What would you say if I told you there’s an amazingly healthy snack food that most of us don’t eat, even though it’s associated with:
With all of these benefits, what could possibly hold anyone back?
The fear of weight gain.
Sadly, while the health benefits of this one food have been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, 87 percent of Americans don’t eat them because they believe it leads to weight gain.
The truth? They’re wrong.
According to research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center a handful could actually help you slim down…
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Improving body composition and health
The research team recruited 84 adults who had at least one metabolic syndrome risk factor. These could be high blood pressure, high blood glucose, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal blood cholesterol levels.
Every participant was then asked to eat a snack of one ounce of mixed, unsalted tree nuts (including pistachios) or one ounce of a carbohydrate snack (like unsalted pretzels or graham crackers) twice per day for 16 weeks.
And there’s no doubt that while the nuts were higher in both calorie content and dietary fats, participants who went a little nutty won big…
The results showed that nut-eaters:
- Reduced their risk of metabolic syndrome: 67 percent for women and 42 percent for men.
- Did not gain any weight — and women saw their waistlines shrink too!
- Experienced a lowered risk of disease factors: men reduced blood insulin levels; women’s risks for diabetes and heart disease went down.
- Were able to use fat for energy more efficiently compared to a carbohydrate snack.
In other words, eating nuts leads to better health, better energy burn and better body composition!
That’s a triple-stack of benefits I’ll take any day — especially since it builds on previous research that says no matter how many calories are found in nuts, your body can only absorb part of them.
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Snacking on better health
So the next time you reach for a snack, make sure it includes a handful of nuts to grab all the good without the weight gain worry.
Some of the best nuts to add to your diet include:
- Brazil nuts
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Cashews
- Macadamia
The key is to stick with raw or dry-roasted nuts, to avoid unhealthy oils, sugary coatings or high levels of salt.
Now, sit back, enjoy a snack and start taking advantage of all the wonderful things nuts have to offer.
Sources:
Daily intake of tree nuts, including pistachios, does not lead to weight gain, body fat gain, or changes in energy intake in Millennials — EurekAlert!