NUTS – The Perfectly Portable PCOS Diet Snack
Have you ever been caught snack empty-handed?
You know what it’s like; it’s 3 PM and you are starving because you didn’t eat enough protein for lunch. Starbucks is calling your name. Since there is really nothing healthy to eat in the near vicinity, a vanilla latte and a muffin sound great. Except come 5 pm, you are now crashing, cranky, and tired. I can’t tell you how many times I have been there.
Luckily, I have found a new ally in my war against low-blood sugar hunger pangs – raw nuts. I stash little snack-size Ziploc bags of nuts in my car, my purse, the diaper bag, or the pantry – essentially any place that I may need to grab a little blood sugar stabilizer during the day. Sometimes I sprinkle in just a few unsweetened dried blueberries or cranberries and some pumpkin and sunflower seeds make a great clean eating trail mix. I have found them to be a perfect addition to my PCOS diet.
Since nuts are high in calories, it is important to know what is actually in a serving size. Have no fear, research has shown that people who eat nuts are less likely to gain weight than those who don’t (1).
Here are my favorite nuts and the serving size (pieces):
Almonds 20-24
Cashews 16 – 18
Pecans 18-20
Pistachios 45-47
Walnuts 8-11
Please comment and share your favorite portable PCOS diet snacks!
References:
1: J Nutr. 2008 Sep;138(9):1741S-1745S.
Nuts are so healthy and great for you!
I just heard Dr. OZ say that 15% of the calories in nuts are used to digest them, so it makes them even a better calorie efficient snack!
Nuts are a great snack food! I have recently fell in love with the simple process of roasting almonds and walnuts. I am eager to try roasting pecans to see how they turn out and am enjoying the different flavor roasting brings 🙂
Thank you for this site. I am a recent arrival and am thankful that you are brave enough to share your adventure with us 🙂
I love your attitude! It certainly is an adventure. Nuts are really my go to snack. I always have a bag of almonds and a piece of fruit on me – in my car, in my purse and toasted pecans are the best.
Loving nuts! Filling me up and keeping the blood sugar happy.
Do you have any PCOS aproved reiceps for flavoring nuts? Cinnamon and other spices are PCOS aproved- have you ever tried to liven your nuts up with such spices.
Spicing up nuts sounds great. Cayenne, cumin, chili would be great. Cinnamon is wonderful for PCOS.
I came across your blog today and I’m so glad 🙂 You’re great for sharing your experience and helping other pcos patients like me, appreciate it!
How many nuts on an average would you recommend to have daily?
Thans Kruti – I would stick with 2-3 servings of nuts and/or nut butter a day.
Cinnamon, honey, raspberry leaf tea, nuts, inositol, and folic acid.. Those are the things that I’m adding to my everyday diet to increase my chances in conceiving!! GOOD LUCK to all my pcos cystors in getting pregnant!!! My husband and I are on a madd mission.. Been together for almost 10 years and have had only one pregnancy that ended in misscarrage.. That was last year.. Im hoping that our efforts pay off in a successful pregnancy well ASAP.. lol <3
Hi Amy, I just found your website this morning and I’m already excited to try this all! I’ve been wanting to try eating specifically to help my PCOS but i have struggled to find the right information – cannot wait to read more! Just wanted to ask your opinion on nuts vs seeds, is either better than the other in terms of protein or nutritional value? Thanks!
Glad you found PCOS Diva Jess! I think both are great and I use them often interchangeably in trail mixes, oatmeal, bars and sprinkled on salads. Pumpkin seeds are especially good for PCOS as they have anti-androgenic properties.
So, what about those of us with a nut allergy? Do you have any recommendations for a quick storable snack?
Pumpkin and sunflowers seeds are great.
chia seeds and flaxseeds. I usually bring a slice or two of salami and a piece of fruit especially one that is easily eaten like strawberries. You could try making this with pumpkin/sunflower/chia/flaxseed seeds instead http://betterwithcake.com/snack/strawberry-and-cream-cashew-cookie-bites/. dehydrated fruits and meats maybe? ya, without nuts, i guess it can be pretty difficult. keep on pinteresting! good luck