The Benefits of Nuts: New Benefit Discovered!

From the Zone Diet

Doctors have long promoted nuts as a source of good fats that can help control the "bad" cholesterol that clogs arteries. In fact, a Harvard University study has even noticed a link between nut consumption and the incidence of gallstones, the painful obstructions that prevent bile from being released from the gallbladder. The study followed more than 81,000 women over the course of 20 years. It found that the women who ate 5 or more ounces of peanuts, peanut butter, or other nuts per week were 25 percent less likely to have needed gallbladder surgery than the women who ate nuts infrequently or not at all.

Why? It's possible that the mono- and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts might help prevent clogs in the gallbladder, suggest the study's researchers.

Dr. Sears has long championed Zone-appropriate portions of nuts as one of the healthiest ways to add good fats to your diet. How many nuts and nut products can you eat in the Zone? Here is a short list of good nut choices — use this amount in a snack and balance with carbs and protein:

Almond butter: 1/2 teaspoon
Almonds: 3 whole
Macadamia: 1 whole
Peanut butter, natural: 1 teaspoon
Peanuts: 6