It has been researched: this is why you can't keep your fingers off gingerbread cookies

By the end of August, they were already in stores and we will keep eating them until at least the end of December: spiced nuts. Why are those things so addictive? And is that a bad thing? Fortunately, NRC investigated it and that's why we now know that we can hardly do anything about it when another bag is completely empty.

Let's lay out the facts: spiced nuts are not super unhealthy. Not unhealthier than, say, a pack of stroopwafels. They contain just as much sugar and fat as cookies, so a handful of spiced nuts is not necessarily bad.

Spiced nuts are addictive
But that's immediately the problem: a handful of spiced nuts, hardly anyone can stop at that. They sit in a bowl on the table or on your desk and before you know it, the last spiced nuts have disappeared behind your teeth. Small pieces, and within reach, that's pretty much irresistible, says Liesbeth Velena, behavior expert at the Voedingscentrum, in NRC.

Homely and cozy
Nutrition scientist Jaap Seidell adds to that: spiced nuts are sweet, crunchy, and creamy, and we can't say no to that. The fact that they are only sold in winter, and thus associated with homely and cozy, also helps. We are actually powerless against those mini-cookies!

With a layer
In recent years, those spiced nuts with a chocolate coating have become increasingly popular. With the craziest flavors: stroopwafel, apple pie, red velvet, truffle, disco dip, or just dark chocolate, you name it and it's there. Chocolate, so extra calories, you can't escape that. And then there's the sugar, and the fat. That's not butter, but palm oil. Risky business, because palm oil is not very sustainable. The chocolate spiced nuts sometimes have an UTZ or Fairtrade label, so you know that at least that chocolate is still okay.