Yeah, I called it Crap!

Walk up to pretty much any vending machine and look at what they offer you.

Most of what you see in these machines is actually worse than eating at a fast-food restaurant. Chips, Candies, Peanuts, heavily sweetened and salted crackers and breads, etc.; these are what you are offered.

Well, I was just reading an interesting article on eating Nuts as your snack food rather than other more unhealthy foods. Of course, nuts have Fats and Calories, but, they are not heavy with sugars and starches.

And OK, there are a lot of people with Peanut and also Tree Nut allergies who, of course, should not go out and eat nuts because people say they are healthy. So, this being the case, let me continue my article for the rest of the world without such allergies.

First of all, you should try to only eat what are referred to as “Tree Nuts”. Tree Nuts, as indicated by their name, grow on trees and are much healthier than such so-called nuts that grow in the ground like Peanuts.

In fact Peanuts are not truly nuts at all. They are actually Legumes which grow in the ground the same as the Potato. And, they are no where as healthy for you to eat as true nuts.

At the same time, before we go any further, even though they are a healthy snack alternative, you obviously need to manage your intake of nuts, just like you would any other food.

Remember, we’re talking about a snack, and not a meal, so you just want a little energy kick, and not some calorie loaded, sugar-coma inducing, load of heavy and less healthy foods.

So, to that end, here is a list of what is recommended as a healthy intake of certain nuts for a healthy snack;

Almonds

Approximately 23 Almonds will make a good snack. Almonds are typically great for helping control Cholesterol levels and Blood Pressure and are a good source of Magnesium as well as Vitamin E.

Pecans

OK, we’re not talking about eating a slice of Pecan Pie, but around 19 Pecan halves make a healthy snack. Pecans are a good source of antioxidants and tend to help reduce LDL (bad) Cholesterol on the body.

Pistachios

They are small, but around 50 Pistachio nuts is enough for a healthy snack. For some people, Pistachios can help reduce Blood Pressure, and they are a good source of Potassium and Vitamin K.

Walnuts

A good snack of Walnuts would be around 15 Walnut halves. Eating Walnuts is good for your heart, and they are a source of alpha-linoleic acid which acts in the body similarly to Omega-3 Acids.

Other Tree Nuts

Yes, there are other tree nuts out there that you can eat, such as Cashews, Hazelnuts, Hickory Nuts, Conker Tree Nuts (Horse Chestnuts) and Macadamia Nuts, to name a few.

These are also healthy alternatives to those vending machine snacks, but they are not nearly as widely available as the ones I have listed here. I recommend that you look them up and add them to your list of healthy snacks if you have access to such other nuts.

by Dob Bobbitt, 2015