The only bad thing about nuts is their high calorie count. If you were on a 2000 calorie-a-day diet, and ate nothing but raw almonds for a day, you could only have twelve small handfuls - and your fat intake would be 165% over the limit!

But if you only eat a small amount, the benefits of nuts outweighs the disadvantage of their high fat content. In fact, eating nuts may even help you lose weight. A study conducted at Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston showed that overweight participants who ate a moderate-fat diet (39% of calories) that included 3 oz of almonds a day, lost more weight than those participants on a low-fat diet (18% of calories) that did not include almonds.

The trick to eating nuts without overdoing the fat is to measure out a 1 oz serving size once or twice. After a couple of times measuring you'll know approximately how many nuts constitute a handful - then you just have to stick to that sized handful!

Try these tips for incorporating nuts into your diet:

• Instead of simply adding nuts to your diet, eat them in place of other snacks; that way you won't add extra calories.
  
  
• Weigh the nuts before you eat them, at least at first. Find a convenient sized container to store a single serving in. A 3-by-3 inch mint tin, such as an Altoids tin, is great for holding 1 oz of nuts.
  
  
• Choose raw nuts. If you opt for dry-roasted or oil-roasted nuts, be aware that the calorie and fat content will usually be higher. If nuts are roasted with hydrogenated oil the quality of the fat will be compromised. Also remember that added salt may not be good for those with high blood pressure.
  
  
• Avoid sugar-coated, chocolate-dipped and other candied nuts, as these add unnecessary fat calories.
  
  
• Buy nuts in the shell; having to crack them open will slow your eating down!
  
  
• Coconut and palm nuts are exceptions to the healthy nut rule as they contain high levels of saturated fats.