Why Buy Pecans

90% of the fats in pecans are unsaturated (about 60% monounsaturated/30% polyunsaturated) A serving of pecans (30g) provides about 25 percent more oleic acid than a serving of olive oil (one tablespoon) Pecans are cholesterol free  Pecans are sodium free  Pecans are fiber-rich  Pecans are a valuable plant protein source  Pecans have more than 19 vitamins & minerals  Pecans are an excellent source of gamma tocopherol, an important type of vitamin E  Pecans contain concentrated amounts of natural plant sterols, touted for their cholesterol-lowering ability  Pecans contain a variety of phytochemicals  Nuts are recommended by the American Heart Association and U.S. Dietary Guidelines as a desirable source of heart-healthy unsaturated fat.   Pecans can double the cholesterol-lowering effectiveness of a traditional heart-healthy diet, according to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, September 2001. An eight-week study at Loma Linda University found that a 'pecan' diet (which consisted of replacing 20 percent of the calories from the American Heart Association's Step I diet foods with pecans) lowered total cholesterol by 11.5%. The Step I diet lowered total cholesterol by 5.2%. In addition, the pecan diet increased the HDL "good" cholesterol whereas the Step I diet decreased HDL unfavorably. Triglycerides also were significantly lower with the pecan diet. Although the pecan diet contained more fat (39.6%) than the Step I diet (28.3%), participants did not gain weight. Click Here to read about the Loma Linda pecan health study. Source:  www.tpga.org