Nuts have a lot going for them. Not only are they an on-the-go snack, they’re also a staple in popular foods like trail mix, nut butters, and, yes, many candy bars. But while many people love nuts, there are also plenty of myths surrounding these healthy, high-fat foods, from their protein content to their link to kidney stones.
Luckily, the experts at Yahoo Life are here to dispel all the rumors and give you the real information you need before you reach for your next bag of chocolate-covered almonds. Here’s what the experts want you to know.
Myth #1: Peanuts are nuts
Despite their name, peanuts are actually a legume (in the same family as beans), unlike tree nuts like almonds or pecans. However, even though peanuts aren’t technically nuts, they contain many of the same properties as nuts, including a mix of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
Myth #2: Nuts cause weight gain because they are high in calories
It’s true that nuts are higher in calories than many foods. For example, one ounce of almonds contains about 165 calories. Eating more calories than your body burns in a day leads to weight gain.
However, just because nuts are high in calories doesn’t mean they’re going to derail your weight-loss plans. A new study from the University of South Australia suggests that adding nuts to a low-calorie diet won’t stop you from losing weight and may even help your progress.
“You don’t have to worry about nuts making you gain weight because they’re high in dietary fiber, protein, and healthy fats that can help promote satiety and reduce calorie intake throughout the day,” registered dietitian Shelley Balls tells Yahoo Life. If you’re worried about eating too many nuts, she says, you can pre-portion a serving before you start snacking.
Myth #3: You shouldn’t eat too many Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts are great for your health because they contain several antioxidants that can help reduce stress and inflammation. However, the reason they get a bad rap is their selenium content, registered dietitian Michelle Routhenstein tells Yahoo Life.
Just one or two Brazil nuts can provide your recommended daily intake of selenium, which supports immune function and thyroid health. (Think of it as a natural supplement.) However, ingesting too much selenium—whether through Brazil nuts or otherwise—can lead to selenium toxicity, which she says can lead to symptoms like “gastrointestinal upset, hair loss, brittle nails, and neurological issues.”
Myth #4: Nuts are high in fat and therefore cause higher cholesterol levels
In fact, it’s quite the opposite, Avery Zenker, a registered dietitian at personal training company EverFlex, tells Yahoo Life. Nuts like almonds, which are cholesterol-free like all plant-based foods, have been shown to improve cholesterol levels when included in a person’s diet, she says.
Nuts are high in unsaturated fats, which help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while maintaining or even increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels, Zenker says. “They also contain fiber, plant sterols and antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which contribute to heart health and improved lipid profiles,” she adds.
Myth #5: Eating peanuts while pregnant can make your baby allergic
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) used to recommend that pregnant women avoid peanuts because they believed that in-utero exposure could cause allergies in babies. However, according to a new study, they have revised their stance and no longer recommend that pregnant women avoid allergenic foods, unless, of course, they have an allergy themselves.
This is also true for breastfeeding women. Peanuts can actually be a great food choice if you’re breastfeeding, as these legumes contain both protein and folate, which are necessary for overall health and can promote healthy milk production.
Myth #6: Nuts are an ideal source of protein, especially for vegetarians
Nuts can absolutely help you meet your protein goals (56 grams per day for men and 46 grams per day for women, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans) while also providing fiber and healthy fats.
Here’s how much protein nuts contain per 1-ounce serving:
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Almonds: 6 grams of protein
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Nut: 4.3 grams of protein
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Pistachios: 5.7 grams of protein
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Cashew nuts: 5.1 grams of protein
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Hazelnut: 4.25 grams of protein
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Brazil nut: 4 grams of protein
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Pine nuts: 3.8 grams of protein
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Peanuts (technically legumes): 7.3 grams of protein
But that’s not all. Balls notes that nuts are considered an “incomplete protein” because they don’t contain all nine essential amino acids needed to build cells.
“If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, it simply means you need to include other incomplete protein sources in your diet, such as whole grains and vegetables,” Balls says.
While nuts provide a good amount of protein, they are best known for being high in healthy fats. If you are following a plant-based diet, you can also include foods like beans, seeds, and soybeans to meet your protein needs.
Still, Balls says that replacing less nutrient-dense animal proteins (like processed meat, which the World Health Organization has listed as a carcinogen) with nuts can promote better health. That might mean spreading nut butter on whole-wheat waffles instead of bacon, for example.
Myth #7: Nuts cause kidney stones
Nuts are often said to cause kidney stones because they can be high in oxalates. Oxalates are compounds that can bind to minerals like calcium, potentially forming crystals that contribute to kidney stone formation.
However, registered dietitian Jennifer Hernandez, a certified renal nutritionist, tells Yahoo Life that “oxalates are rarely a problem for kidney stone patients,” and therefore, excessive nut consumption is not usually the cause of kidney stones. “What may be more protective against kidney stones is drinking plenty of fluids, limiting salt, and getting enough calcium at meals and snacks,” Hernandez says.
But Hernandez says that if a person has high levels of oxalates in their urine, “limiting foods that are very high in oxalates may be a wise choice.”
According to her, not all types of nuts have the same oxalate content. If you regularly eat almonds, which contain a higher amount of oxalates, consider replacing them with walnuts or pistachios, which are lower-oxalate options.