Q: I heard that the American Heart Association has just issued new dietary recommendations for a healthy heart. Is it still okay to include Georgia pecans in my diet?
A: Absolutely. In fact, the new AHA recommendations, which were just published in the July 4, 2006 issue of the medical journal Circulation, specifically recommend eating 4 to 5 servings a week of nuts, like Georgia pecans, seeds and legumes each week. The AHA considers 1/3 cup of nuts as a heart-healthy serving. And if you've been wondering if the fat in nuts is okay, the AHA, for the first time, placed no restriction on the total fat content of the recommended diet, choosing instead to focus on types of fat, calorie intake and physical activity to promote a healthy heart. Specifically, the AHA now recommends that you limit your intake of trans fats (the fats found in hydrogenated oils, often used in processed foods) to less than 1 percent of the day's calories. That translates to only about 2 grams of trans fats a day for someone taking in 2,000 calories. Georgia pecans just happen to be trans-fat free. The new AHA guidelines also recommend limiting saturated fat content to less than 7 percent of the day's calories. That's a drop from the organization's previous recommendation of less than 10 percent of calories. The new limit translates into about 16 grams a day for someone taking in 2,000 calories. Nearly 90 percent of the fat in pecans is heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, leaving little saturated fat. The final fat recommendation from the AHA advises limiting cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams a day. Georgia pecans are cholesterol-free.
