Originally published June 23 2005
Britons turn to nuts as healthier snack alternative
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Scotsman reports that many British consumers are turning their backs on crisps (potato chips), and turning to nuts as a healthier choice, and sales of the product have soared by 600 percent in the last year alone.
We're choosing nuts and leaving crisps on the supermarket shelves to embrace a healthier lifestyle.
New figures show sales of nuts like brazils, walnuts and cashews have soared by up to 600% in the last year alone, according to Tesco.
Demand for nuts has increased by 81% since last summer and the supermarket giant says the number of people following the GI diet could be fuelling the trend.
Nuts contain vitamin E, folic acid which aids energy release from foods and minerals such as zinc that strengthen the immune system.
Whilst nuts are enjoying a renaissance, Britain's former favourite snack, the crisp, is experiencing a downturn in sales to make way for healthier dried fruit, nuts and cereal bars.
One of the major ways people are losing weight is to cut down on snacking or look for healthier options to crisps and chocolate.
Ursula Arens, Registered Dietician at the British Dietetic Association, warns that nuts are an energy dense, high protein food and people should view them in the same way that they would cheese.
Arens says: "Nuts are Atkins-diet friendly because they're low in carbohydrates and they are also low GI foods -- but then all protein foods are, like meat, eggs and fish.
The fat in nuts is unsaturated so it's a healthy kind of fat.
The British Nutrition Foundation disagree, however, and say the high fat and calorie content of nuts needn't promote weight gain: "Emerging evidence suggests that diets which include nuts may promote a feeling of being satisfied and, therefore, potentially prevent weight gain."
The sweet almond has the largest share of the nut trade worldwide.
Almonds are particularly nutritious containing protein, iron, calcium, vitamin E, zinc and vitamin B2.
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