Last weekend, I attended an out of town wedding with some of my former co-workers.  They told me the craziest story.  Our friend Gretchen, whose wedding we were heading to, apparently has her GPS set to talk in squirrel.   After we laughed hysterically, we verged into an entire discussion about nuts (yes, my former coworkers are nutrition and regulatory types).  GPS to squirrels to nuts – makes sense, right?

 I admitted it to them, and I’ll admit it to you.  In my past, I was one of those people who avoided nuts in my eating habits.  It was the calories that got to me.  Like many of you, I was worried about stopping at the one-ounce portion – getting the health benefits without overdoing it on the calories.

Then one day, a package from the Almond Board of California appeared on my desk.  It showed great ways to measure the portion of almonds, including a little mint tin (all the options are visible here). Both professionally and personally, I loved the marketing campaign, and it made me rethink the roll of nuts in my eating habits.

Today, nuts are a go-to product for me as a late morning snack.  Since I work full-time out of a home office, around 10:00 am, I’ll head down to the kitchen for a cup of instant coffee and a light snack.  A handful of nuts is perfect.  Nuts provide the satiety I need at that time of day.  Just a small handful fills me up.  Plus I know I’m getting good fats, vitamin E, protein and fiber.  Nearly a perfect food in my mind.  My favorite nut product is Archer Farms Mixed Nuts, Unsalted, a blend of walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts.  The flavors are a perfect blend.

I wonder what Gretchen’s GPS would say about my mid-morning snack?

Visit www.nuval.com to check out scores on your favorite nuts.

I have to admit it, nutrition books aren’t always at the top of my reading list.  As a nutrition professional, they probably should be so I know what’s new, what’s good, what would be useful for consumers. . .but also to warn consumers about some of the crap that’s out there. . . But in the limited time I have to read, I tend to read for enjoyment and relaxation.  In fact, I just finished The Help.  What a great read.

But I digress. . .

A nutrition book – well really a combined nutrition-recipe book – that just crossed my desk which I love is The Full Plate Diet.  Here’s why:

• The entire book is about what you CAN eat.  All POSITIVE messages.
• The authors understand real consumers.  Many of the options and ideas presented use convenience items and bump up their nutrition with easy additions.
• The photography is beautiful.  It just reaches off the page, and makes you want to try the recipes.
• It’s presented in soundbites of information.  I can pick up one tip in five minutes, without having to read pages and pages of text.  This fits into consumers’ lifestyles.

Overall, a great tool for building healthier eating habits.  Practical, doable solutions.  I love it.

Visit www.nuval.com to fill your plate with high scoring foods.