By SHARON JOHNSON

for the Mail Tribune

Here I sit in front of my computer on a weekend afternoon struggling to generate an idea for this column. What to write about — don't know.

I decide I'd be more productive on a full stomach, so I abandon the notion of any attempt at writing and decide to try to locate a "crunchy snack" that might enhance my creative energies.

"I'm going to find a treat," I say to Rose, our aging spaniel, lying at my feet. She totally understands the word "treat" and immediately leads the way to the pantry, tail wagging wildly.

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Pantry door open, my options are arrayed. I consider some of those "Hint of Lime Tostitos" that I must never buy again because I like them entirely too much. I could have microwave popcorn, but then I would yearn for the not-good-for-me butter on a too-big bowl and the dog would eat the dropped kernels and get diarrhea, and the rest of my day would be spent feeling guilty about eating buttered popcorn.

Plus, I would have to deal with the aftermath of Rose's sensitive tummy. (Been there, done that).

Besides, I want something with no work involved other than slowly and enjoyably moving a crunchy snack from hand to mouth in between typed paragraphs. And I want well, I'm not sure I "want," but I think I probably should want, "healthy."

What happens? I choose the nearly perfect snack. I choose to eat 27 high-protein, lots-of-fiber, always crunchy, good-for-you nuts. Almonds as a matter of fat, oops I mean fact.

Fact is, they actually are full of (good) fat, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated kind. And why 27 you ask? Because that's a serving size, (1-ounce, 3-4 tablespoons, 150-200 calories).

I give one nut (only one) to Rose. Her tail flaps loudly against the pantry door as she chews. Did she smile at me — did that actually happen?

The dog and I are eating Vitamin E and folic acid one nut at a time. I think to myself, "This is good; I'm eating "maintain your brain food," that is, if I remember the information on the Alzheimer's Association's website (www.alz.org) correctly.

As I stand in our pantry door, patting myself on the back for making such a wise and delicious decision, I recall reading a mega-review of 16 separate research studies. Individuals who ate one serving of nuts (any kind, there were loads of peanuts involved) five times a week, over one year, had a 25-36 percent reduced likelihood of developing coronary artery disease.

It really wasn't hard to make this choice. We keep several varieties of nuts in a drawer in our pantry. (At work, I keep a jar of unsalted almonds on my desk.) I just may be a five times a week nut-eater. We put walnuts in mixed-green salads, add slivered almonds to vegetables and, once in a while, use pulverized pecans as breading on baked chicken.

Well, isn't this interesting; it's a first. I wrote my entire column standing in the door of our pantry. If I were to tell anyone, they just might think I was a little nuts.

Sharon Johnson is an associate professor in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University and on the faculty of the OSU Extension Service. She can be reached at s.johnson@oregonstate.edu