Nuts and Seeds

[Kimberly_P]

~Hi everyone~

I am about to move onto the nuts and seeds rung and was wondering if salted peanuts and sunflower seeds are ok? I know salt may make me retain water but I haven't found any seeds or nuts which aren't salted.

[Elizellen]

Peanuts are actually not a nut but a legume, so not 'legal' till the legumes rung of OWL.

In UK we can buy unsalted cashews, almonds, walnuts, macadamia and pecan nuts as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the baking section of the grocery shop if you are trying to avoid eating too much salt.

Also the salted nuts are soooo easy to overeat too!!

I find I can control portions much easier with unsalted nuts.

[not2late]

You can "de-salt" nuts and seeds by putting them in a fine mesh strainer and rinsing them in water several times. Then, you need to dry them out on paper towels and toss them in the oven for a few minutes.

[meena-beena]

I was just going to say to wash them before eating them. Also I got some great advice in here about salt and bloating. Make sure you drink PLENTY of water with those nuts to get rid of all that extra salt your body doesn't need.

[Kimberly_P]

I'm just curious but I went and bought some unsalted almonds and am wondering how many equal 5 carbs?

[2big4mysize]

if you read your DANDR DR ATKINS says one ounce of nuts is 5 carbs so that is what we use even though you can find carb counters that say differently.

Add an ounce of nuts.

And even though she is correct peanuts are legumes Dr Atkins treated them as nuts in DANDR too.

[iyamamaschke]

Buy unsatled Baking Nuts that's what I do in Bulk you can get all sorts of unsalted nuts and cheaper then buying them Packaged. My fav is Almonds and Pumpkin seeds and Mac nuts, just watch for allergies. I can only have a handful and I get a sore throat or congested. DARN it I love nuts I am ok with seeds though which is Awesome.

Sarah

[changing]

Yep, start with an ounce, and depending on the size of the almonds (different varieties are different sizes), an ounce of almonds is 18 to 22 almonds. I usually baggie mine into sandwich baggies 20 at a time, so that I don't just reach into the bag mindlessly.

And yes, like Sarah said, I often buy unsalted baking nuts in bulk because they are so cheap. But if you've already got the salted ones, they're fine to eat. I usually just drink an extra glass of water if I'm eating something really salty like that.

Almonds are great!

[not2late]

2Big is correct. In the "Power of Five" section of the book, Dr. Atkins specifically uses 1 ounce as the amount for nuts and seeds. The exception of that is cashews, which are limited to 1/2 ounce.

Figuring out the weight of the nuts is relatively easy. If you buy a 2 ounce bag of nuts, you need to divide the contents of the bag in half and you will have approximately two 1 ounce portions. Otherwise, invest in a small food scale. It doesn't have to be a fancy digital scale. Many stores sell simple diet scales for less than $10 and is a good investment for your Atkins.

do not forget to try some tahini now it is so good and makes the best salad dressings!!!!