Wonderful Pistachios get heart-healthy mark

LOS ANGELES — A brand of pistachios will carry the American Heart Association's Heart-Check mark, the company that markets it said.

Paramount Farms said Monday that its Wonderful Pistachios Lightly Salted and No Salt packages would carry the AHA's mark, indicating that it's a heart-healthy product. The AHA created the mark in 1995.

"Having nuts officially included in AHA's Heart-Check program means it'll be that much easier for people to find heart-smart snacks," Paramount Farms senior nutrition communications manager Maggie Moon said. "This is especially relevant today because Americans are snacking more than ever, often using snacks as a way to boost the overall nutrition they get for the day."

Temple University Center for Obesity Research and Education director Gary Foster said almost 90% of the fat found in pistachios is the healthy, unsaturated kind. "Compare in-shell pistachios to other popular snack foods like packaged cookies or nachos, which can be high in both saturated and trans fats, and the choice for healthy snacking is clear."