Why nuts really are the super snack And which type you should be eating

We have always been a nation of grazers. On avera ge, we squeeze in at least two snacks a day on t op of our t hree main meals.

But while we are now grabbing food on the go more than ever before, we are also considering the best choices for our health — and that isn’t crisps, with their high levels of artery-clogging saturated fat.

According to the latest industry figures, sales of crisps fell by 1.7 per cent last year, while sales of nuts rose by 6.6 per cent.

‘There is a trend towards more natural, healthier products,’ says retail analyst chris Longbottom, a director at Kantor Worldpanel, which helped compile the recent analysis of the snack industry.

Happily for nuts, they have enjoyed something of an image change. For years, their high fat content was seen as something to be avoided. But that message has now been flipped, with dietitians insisting that we need to consume more of the unsaturated fats they contain. These can help prevent blood clotting and maintain a regular heart rhythm.

‘nuts are also seen as more healthy because they are often sold in a relatively natural state, while crisps are, by necessity, heavily processed,’ says Giles Lury, of brand consultancy the value engineers.

nuts also have a better image, with an array of exotic varieties and a reputation as a classy snack option, offered in fivestar hotels and on private jets.

While nuts are as high in calories as other snacks — a small handful can contain as many as a Mars Bar — studies have found that crisps are far more likely to trigger weight gain.

in one study, researchers analysed changes in the diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people every four years for two decades. On average, participants gained nearly 17lb over the 20 years — and it was found that when they suffered creeping weight gain, crisps were the most likely cause.

Part of the problem is that it’s very hard to stop at just one.

‘crisps are very tasty and have a very good texture,’ says obesity expert Dr Xavier Pi-Sunyer of new York’s St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital centre. ‘People generally don’t take one or two: they have a whole bag.’

nuts, on the other hand, have a positive effect on appetite due to their high protein content, which makes people feel fuller and helps curb hunger.

While carbohydrates like crisps trigger a rise in blood sugar that leads to more hunger when it drops, nuts cause no such rise.

As a result, nuts may aid weight loss. A review of 31 trials found people whose diets included extra nuts, or nuts substituted for other foods, lost 1.4 lb and half an inch from their waists.

experts believe this is because nuts are so high in fibre, they pass through the body without being completely broken down.

Pistachios are our most popular nut, according to a recent consumer poll, followed by cashews, almonds, peanuts (although these are not technically a nut, but a type of vegetable), walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamias and chestnuts.

BUT while peanuts are usuall y relatively cheap (£2.40 a kg), s o me nuts are extremely expensive, with the cost difference depending on how hard they are to grow, harvest and crack open. Macadamia nuts, for example, cost more than £15 a kg because it can take between five and ten years for a tree to mature enough to produce them. Their shells are also particularly hard to crack, adding to the cost for producers.

The latest trend is to ‘ supercharge’ nuts by soaking them in water overnight, before drying them out and eating them. nutritionist chris Hall says this makes it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients — even though they look and taste the same.

The theory goes that, as nuts are basically seeds, soaking triggers the germination process, allowing them to release more of their nutrients. Soaking also washes away the molecules in nuts that can make them hard to digest.

Fans of nuts says this sprouting process can also make them feel lighter to eat, as well as easier to digest if you are suffering from problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, which affects an estimated one in ten people in the UK.

Here’s our good nut guide . . .

PISTACHIOS

Diet rating: Good. Calories per 30g/1oz (49 nuts): 160. Nutrition per 30g: 6g protein, 13g fat, 8g carbohydrate. Rich in: Antioxidants, including potassium, which is good for the nervous system. Good for: Type 2 diabetes. A Spanish study last year reported that people who were on the cusp of type 2 diabetes found it easier to control their blood sugar if they ate 60 pistachios a day.

ALMONDS

Diet rating: Good. Calories per 30g (23 nuts): 160. Nutrition per 30g: 6g protein, 14g fat, 6g carbohydrate. Rich in: vitamin e, magnesium, calcium. Good for: Lowering blood pressure, and the calcium content is good for bone health. A study by Pennsylvania State university this year found that a daily snack of 1.5 oz (42g) of almonds instead of a high-carbohydrate muffin, reduced bad cholesterol, cutting chances of heart disease and high blood pressure.

This is likely to be because they are high in monounsaturated fat, which has been found to lower cholesterol.

CASHEWS

Diet rating: Good. Calories per 30g (16 nuts): 160. Nutrition per 30g: 5g protein, 13g fat, 9g carbohydrate. Rich in: copper, which is good for nerves, bones and the immune system. Good for: Gallstones. eating an ounce of cashews a week gave women a 25 per cent lower risk of developing gallstones, according to a study at Harvard university. Gallstones are caused by high cholesterol and cashews contain chemicals that reduce levels.

MACADAMIAS

Diet rating: Poor. Calories per 30g (10 nuts): 200. nutrition per 30g: 2g protein, 22g fat, 4g carbohydrate. Rich in: calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Good for: Strokes and coronary heart disease. A study by the university of Hawaii found that people who added macadamia nuts to their diet for one month reduced levels of blood cholesterol because they contain chemicals which counteract the artery-blocking build-up.

HAZELNUTS

Diet rating: Fair. Calories per 30g (21 nuts): 178. Nutrition per 30g: 3g protein, 17g fat, 5g carbohydrate. Rich in: Folate, monounsaturated fats, vitamin e, copper and manganese. Good f or: Heart health, decreased risk of birth defects. Research in the european Journal of clinical nutrition revealed that eating hazelnuts reduces blood cholesterol levels in men.

PECANS

Diet rating: Bad. Calories per 30g (20 halves): 200. Nutrition per 30g: 3g protein, 21g fat, 4g carbohydrate. Rich in: Antioxidants, vitamin e, and monounsaturated fats. Good for: Men’s health. Pecans are packed with plant steroid, which relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate. A u.S study also found post-menopausal women with high vitamin e intake from pecans were 60 per cent less likely to die of a stroke.

WALNUTS

Diet rating: Fair. Calories per 30g (14 halves): 183. Nutrition per 30g: 4g protein, 18g fat, 4g carbohydrates. Rich in: Good quality antioxidants. Good for: Helping arteries stay clear of blockages. A 2006 Spanish study claimed walnuts are as good as olive oil in reducing inflammation and oxidation in the arteries after a fatty meal.

BRAZIL NUTS

Diet rating: Bad. Calories per 30g (6 nuts): 190. Nutrition per 30g: 19g fat, 4g protein, 3g carbohydrate. Rich in: Selenium, which protects cells from damage. Good f or: They may boost a woman’s fertility, by helping healthy follicles grow in the ovaries.