(CNN) — Toss toasted pecans into a salad instead of croutons. Add chopped walnuts to Saturday morning’s pancake mix. Swirl some peanut butter into the sauce of a veggie stir-fry.
These simple steps to add nutty goodness elevate the flavors in a recipe and boost the nutrition in your dish.
Nuts get rave reviews from nutritionists like me primarily because of their healthy fat profile. Walnuts, almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts are rich in cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and contain lower amounts of cholesterol-raising saturated fats. (So do peanuts, which are technically legumes.)
And that’s not all. Nuts contain dietary fiber, plant-based protein, vitamin E and potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Because they’re chock-full of these nutrients and the fats that support heart health, the US Food and Drug Administration allows packages of nuts to sport this qualified health claim: “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5