Binge on nuts?
 

Anyone else binge on nuts? They are so fattening (lots of calories) but I cannot just stop at one, especially cashews, my husband buys a salted jar and I cannot stop until he takes them away...

i know...i buy student food...i think you call it trail mix or something like that...with raisins and other dried fruit and i always say i won't eat it all but i finish it up in one sitting. i am addicted to nuts :)

I have a very hard time with nuts. A lot of people swear by them, and in some ways they are a wonderful food - perfect mixture of fat, protein, and fiber to make a very satisfying snack.

But I can't really control myself on them. People say "oh measure out an ounce, it's so filling." But being full (or being not hungry) has never been a reason to stop eating, for me. And nuts just taste like more nuts to me. So, even though they are a wonderful snack choice for many, I have not been able to strike a balance with them. I don't even like my partner to keep them in the house - I make her hide them from me.

Like Carter, one ounce of nuts just doesn't cut it for me. To the OP, like you, I've been known to binge on nuts. And, to be frank, I think it's really easy to. After all, let's say that I ate 4 oz. of nuts, which isn't all that much. But calore-wise, it's about 800 calories!

I'm wondering, too, if there's just something about cashews that are especially tempting to those of us who have weight issues. It seems like every time I read a thread on nuts, the ones that people seem to overindulge in are cashews. I know that I cannot have them in the house. However, if there are almonds or walnuts sitting around--no problem.

Trail mix and nuts in general are great when you go through one of those days when you are not hungry at eat too little. Not to go down on calories, I have some nuts and get to the 1200-1300 cals. But I never eat them on a daily basis, because I prefer to eat two pieces of fruit rather than a handful of nuts. I stop eating after the fruit, but after a handful of nuts there's another handful, and another, and another...

I have a coworker that does. He's been going those v or val (? can't remember) shakes and he can't figure out why he is not losing weight. He'll eat a handful of nuts 4-8 times a day. A handful is probably at least 1.5 - 2 ounces.

I eat nuts as a snack and I pre-portion them in 28 gram baggies. I'm not addicted to them, so it is easy for me to stay away.

I love almonds so I use a 1/4 mixing cup as a mini bowl for portion control.

I love snacking on cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts. I allow myself this guilty pleasure, because as far as I'm concerned, it's not the worst choice I can make. I have to have something to live for! haha

I keep nuts at work for a mid-day snack and that goes fine. My pitfall with nuts is if they are anywhere near me if I'm watching TV. I can eat them like popcorn. So nuts + tv is bad for me.

I'd be fine with the calories, just not the fat. I can't justify spending 14g of fat on such a small amount of food, even if I did plan for it.

Now hummus, on the other hand....:carrot:

Why so worried about fat?

Dietary fat does not = body fat. Any more than the same calories of hummus would = body fat ;).

I meant to look it up...isn't the recommended daily value for fat grams somewhere around 60? I'm not sure :dizzy: With that in mind, 14 of those seems like a lot to be spent on nuts lol

Assuming that's true...thoughts?

The 'recommendations' are highly suspect IMHO.

They also recommend that people eat more grains than fruit and veg, which I find INSANE.

;)

Good point! There just so happens to be a can of nuts sitting next to my chair. Hmm...

Agreed on that! Grains are great- if you need fattening up.

Nuts are easy to snack on, so they're also easy to binge on. Especially if people get salt cravings.

Plus they're so darn tasty.

Yes for sure, salted nuts are my nemesis. I cannot stop at just one handful. If I'm going to eat them I need to portion them out into bags and take them somewhere with me where I won't have access to the rest of them...

They are definitely one of those foods that can set off a binge for me.

I can eat an entire bag of salted almonds before my stomach even has time to register its fullness, easily. I'll never buy them at the supermarket now - gotta get my healthy fats another way.

TJ's sesame honey almonds. They are like candy! I also can binge on cashews.. so delicious :P

I have found that natural nuts that have not been roasted so much easier to control. There is something about the roasted flavour, crunch and salt that makes it hard for me to stop. If you are a carb counter, the carbs add up fast, especially with cashews. If a calorie counter, they can be a bomb if too many are eaten. I have given up eating them as a snack, I only toss a few in a stirfry or salad these days.

I definitely agree here. When I eat almonds, I eat them plain/natural/raw... whatever you want to call it.

I heard somewhere 18 is OK. So I count them. Otherwise, I have to remember they're really more like a condiment--butter, salad dressing, mayo, whatever--to add flavor in small amounts.

I count 18 cashews as well - great snack with a cup of spiced tea.

Knowing that I can have them every day - in moderation - keeps me from devouring the entire container.

One tip I've heard is to only eat nuts with the shell on, so the eating takes longer - you can't just cram a whole handful in your mouth.

That being said, I've definitely binged on shelled pistachios more than once.

Nuts are healthy foods in the right portions, unless its green veg if it triggers over eating just get them out of the house and if your partner wants to eat them thats fine just don't keep temptation in your cupboards :)

Ya gotta be careful about other "good" foods turning into substitute trigger foods