What’s a filling and flavorful vegan snack that is packed with protein, rich in B vitamins, and helps lower your cholesterol and risk of diabetes and can even make your skin glow?

Nuts!

If you’ve been avoiding nuts because of their high calorie content, it’s time to give these nutritional powerhouses a place on your table. Research has shown that people who eat nuts regularly have one-third fewer heart attacks than those who rarely include nuts in their diets. Although nuts are high in fat, it’s mostly the heart-friendly monounsaturated variety. Regular nut-eaters also tend to have a lower risk of type-2 diabetes, less hypertension, and higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels.

Here are five varieties that can yield some great results for your health:

• Walnuts: Dr. Steven Pratt includes walnuts in his bestselling book, SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life—and for good reason. Walnuts are a great vegan source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep your heart and circulatory system healthy. They’re rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants, and one study found that they can even improve people’s response to stress.

• Almonds contain more bone-building calcium than any other nut (and stand in contrast to dairy products, which may actually help weaken bones) as well as plenty of protein, fiber, and iron. They’re also one of the best sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps fight inflammation and can improve the appearance of your skin.

• Pistachios: These tasty treats are particularly rich in vitamin B6, which helps keep hormones balanced (chestnuts and pecans are also good sources of B vitamins). Eating pistachios can also help you protect your peepers, since these nuts contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that are important for maintaining good eye health.

• Brazil Nuts: A Brazil nut a day keeps the doctor away? Perhaps. Just one is all you need to get a day’s worth of selenium, a mineral that supports the immune system and is thought to protect against prostate cancer—making Brazil nuts an especially good choice for men.

• Cashews: Cash in on cashews’ rich supply of magnesium, a mineral that may help stave off age-related memory loss. Cashews are also good sources of iron and zinc.

There are many easy ways to add nuts to your diet. They’re a great snack—just a handful will give you a boost of energy—or mix them with dried fruits, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate chips, and/or toasted, unsweetened coconut for a simple homemade trail mix. For the best health benefits, look for unsalted raw nuts.

You can sprinkle chopped nuts on oatmeal, soy yogurt, and salads. For lunch, nothing beats a nut-butter sandwich—I like raw almond butter on sprouted grain bread. Raw cashews soaked in water and then mixed in a blender or food processor make an out-of-this-world “cheese”: Try it for yourself with this recipe for Marinated Portobellos With Cashew Cheese and Pesto. And for creative vegan recipes featuring nut butters—from Artichoke Walnut Butter Bisque and Penne Primavera With Avocado Cashew Cream to Ginger-Walnut Scones and Pecan Butter Waffles—check out PETA friend Robin Robertson’s new cookbook, Nut Butter Universe, which can be ordered through the Barnes & Noble link at the PETA Mall.