So what's wrong with nuts

MarinJim

New Member
Feb 2, 2011
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I lost 80 pounds after I heard a Gary Taubes interview almost 4 years ago. I read "why we get fat." It took me more than a year to lose it all. I recommend his books. I call it a diet book for smart people. Total cholesterol is overrated. He explains the different types of cholesterol and how certain foods oxidize cholesterol. He totally destroys the calories-in, calories-out garbage. The only issue I have discovered eating the so called Paleo diet is getting enough fiber. I eat a lot of green leafy stuff but I found that seeds like flax and sesame can be awesome foods.

Good to hear! And if you have started to lift weights, I highly recommend "The T.N.T. Diet". It is basically two parts, first half-low carb diet, and second part-3 day per week work-out. And long, slow aerobics is vastly overrated.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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We too are moving toward a paleo style diet. I have now been told by three different cardiologists that fat is not the enemy -- sugar (and all of those foods that quickly become sugar) is and that the whole notion of getting your cholesterol super low is both incorrect and dangerous. All three docs used to believe and practice otherwise.
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
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We too are moving toward a paleo style diet. I have now been told by three different cardiologists that fat is not the enemy -- sugar (and all of those foods that quickly become sugar) is and that the whole notion of getting your cholesterol super low is both incorrect and dangerous. All three docs used to believe and practice otherwise.

My internist/GP is still of the mind that since a positive connection between high LDLs and heart problems is known, and perhaps better studied than some of the other notions out there these days, keeping LDL levels low is still important.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
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Australia
OK, this one is driving me crazy. I love nuts and eat a lot of it. I had always thought it was good for you until I read the posts from you Myles and I think some others here saying it is not. In layman explanation, exactly what is wrong with them? If I take a few before a meal, I eat less fat for example. Is that not good? I thought having more fiber and the oils in the nuts was good for you. Please say that I can keep eating them and feel good about them. :)

I had a kidney stone in 2014. The pain was horrific. I am amazed at how much pain the human body can sustain. I was crippled on the floor, unable to speak, vomiting constantly into a toilet bowl and barely able to call the ambulance on my mobile phone...apparently women who have had them will say that child birth is less painful.

After my urologist destroyed it with a laser (it was "only" 6mm), he said amongst other things to stop eating all nuts. Not that I was even a big nut eater. It might have been on average a handful or two per fortnight. But he was very big on stopping them. As well as reducing salt and increasing water intake.

You will find his advice was not unique. It is universally agreed amongst urologists that nuts are a major cause of kidney stones (they contain oxalates which combine with calcium to produce the stones). And the very worst thing you can possibly eat is chocolate covered nuts.

So you might be lucky and never be unfortunate enough to have an attack. But at least you can now say you were warned. And if you do have an attack, I can guarantee you won't ever want to touch a nut again, no matter how tempted you are.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
Ouch! On both fronts: the pain you endured and mine for thinking about this and avoiding nuts. Thanks for the note. I will definitely keep it in mind.
 

Ronm1

Member Sponsor
Feb 21, 2011
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wtOMitMutb NH
Ouch! On both fronts: the pain you endured and mine for thinking about this and avoiding nuts. Thanks for the note. I will definitely keep it in mind.
Reading this while eating shelled pistachios.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
I think nuts are certainly healthy in moderation but have you ever checked the fat content in nuts such as pecans or pistachios

I love nuts.

My favorite--Macadamia nuts is up there too:


100 grams
calories %
calories
fat
carbs
fiber
sugar
protein
fat
carbs
protein
Chestnuts
213​
2​
46​
8​
11​
2​
10%​
81%​
4%​
Cashews
553​
44​
33​
3​
6​
18​
67%​
20%​
12%​
Pistachio
557​
44​
28​
10​
8​
21​
72%​
11%​
15%​
Peanuts
567​
49​
16​
8​
4​
26​
76%​
4%​
18%​
Almonds
575​
49​
22​
12​
4​
21​
78%​
5%​
15%​
Hazelnuts
628​
61​
17​
10​
4​
15​
86%​
3%​
9%​
Walnuts
654​
65​
14​
7​
3​
15​
87%​
3%​
9%​
Brazil nuts
656​
66​
12​
8​
2​
14​
89%​
1%​
8%​
Pine nuts
673​
68​
13​
4​
4​
14​
87%​
5%​
8%​
Pecans
691​
72​
14​
10​
4​
9​
93%​
1%​
5%​
Macadamia
718​
76​
14​
9​
5​
8​
93%​
1%​
4%​
[FONT=roboto_slabregular]You can find all this data on the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference[/FONT]
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
Reading this while eating shelled pistachios. ?

You should get the ones WITH shells.

That way you can burn some of the calories while you eat because you have to work to get them out of the shell!

DON'T use your teeth to open the shells.

The safe easy trick is to use a half shell as a minature pry-bar to pop open the nut. Stick it between the two half shells and give a little twist.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Ouch! On both fronts: the pain you endured and mine for thinking about this and avoiding nuts. Thanks for the note. I will definitely keep it in mind.

Thanks for the thoughts :b Not to put you off them even more but of all the advise my urologist gave me 12 months ago, I followed absolutely everything to the letter except that once a fortnight I still bought a really small packet of peanuts from the local 7-Eleven. I mean really small $1 packets that were literally not much more than a handful and a bit. I am sad to report that in my follow-up a month ago I had produced two more stones in that 12 month period (only 1.5mm) but apparently according to the book "No More Kidney Stones", size has nothing to do with the pain levels. Pleasant. So needless to say, I have not eaten a single nut since my consult a month ago, and won't ever again! And I really miss them - they were a fortnightly treat I really looked forward to!

Mind you, it's probably worse for us in the southern hemisphere but much better for you in the northern. Right at the time of year when we all become lax in our eating habits - especially over Christmas and New Year, here in Australia we will have 40 degree days and we'll be dehydrating - if not from the sheer heat then from the air conditioning pulling all the moisture out from indoors. So that is a deadly combination. Just imagine - all those chocolate covered peanuts in the heat wave that is Christmas! Kidney stone delight (for urologists!).
 

Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,020
1,486
520
Eastern WA
Actually the type of nuts matter on individual levels.

For example almonds naturally have mold in them. For some people this has no ill effects that are notable, for others it contributes to overall poor health.

The types of proteins in nuts matter, too. Some upset the gastric system like brazil nuts (ever try eating a lot of them? ya, don't do it).

As far as the paleo diet goes, the general sense of it is spot on however only for some of the population. For others it's an absolute death sentence. Why? Here is a short basis - there's more articles on IAP and ABO. Now a little bit about IAP. The short of it is that the amount of IAP you have, has a lot to do with your health, and hence your ability to consume fats and cholesterol (which the paleo has plenty of).
 

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