A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that pistachios may help lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol. The trick is to cut back on calories from some other foods to balance the high calorie-content of the nuts. Were you aware of this study? Are you a pistachio eater? If so, have you noticed any health benefits from eating the nuts?

I've read some of this research, and what I'm coming to believe is that potentially all nuts can be part of a healthy, cholesterol-lowering diet. I know there's research about almonds lowering cholesterol, and now it appears that pistacchios have a similar effect. I'm not personally a fan of pistacchios, but my husband and kids love them. It makes a lot of sense to make sure that we adjust our overall calorie intake whenever we eat any type of nut, though.