Health Nut Q&A: Nuts and Other Snacks for Diabetics
Our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian, Molly Morgan, answers our customers’ most pressing health and nutrition questions and recommends her favorite products!
If you’d like Molly to answer one of your questions in a future blog post, please email your question to health@nuts.com. If we feature your question in The Nutty Scoop, we will also send you a pound of your favorite Nuts.com product.
November is National Diabetes Month! Check out my answers to customers’ questions about how to fit nuts and other delicious Nuts.com snacks into a diabetic diet.
Q: I am a diabetic and a lover of all the yummy goodies The Nutty Family sells. How often can people like me eat things like sugar-free mini peanut butter cups or any other sugar-free candy, and how much is OK? – Jean Barton
A: How much you can eat depends on your carbohydrate intake goals for the day, as that varies from person to person with diabetes. For example, one serving of the sugar-free mini peanut butter cups has 20 grams of carbohydrates and equals about 1.25 carbohydrate exchanges for diabetes meal planning. Check the total grams of carbohydrates per serving and use that as a reference to determine how much is right for you to eat.
Q: What are the best nuts for diabetics? – Shirley C. Floyd
A: Good news! Nuts tend to have a protective effect related to diabetes. A recent study (Journal of American College of Nutrition, 2011) found that people who regularly eat tree nuts — pistachios, walnuts, almonds and cashews — have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Below you’ll find the carbohydrate and fiber breakdown of many popular nuts, based on a one-ounce serving size:
Almonds: 3.3 grams fiber (5.4 grams carbs)
Pistachios: 2.9 grams fiber (8 grams carbs)
Hazelnuts: 2.75 grams fiber (5 grams carbs)
Pecans: 2.7 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)
Peanuts: 2.4 grams fiber (4.5 grams carbs)
Macadamia 2.4 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)
Brazil Nuts: 2 grams fiber (3.5 grams carbs)
Walnuts: 2 grams fiber (4 grams carbs)
Check out the recent infographic we developed with a lot of facts and tips about incorporating a variety of nuts!
Q: Are unsalted cashews healthy for someone with Type II diabetes?
A: All nuts can definitely be part of a diabetic meal plan, including unsalted cashews. The good news is that nuts are full of heart-healthy fat, so they make good snacks for diabetics!
2 Responses to “Health Nut Q&A: Nuts and Other Snacks for Diabetics”
Why are Cashews & Pine nuts left out of the selection of nuts as a possible choice? I’d like to knw how many Carbs? Fiber? Fats?
Hi Fray – Our Registered Dietitian didn’t list all of the nuts, but focused on the ones that she recommends. Check our cashews page and our pine nuts page for nutrition facts information on the right.