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine pooled results from 25 trials in seven countries. The combined studies looked at almost 600 men and women with normal or high cholesterol levels but they were not taking cholesterol-lowering medications. Researchers from Loma Linda University found that the participants consuming nuts daily (about 2.4 ounces or in real world amounts…2/3 cup of walnut halves) saw an average 5% drop in total cholesterol, 7.4% decline in lousy or LDL cholesterol and 8.3% improvement in the ratio of the lousy LDL cholesterol to the healthy HDL cholesterol.

And, don’t miss this…those with high triglycerides saw levels plummet by an average of 10%. The good news for us nut eaters is that different types of nuts had similar effects.

Register for a chance to win a case of Wonderful Pistachios! Register now, and get chompin’!

Why are nuts so good for you? Here’s a little nut nutrition 101. Nuts and seeds contain a low amount of saturated fat and higher amounts of the good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Any idea how much cholesterol is in nuts? The answer: zero cholesterol! Cholesterol is only found in animal sources only and nuts are a plant source.

Nuts also contain protein, fiber, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium plus naturally occurring phytonutrients. Many people tend to skip nuts and seeds because they think they’re too high in fat and calories. True, the fat and calorie content are high but the type of fat is healthy and the nutrients are beneficial.

In another 2010 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Penn State researchers found that pistachios lower lousy cholesterol (LDL) while packing a powerful antioxidant punch. Compared to many nuts, pistachios contain higher levels of antioxidants including beta-carotene, lutein, and gamma-tocopherol, which researchers think may help combat inflammation in the body.

Again, the serving size used in the research was about 1.5 ounces and the participants consumed two servings per day (10-20% of total calories). The cholesterol lowering effect plus the antioxidant benefits could help reduce cardiovascular disease beyond the benefit of just lowering LDL-cholesterol.

If you want to include nuts for their full cholesterol-busting benefits (up to 3 ounces per day), think about your calories and where you will need to make adjustments so you don’t gain weight.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

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