All seeds are highly nutritious packages containing protein, minerals, vitamins, fiber and phytochemicals, plus a calorie source for the baby plant -- fat, carbohydrates or both. The oil seeds, such as nuts, olives, corn, cottonseed, peanuts, flaxseeds and soybeans have a large percentage of fat, and it's mostly "good" fats -- polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Their polyunsaturated fats include varying amounts of the essential fatty acids (omega-3's and omega-6's).
A reasonable daily amount of any of these seeds is 1-3 tablespoons. That's why we caution you to watch out for nuts if you're trying to lose weight. It's practically impossible for the most rational human to stop at a tablespoon of salted peanuts or almonds. Each tablespoonful is about 100 calories. A 12.5-ounce can of peanuts is 2200 calories. Try scattering nuts into a salad or your breakfast cereal instead of eating them as snacks. It's much easier to limit the portion size of seeds used for flavoring, such as sesame, poppy, caraway, cumin or fennel; or those that have virtually no flavor, such as flax seed.
Salted nuts ARE an ideal food to take along for prolonged, intense exercise such as cycling or running. They're easy to carry, concentrated energy, and the salt plus the fluid you drink with them keep you from getting dehydrated.
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