Why Eating Nuts Might Save Your Life... And Keep You Skinny Too

There's a whole lot of health-related, mortality and longevity-related stuff going on in my family lately. It's too much to go into now, but I will say that I feel too young for this crap. I'm sure I'll sound off about it soon, but in the meantime, I want to bring your attention to a study that came out in the New England Journal of Medicine this week about an easy - stupid-easy - way to live longer, healthier and thinner. It's a good one, and you're going to like it.

Nuts. Yep, nuts. 

Researchers looked at results from two massive studies covering 120,000 men and women over the course of 30 years, and they concluded that eating one ounce of nuts (any kind of nuts) every day, seven days a week, can lower your chance of dying within the next 30 years from heart disease, cancer, or any other cause by 20 percent. If you look at heart disease alone, it can lower your chances of dying by 29 percent. 

This is not a small finding. It's a big deal. These are crazy, incredible results, and the studies are extremely well-respected.

Not only do the nuts keep you from dying, they also keep you from gaining weight. The people in the study who ate more nuts had "lower waist circumference, less weight gain, and decreased risk of obesity."

I've been telling my clients forever that nuts are one of the best snacks they can carry with them to work or the gym. They are packed with fiber, protein, and all kinds of good juju. You've probably heard that nuts are fatty and will make you pack on the pounds. Well, here is hard scientific proof that they won't.

The only caveat is salt. Roasted or raw, whatever you do, don't buy salted nuts. It's the salt that makes you want to eat too many, thereby taking the fat and calories way up over the top. "Honey roasted" goes on that list too. Just say no to honey roasting.

So grab a handful of nuts. Everyday. It's good medicine.