Lose Weight by Eating More Nuts
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 by Samantha BeckerSeptember 2008 Everybody loves nuts. That can of smoked flavor roasted almonds, salted peanuts at the ball game, or how about those addicting macadamia nuts? We roast them, salt them, spread them on bread, cover them with chocolate, crush them and put them into candy bars. But besides tasting so good, nuts are good for you too. They are a great source of essential fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E, protein, and minerals. Important compounds that are found in plants are also found in nuts and are called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals have even greater anticancer effects than antioxidants such as the vitamins C and E. Nuts have also been shown to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and reduce the risk of heart disease.  Nuts
are also high fat and high calorie. However, despite this fact, there
is increasing evidence that nuts can help you lose weight. A review of
published studies on nut consumption and body weight was published in
the Journal of Nutrition in September 2008. Population and controlled
clinical studies show that nut consumption is not associated with
higher body weight. In fact, people who consume nuts regularly tend to
have a lower BMI (body mass index) than those who don’t eat nuts.
Several clinical studies were done in which a group of healthy men and
women were given a large amount of nuts to eat daily. Members of the
trials were supposed to gain weight, however, weight gain was much
smaller than anticipated for the amount of calories consumed. Other
studies that focused on weight loss instead of expected weight gain
resulted in faster weight loss for diets that included nuts.So how can a high fat and high calorie food help you to lose weight? This is not yet fully understood, however, there are three findings that can help uncover the mystery of nut consumption and weight loss. The first is satiety. Satiety properties were tested for almonds, peanuts, and chestnuts and it was reported on questionnaires that a huge reduction in hunger occurred. As a result, the high calorie intake is compensated for by smaller subsequent meals. Second, the body is limited in how much calories from nuts it can absorb. This applies to whole nuts and not nut butters, such as peanut or almond butter. Third, nuts are a high thermogenic food. This means consuming them raises the body’s metabolism, even at rest. So not only do nuts offer a wide range of health benefits, they can help you lose weight too. References: Murray, Michael, N.D., et. al., “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods”, Atria Books, New York, 2005. Mattes, Richard D., et. al., “Impact of Peanuts and Tree Nuts on Body Weight and Healthy Weight Loss in Adults”, Journal of Nutrition, 138, 1741S, 2008. Calories and Nutritional Values for Some Common Nuts (per 3 ½ ounces)
*From “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods” (see references). Comment on this Article:  |
