Column #96

This famous statement was a knee-jerk reaction by the American Commander in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. When Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe first heard that the Germans had demanded his surrender, he said “Aw, nuts!” His formal written response to the German commander was shortened to just plain: “NUTS!”

Nuts, a Paleo favorite, are recommended right up there with green leafy vegetables and usually above meat. In fact, the majority of Paleo sites I review prefer nuts, vegetables, chicken, eggs, and GRAIN-fed lean meats of all kinds over grass-fed meats! None recommends Omega-3 meats. Who is out of the loop here?

I’ve been cautious about nuts for years for three reasons that are mostly misunderstood by health conscience consumers.

The first reason: mycotoxins which are poisonous chemicals produced by fungi. Some are regularly found in conventional and organic food and animal feeds that include grains, seeds, and nuts. They can significantly impact the health of humans, pets, and livestock.

In the study, “Fungal Presence in Selected Tree Nuts and Dried Fruits,” scientists analyzed 50 dried fruit samples and 64 tree nut samples. They obtained them in unopened packages or from bulk jars and trays from four supermarket chains (eight stores) in the Washington, D.C. area. Most of the nuts and many of the dried fruits tested positive for mycotoxins. All walnut samples tested positive. The detected levels recorded in the study ranged from low to moderately high.

Mycotoxins are unquestionably toxic to vertebrates and other animal groups even in low concentrations. The effects of some food-borne mycotoxins are “acute” with symptoms of severe illness appearing quickly. Other mycotoxins occurring in food have longer term “chronic” or cumulative effects on health, including cancers and immune deficiency. Reactions to mycotoxins also depend on dose and a person’s immune system.

Generally, if a person’s immune system is strong (not compromised by sugar, grains, vegetable oils, grain-fed meats, etc.) small amounts of mycotoxins may be tolerated. But eating foods that are prone to potentially high mycotoxin levels is like playing Russian roulette.

My second concern with nuts is their essential fatty acid (EFA) profiles. Essential nutrients are not synthesized by the body and must be ingested. There are two critical EFAs groups: Omega-6 and Omega-3 which should be equally balanced by weight in the membranes of cells. When the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 exceeds 4:1 many chronic diseases are detectable. Ratios of 2:1 or less suppress most chronic diseases, even some cancers. The ratio has a big impact on brain, nerve, and immune function. Many autoimmune diseases commence when ratios exceed 4:1. Most Americans have ratios above 10:1 which is why nutritional scientists have been recommending more Omega-3 in the diet for at least five decades.

The EFA ratio of nuts is extremely high:

The Omega-3 deficit in nuts is huge with some having no Omega-3. Walnuts are the second worst nut for the Omega-3 deficit. The average deficit in a one-ounce nut servings is 3,698 mg. One ounce is a mere handful of nuts. To balance the average deficit one must eat 12.4 ounces (3/4 of a pound) of wild-caught Sockeye salmon or 7.3 pounds of spinach.

My third reason for not recommending nuts is that they are nutritionally incomplete. Like with any food, even corn, nuts have some positive nutritional attributes. But incomplete nutrition leads to nutritional deficiencies. If man tried to live on nuts or corn alone, he’d end up very sick and would soon die.

Only green vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, etc., wild caught seafood, grass-fed meats, and Omega-3 meats provide the full spectrum of nutrients with properly balanced EFAs. That’s why they are my foods of choice. I only eat nuts sparingly and usually macadamia nuts and once in awhile a touch of coconut. Eating nuts is NUTS!

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

Mycotoxins from Clinical Microbiological Reviews

Mycotoxin from Wikipedia

Mycotoxins in Grains and Seeds by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Fungal Presence in Selected Tree Nuts and Dried Fruits by V. H. Tournas, N.S. Niazi, and J.S. Kohn

The Story of the NUTS! Reply by Kenneth J. McAuliffe, Jr.

Mycotoxins in Tree Nuts by The Perishable Products Export Control Board

Aflatoxin Alert: Moldy Nuts and Corn Increases Your Liver Cancer Risk 60-Times If You Have Hepatitis B from the Hepatitis B Foundation

The Importance of the Ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids by Artemis Simopoulos M.D.