This page explains the health effects of nut consumption

Yes, I said lose the nuts! They are, on average, ⅓ saturated fat. Avocados and coconut as well are high in saturated fat. You will read many articles that say the fats in nuts, avocados and coconut are healthy fat. I’ve heard people quote research funded by the avocado and nut industries that state that these fats are essential to life. Cholesterol and saturated fat are, in fact, essential to life. It should come as no shock, though, that just as our bodies produce all the cholesterol we need, so do we produce all the saturated fat we need. The consumption of dietary saturated fat is taxing on the body and contributes to disease and dysfunction of endothelial cells.

All of the vitamins found in nuts and avocados can be found in other low-fat plant based foods. These expensive high-fat foods are not the best plant based food choices. Marketing and studies funded by the dried fruit and nut industry are misleading consumers. Most studies that feature the addition of nuts resulting in health improvements and weight loss fail to share that the test subject added a handful of nuts per day and eliminated a king-sized candy bar or large bag of potato chips. This addition of nuts to a standard diet is not going to have you achieving your weight loss goals. It is not going to assist you to reverse disease or achieve optimal health. If a person practicing a Protective Diet added a handful of raw organic nuts to their already healthy low-fat diet, weight gain, reduced insulin reception and cravings for high fat foods would quickly re-emerge.  All that was accomplished removing high fat foods to reprogram our taste bud reception would be undone and our fat receptors would lose their new found sensitivity to fats.

When our goal is to reverse inflammatory disease, heart disease, diabetes or obesity, nuts should be removed completely. When I have a student who can’t achieve their goals with a Protective Diet, I always find out about their secret stash of nuts. Do yourself the greatest honor and make this a successful practice by following the proven paved path of a Protective Diet free of nuts, avocados and coconut. At first it seems difficult, but the results are far more rewarding than eating any or all of these foods. Ask anyone of our successful members if it was worth it.

Always remember that our bodies are miraculous. All the nutrients we need are provided with an oil-, sugar- and nut-free, whole food, plant-based diet. This diet gives our body everything it needs to function perfectly. It also provides a diet that promotes health and endothelial function. Nuts, nut butters and avocados are pleasure traps. We are drawn to them due to their caloric density. This is human nature. We were conditioned for survival and this draws us to high fat foods. Unfortunately, modern life has us spending most of our days sedentary. It is hard for me and my students to keep nuts in our homes without being drawn to eating them. I call peanut butter crack for women. We can’t stop, or are haunted by the jar calling us for a quick spoonful. Toss it out or feed the squirrels. Don’t tempt yourself with something that can cause a delay in disease reversal, greatly contribute to obesity, stimulate food cravings while holding you back from complete taste bud re-programing and meal satisfaction on a low-fat diet.