Pecans are an Investment in Your Health

Q. I know that nuts, like Georgia pecans, are nutritious, but aren’t pecans an expensive way to improve my diet?

A.  Actually, a recent study performed at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used a measure of healthy eating called the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to evaluate the cost of a diet that might help prevent cardiovascular disease and found that greater spending on nuts, soy, beans, and whole grains was associated with a higher AHEI score. Specifically, for each dollar spent on nuts, soy, beans and whole grains, as a whole, per day, the AHEI increased by almost 20 points. A 20-point increase in the AHEI score, was associated with a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, increased spending on nuts alone can offer a 20-point increase in the AHEI score. The authors concluded that increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains, and less spending on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy, may be the best investment for dietary health.