COUNT THE ALMONDS

By Marie Dufour, RD - Almonds, like other tree nuts, are an essential part of a healthy diet.  But, be careful.  They are also packed with calories.

A few years ago, came the cry "Almonds are good for you," and we started gobbling almonds by the bagful.  Unfortunately, if we added these nuts without counting and without taking something else out of our plates, the pounds may have been adding up on our waistline.

Almonds are a great source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that may help neutralize the free radicals that can damage our cells.  They are a good source of dietary fiber (3.5 g/oz) and plant protein (6 g/oz).  They also contain 13g of unsaturated fat per ounce.  The good part is that they are cholesterol-free; the dangerous part is that they contain 163 calories per ounce.

Say you really want your dose of antioxidant and good polyunsaturated fat, you will get the same amount with 1 cup of broccoli, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and 1 cup of green tea, for only 70 calories.

And who really knows how many almonds in one ounce?  Depending on the size and freshness, anywhere from 10 to 25.  Are you really counting?