don't go nuts

[dianeseattle]

Lately, a lot of stuff I'm seeing about the post-op diet includes nuts. I remember trying to use nuts as a form of protein after my surgery. But you were allowed so few nuts for so many calories that it was hardly worth the effort to chew them.

The protein grams are good, but the calories are high. This won't be an issue for those of you who are surviving on 500 calories a day. By adding nuts you can boost your protein easily and your calorie count will be more realistic.

You can also use nut butters. They are really high in protein and not that bad calorically. I actually make Thai peanut sauce with peanut butter.

The quick recipe is about a cup of chicken stock with about a quarter cup of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, garlic and ginger (smashed and sauteed quickly on low heat in sesame oil) brought to a boil. Add one or two tablespoons of peanut butter and stir. Snip a few tablespoons of cilantro leaves, a little less than a teaspoon of chili flakes, and a squeeze of lime into this mix while it simmers. It will get thick without any added ingredient. For Princess Rama, pour a little (or a lot) of sauce over skinless chicken breast on raw or cooked spinach.

This sauce is also awesome spooned over tofu. You can also substitute a pork steak or a filet of white fish, shrimp or anything meaty, whether meat or produce--except beef. That's a personal choice but, I think it tastes awful on beef.

Here's a table of information about nuts:

The Nutrition of Nuts
This easy comparison chart shows how common nuts differ in nutritional content, making it simple to choose the nut that is right for you. This chart lists the approximate nutritional content in weight (per one ounce) for each type of nut, as well as the approximate number of nuts per ounce. You can compare the number of calories, fat (total, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), carbohydrates, and fiber among nine varieties of nuts.

Nutrients per 1 ounce

Nut Type serv.size Calories Protein Fat Carbs Fiber
_◇___◇____◇__◇_◇◇
Almonds 23 160 6 14 1 9
Brazil Nuts 6 190 4 19 4 7
Cashews 18 160 4 13 3 8
Hazelnuts 21 180 4 17 1.5 13
Macadamia 11 200 2 22 3.5 17
Pecan halves 19 200 3 20 2 12
Pine Nuts 165 190 4 20 1.5 5.5
Pistachios 49 160 4 18 1.5 7
Walnut halves 14 190 4 18 1.5 2.5

I hope this table lines up correctly. It's so hard to paste a table into a file that doesn't allow you to format. It's best viewed in landscape mode.

 

[Texnoble]

Lately, a lot of stuff I'm seeing about the post-op diet includes nuts. I remember trying to use nuts as a form of protein after my surgery. But you were allowed so few nuts for so many calories that it was hardly worth the effort to chew them.

The protein grams are good, but the calories are high. This won't be an issue for those of you who are surviving on 500 calories a day. By adding nuts you can boost your protein easily and your calorie count will be more realistic.

You can also use nut butters. They are really high in protein and not that bad calorically. I actually make Thai peanut sauce with peanut butter.

The quick recipe is about a cup of chicken stock with about a quarter cup of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, garlic and ginger (smashed and sauteed quickly on low heat in sesame oil) brought to a boil. Add one or two tablespoons of peanut butter and stir. Snip a few tablespoons of cilantro leaves, a little less than a teaspoon of chili flakes, and a squeeze of lime into this mix while it simmers. It will get thick without any added ingredient. For Princess Rama, pour a little (or a lot) of sauce over skinless chicken breast on raw or cooked spinach.

This sauce is also awesome spooned over tofu. You can also substitute a pork steak or a filet of white fish, shrimp or anything meaty, whether meat or produce--except beef. That's a personal choice but, I think it tastes awful on beef.

Here's a table of information about nuts:

The Nutrition of Nuts
This easy comparison chart shows how common nuts differ in nutritional content, making it simple to choose the nut that is right for you. This chart lists the approximate nutritional content in weight (per one ounce) for each type of nut, as well as the approximate number of nuts per ounce. You can compare the number of calories, fat (total, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), carbohydrates, and fiber among nine varieties of nuts.

Nutrients per 1 ounce

Nut Type serv.size Calories Protein Fat Carbs Fiber
◇__◇__◇◇_◇◇
Almonds 23 160 6 14 1 9
Brazil Nuts 6 190 4 19 4 7
Cashews 18 160 4 13 3 8
Hazelnuts 21 180 4 17 1.5 13
Macadamia 11 200 2 22 3.5 17
Pecan halves 19 200 3 20 2 12
Pine Nuts 165 190 4 20 1.5 5.5
Pistachios 49 160 4 18 1.5 7
Walnut halves 14 190 4 18 1.5 2.5

I hope this table lines up correctly. It's so hard to paste a table into a file that doesn't allow you to format. It's best viewed in landscape mode.

Thank you, Diane's, for taking the time to put all this information together for us! Nuts were my downfall. I'd buy a huge plastic crate of mixed nuts or cashews at Costco and eat them late into the night, every night. No question where my weight came from. I used to do that with potato chips, but then decided nuts were healthier. I started with unsalted almonds...then all hell broke loose.

 

[dianeseattle]

Well trying to paste that table and was a complete waste of time. I hope you can make it out. I actually just made that Thai peanut sauce recipe I was telling you about. I also found that I have some mushrooms in my chiller and some green onions so I've cut those up in the beginning corporate them and I have tofu and I have mushrooms so I'm going to have a little of each of those. And I'm going to include a small portion of brown rice. The rice I buy is 170 calories / 3/4 of a cup serving. And it has 4 grams of protein. So whereas rice is traditionally thought of as a carbohydrate, it is really a whole food that contains protein and is really relatively low in calories. I topped the whole mess with ground peanuts.

 

[dianeseattle]

This sauce is also awesome spooned over tofu. You can also substitute a pork steak or a filet of white fish, shrimp or anything meaty, whether meat or produce--except beef. That's a personal choice but, I think it tastes awful on beef.

Okay so I got so hungry writing the recipe that I decided to make it for dinner. Here's a photo of it. I wilted some spinach and some kale and used that as the bed for the tofu and the mushrooms. Then I sprinkled green onions and ground peanuts over the top (not shown in this photo). I served it with a side of the finest brown rice.

Of course this serving is three times more than I could eat, but I loaded up the plate for the purpose of taking the photograph. I have now finished my third and I'm stuffed. But man, is it good.