In a nutshell

Packed with essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber and antioxidants, nuts are nature's most compact superfood. Since they are dehydrated, they retain all their nutrients, making them highly concentrated sources of nourishment. Dietician Sonia Narang shares her insights on why nuts are a must-have for a healthier lifestyle

- VANITA ARORA

WEIGHT LOSS OR WEIGHT GAIN?

• Since nuts are dehydrated, they pack all their volume in smaller portions. This makes them nutrient dense and at the same time calorie dense. While we acknowledge their benefits the thing to keep in mind is that if your goal is to lose weight, be mindful and consume them in moderation.

• Chestnuts are by far your best friend if you're looking for nuts on a low calorie diet. 100gms of chestnuts contain roughly 131 calories, which is less than four times of what 100g of almonds contain. However, we're solely talking about it from a calorie perspective and not nutrition. My personal recommendation would be, do consume almonds, walnuts and other calorie dense nuts for their nutrition profile, just in moderation.

HEART HEALTH

• High bad cholesterol (LDL) and high triglycerides can lead to plaque buildup in arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Nuts contain unsaturated fats, which lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL). They reduce triglycerides, block cholesterol absorption in the gut, and remove excess cholesterol from the body.