Three great nuts to eat now

1. Almonds. Dieters who ate 3 ounces of these nuts every day reduced their weight and body-mass index by a solid 18  percent compared with an 11 percent drop in the no-nut group, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found. Almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed the metabolism of fats.

2. Peanuts. Try them in the form of all natural peanut butter (the ingredient list should read: peanuts, salt). A tablespoon a day on a sandwich instead of deli meat can help you heart and the planet - plants (like peanuts) use less than one tenth of the fossil fuel used to raise animals.

3. Walnuts. A quarter cup of walnuts a day may help keep breast cancer at bay, finds research from Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, West Virginia. Women who ate the antioxidant-rich snack had fewer and smaller tumors than those who didn't.

One word of warning about nuts...

They are so tiny and tasty, they're one of the easiest high cal foods to overeat! Keep calories in check by remembering these portions:

- One ounce of raw almonds = about 23 nuts = 162 calories
- One ounce of dry roasted peanuts = about 28 peanuts = 164 calories.
- One ounce of walnuts = 14 halves = 185 calories.

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