Tree nuts and peanuts are packed with nutrients, but they also pack a caloric punch. An ounce of almonds has 160 calories and 14 grams of fat. But ounce for ounce, nuts are longer-lasting munchies than many snacks that are lower in calories. Calories add up quickly when you're mindlessly noshing from a big bowl of peanuts, so the key is portion control.

Some tips:

• Scoop 1.5 ounce servings (about a third of a cup) into mini snack bags or containers, or count out the number of nuts that make up a serving. For almonds, it's 35 to 36 nuts per 1.5 ounces.

• An empty Altoids tin is just the right size for holding 1.5 ounces of nuts, says Robin Pendery of the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati.

• Substitute nuts for the equivalent calories you'd eat in chips, pretzels or candy. You'll get better nutrition and healthy fats, and the protein in the nuts will keep you full longer.

Sources: The International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, The Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati