# Too much almonds in my diet?



## r0dxx (Oct 8, 2005)

Alot of times on my off days, to make up for less calories (no pre/post shakes) I have extra good fats. Usually I have 1/3 cup almonds with lunch and another 1/3 cup at night. 

So that's 2/3 cup almonds for the whole day, is that too much? Is 1/3 cup too much at one time? On workout days I only have 1/4 cup. 

BTW, it all fits into my calorie needs for the day.


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## Jodi (Oct 8, 2005)

Depends..........are you getting enough omega 3's such as fish oil?


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## Emma-Leigh (Oct 8, 2005)

r0dxx said:
			
		

> Alot of times on my off days, to make up for less calories (no pre/post shakes) I have extra good fats. Usually I have 1/3 cup almonds with lunch and another 1/3 cup at night.
> 
> So that's 2/3 cup almonds for the whole day, is that too much? Is 1/3 cup too much at one time? On workout days I only have 1/4 cup.
> 
> BTW, it all fits into my calorie needs for the day.


If it fits into your daily intake then, as jodi suggested, just check to make sure you are balancing this with your intake of omega-3 fats. 

Almonds have, per 15g/0.5 oz (~12 medium almonds):
Calories ~100
Carbs: 3.5g carbs (0.5g of which is fibre)
Protein: 2.5g protein
Fats: 9g
~ 1g saturated
~ 6g monounsaturated
~ 2g polyunsaturated [1.93g omega 6 and and 0.07g omega-3 (~190 : 7)]

So, as long as you rae getting enough fish oils/omega-3 fats from other sources to balance this out then they are fine.


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## r0dxx (Oct 15, 2005)

My peanut butter says 1000mg omega 3 per serving, is that enough? I also have olive oil as well usually.


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## Emma-Leigh (Oct 16, 2005)

r0dxx said:
			
		

> My peanut butter says 1000mg omega 3 per serving, is that enough? I also have olive oil as well usually.


Olive oil is mainly omega-9, not omega-3. So, although it is VERY healthy, it is not going to increase your omega-3 levels.

That PB is a little high for normal peanuts - is it natural or are there oils added (if soybean oil is added it will increase the omega-3 content)? 

It is the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 that is important, and per 100g peanuts:
Total Fat  ~ 55g  
Saturated Fat ~7g  
Monounsaturated Fat ~24.6g  
Polyunsaturated Fat  ~15.7g  
With 15.7g (15700mg) omega-6 and 0.003g (3mg) omega-3...!!

So the ratio is really bad.... 

You want a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 of as close to 1:1 as possible - and your best sources of omega-3 are fish/fatty fish, walnuts and linseeds.


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## CowPimp (Oct 16, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> You want a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 of as close to 1:1 as possible - and your best sources of omega-3 are fish/fatty fish, walnuts and linseeds.



Don't forget about flax seed and hemp seed!


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## Emma-Leigh (Oct 16, 2005)

CowPimp said:
			
		

> Don't forget about flax seed and hemp seed!


flaxseed = linseed 

And yes, hemp oil is another good source (as is soy oil and canola oil to a certain degree).

But one of the reasons why I am a little cautious about recommending hemp oil a lot is because, as with cod liver oil, it contains high levels of some of the fat-soluble vitamins, which means you can run into toxicity issues if you consume too much of it (Mostly Vit E is the concern).

2 tbs/ 30 ml:
267 Cal 

Fat 30g
Saturated - 2.6g
Monounsaturated - 3.5g 
Polyunsaturated - 23.4g  (Omega 3 is 6g and and Omega 6 is 17.5g) 
Vitamin A (beta carotene) 18 IU 2% 
Vitamin E (tocopherol, tocotrienol) 45 mg 450% 


But yes - it is another good source.


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## r0dxx (Oct 16, 2005)

Oh alright thanks...I guess I need to start eating walnuts 1 time and almonds the other time during the day. What happens if your balance is off? I've been doing this for a while, mostly just natural pb, almonds, and olive oil.


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## Emma-Leigh (Oct 16, 2005)

r0dxx said:
			
		

> Oh alright thanks...I guess I need to start eating walnuts 1 time and almonds the other time during the day. What happens if your balance is off? I've been doing this for a while, mostly just natural pb, almonds, and olive oil.


Yeah - walnuts, linseeds, fatty fish, fish oil capsules etc etc... All good. I recommend fish oil capsules too - 6g a day.

If you want to read more about omega-3 there is a really long post here:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showpost.php?p=1002138

There is another post here:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=36159


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## Skate67 (Oct 16, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> flaxseed = linseed



So _now_ you tell me!!   You keep saying linseed this linseed that, and im all "what the hell is a linseed?".


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## CowPimp (Oct 16, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> flaxseed = linseed



I had no idea.  Haha.


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