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Go nuts for nuts when it comes to your fat

Published 11/19/2024

Author - Lee McCusker

(Registered Nutritionist)

We need a small amount of fat as part of a healthy balanced diet.  Fats provide energy, help absorb vitamins (A, D, E and K) with Omega 6 helping with skin health.  Some fats (saturated fats/trans fats) in high amounts can increase the risk of heart problems.  Omega 6 fats are found in high amounts in Brazil nuts, pine nuts, walnuts, tofu, sunflower seeds and culinary oils like sunflower oil.  The nuts previous can be easily taken as snacks throughout the day with a portion size being 30g.  Nuts are also a good source of fibre for gut health and protein (for structure) also, when combined with beans or peas.  Why not sauté pine nuts or chopped Brazil nuts and add them to a beans and pea dish.  Tofu is nice sautéed in a stir fry which could be with sunflower oil.  A portion size of oil is a teaspoon as lots of people tend to take way more than this which will provide too many unwanted calories.  And seeds (teaspoon) can be added to oats in the morning to boost Omega 6 intakes also.  People on very low-fat diets who are deficient in Omega 6 often develop extremely dry, flaky skin.