Going NUTS about Weight loss

It’s obvious that nuts are high in calories, but studies show that those who eat nuts regularly tend to have a lower BMI in comparison to those who don’t. Many people leave nuts out of their eating plan when trying to lose weight, because they think they are too high in calories. However, this is a big mistake.

In studies conducted and published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition & British Journal of Nutrition, healthy adults were told to supplement their diet with almonds every day (320 calories worth); no further instructions about food intake were given. After six months average body weight increased only 0.40 kg. The researchers concluded that a daily (340 calorie) serving of almonds may be included in the diet with limited risk of weight gain.

Another study, published in the International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders, looked at 65 overweight or obese individuals, and compared the effect of adding 84g of almonds per day, verses self-selected complex carbs. They found that the almond-enriched, low calorie diet lead to greater reductions in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass. The evidence is pretty compelling to suggest nuts can, and should, be included in your regular or weight loss diet, without fearing that you will gain weight. So, it seems clear the impact of nut consumption on weight is either negligible or non existent.

Here Are 3 Reasons Why Nuts Aren’t Fattening:
1. Nuts Are Satisfying
When you eat nuts your appetite is reduced, and that means a reduction in energy intake at subsequent meals over the course of the day.
2. Not All Fat Is Absorbed
Not all of the fat contained in nuts is efficiently absorbed by the gut. It’s suggested that up to 20 percent of the lipid content of nuts will be lost in the stool, which is around 10-20 percent of the energy contained in nuts.
3. Nuts stimulate metabolism
Some studies show that nuts can increase the metabolic rate by more than 10 percent.

To think of weight loss as merely calories in, calories out, is a gross oversimplification of reality. And, when you focus too much on calorie intake, if often leads to a low calorie diet, which isn’t necessarily healthy (e.g. so-called “diet” foods). Also, these foods don’t satisfy your appetite which means you’re always hungry, and therefore yo-yo dieting is inevitable. The key with adding nuts to your diet is to eat them instead of, rather than in addition to, less nutritious foods which you may already be eating. So, rather than binging on carb-heavy snacks between meals, go for a handful of raw, unsalted nuts, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Number of nuts in a 1oz (30g) serving:

• Almonds: 20-24
• Brazil nuts: 6-8
• Cashews: 16-18
• Hazelnuts: 18-20
• Pecans: 18-20 (halves)
• Pine Nuts: 150-157
• Pistachios: 45-47 (plain)
• Walnuts: 8-11

Also, remember that in these studies, participants were not on any sort of diet. They simply added nuts to their normal way of eating.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or shoot me an email.

Bewell,
Vivek