Are You Nuts?

Posted by Healthy Bitch Daily on Aug 23, 2012

While you may love your raw cashews or salted almonds, it's possible to go overboard when you're a vegan

Despite your totally anal vegan diet, those skinny jeans still don’t fit.

Sound familiar?

Go take a look in your fridge. If it's stocked with non-dairy ice cream, non-dairy cheese, non-dairy coffee creamer, non-meat burgers and every other veganized animal product under the sun, it's time to have a chat.

Recently, I've noticed an issue in my practice—many of my patients (whom I love dearly) have become full on nut bags. Call it a bad pun, but the majority of my clients are eating nuts by the truckload, and they aren't connecting the I-feel-like-shit dots. While I'm the first to say that nuts can and should be part of a healthy diet, let’s take a look at some instances where the benefits of nuts may be weakened and learn some tips to prevent that from happening:

1. Protein Predicament

Are you inhaling trail mix to sock away protein? Many new vegans, especially, worry about the protein predicament, so they go overboard on the obvious vegan source: nuts. Yes, many nuts are a great source of protein, but they also contain healthy fats, which means the calories can add up quickly.

I recently helped a client lose the last five pounds by changing up her staple “protein” shake. The old shake: 1 tablespoon nut butter, 1 scoop protein powder, ½ banana, 10 ounces coconut water, spinach, ½ cup berries. The new shake: 1 tablespoon nut butter or 1 scoop protein powder, ½ banana or 10 ounces coconut water. Get the idea?

2. Say Cheese! 

One of God's gifts to plant-based eaters is the variety of quality vegan cheeses now available. I have a client—a new vegan—who is loving her new animal-friendly, earth-bettering food plan, but when I saw her food journal and heard her “I’m still bloated” complaint (dairy made her bloated so she gave it up), she was shocked to learn that cheese was still the culprit. Say what?

Here's the deal: Many non-dairy cheeses are made from nuts. When you add that to a salad with avocado, a pizza with olives or pesto, or decide to “snow” your vegetables (affectionate term for topping them with a thick layer of cheese), the excess amount of fat often translates into bloat, as the digestive tract struggles to rally enough enzymes to break it all down. Tip: Budget your fats. If you choose cheese, exercise portion control and skip the other fats, or have a smaller amount of all of them.

3. Go Nuts, Equally

If I had a penny for every time a patient tells me they are choosing almond milk, almond butter or eating a handful of almonds because “almonds are the best nut,” I would have...too many pennies. If you're only eating almonds, you're getting some great nutrients (manganese, magnesium, vitamin E, copper and amino acids like leucine and arginine). But if you're playing favorites with your nuts, you're likely missing out. On what? Certain amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

The other problem? Getting too much of the vitamins and minerals in almonds that your body starts to react in an imbalanced manner. A recent patient of mine gave up soy milk and soy beans in favor of almond milk and almonds. Originally, the shift was to address hormonal concerns associated with soy (this was done prior to my meeting her). After reviewing her two-week food journal, I saw that she was eating 3-5 daily servings of almonds (as the nut or an almond-based product), without any other nuts and seeds. I had her reduce this to one serving and add hemp hearts, walnuts, chia, brazil nuts, cashews, etc. Within one week, her acne had subsided and she reported feeling “thinner." After 2 months, she also reported her cramps and PMS, previously “unbearable,” were now better.

Lessons any nut bag can learn? Nuts are one of Mother Nature’s best nutrient and taste inventions. As plant lovers, we should eat nuts. But eat them with attention to portion, nutrient balance, variety and quality. It ain't rocket science, honey.

Question about nuts? Leave us a comment below!

Have a question for Ashley? Email us at info@healthybitchdaily.com and we'll get your questions answered. 

Ashley Koff, R.D., Resident Dietitian
Named among the Top 10 Registered Dietitians in the U.S. by Today’s Dietitian Magazine, Koff appears regularly on national media outlets, including Dr. Oz, The Doctors, Good Morning America Health, CNN, AOL and E!. Koff is also the dietitian for espnW, and the featured dietitian on the CW’s “Shedding for the Wedding” and Lifetime’s “Love Handles.” Koff maintains a private practice, regularly lectures, and works to improve the quality of food choices on the sets of popular shows such as Private Practice, CSI: New York, Big Love, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Bones. Her book, Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged (Hay House, 2011), hits stands later this summer. For more information please visit AshleyKoffRd.com.