What nuts can you eat when losing weight and how do they affect weight?

It has long been proven that nuts have a number of useful properties for health, including protecting the body from many common diseases.

Recent scientific studies also demonstrate that nuts can be included in the diet for more effective weight loss. Despite the high calorie content and the presence of fats in the composition, they not only do not lead to obesity, but also help to reduce excess body weight due to several mechanisms at once.

Do they help you lose weight?

Nuts are a good source of dietary fiber, valuable fats, proteins and antioxidants. These substances are not only extremely useful for humans, but can also provide significant assistance in reducing body weight.

It should be noted that nuts are a high–calorie product with a high mass fraction of fat. There are no low-calorie nuts. The table shows the energy value and fat level in terms of 100 grams of nuts:

At the same time, numerous studies show that eating nuts is not associated with an increase in body weight, but on the contrary is associated with weight loss.

For example, Spanish scientists revealed that men and women who ate 2 or more servings of nuts per week had a lower weight gain (due to adipose tissue) compared to people who did not consume them.

American scientists proved that prolonged consumption of nuts (for example, almonds) leads to a decrease in body weight, a decrease in waist size (due to the disappearance of subcutaneous fat deposits on the abdomen and sides) and an improvement in general well-being.

3 Weight loss mechanisms

Nuts promote weight loss through several complex mechanisms. Let's look at them in more detail.

1. Appetite suppression

American specialists discovered that the addition of walnuts to the diet allows you to increase the duration of saturation of the body.

Using small portions (within 20-25 grams) as a snack is also allows suppress hunger for a few hours.

The basis of the beneficial property is the ability of fiber and protein nuts to increase in size after ingestion. This leads to mechanical stretching of the stomach and suppression of the activity of hunger centers in the brain.

Nuts also increase the production of peptide YY and cholecystokinin, which also depressing feeling hungry.

As a result, a person loses cravings for food for several hours (on average – from 6 to 8 hours when taking standard doses of nuts – from 25 to 50 grams).

2. Incomplete assimilation

Nuts are saturated with dietary fiber. Fiber does not allow a significant part of fats to be absorbed and removes them from the body unchanged.

According to the information scientists from the USA, the addition of nuts to the nutrition system leads to an increase in the excretion of fat with feces by 5-20%.

It is assumed that the effect is most pronounced in whole kernels. For example, it was revealed that's solid peanuts increased fat excretion by 17.8%, peanut butter by 7%, and peanut butter by 4.5%.

3. Activation of fat breakdown

Regular consumption of any nuts leads to an increase in the breakdown of adipose tissue cells to meet the body's own energy needs.

For example, replacing milk fats with walnuts leads leads to an increase in the activity of lipolytic processes by 28%.

Similar data demonstrate research on the ability of peanuts and almonds to influence fat metabolism in the body.

Adding nuts to the diet, especially in combination with regular physical activity, will reduce the "fat" on the sides and abdomen and reduce weight overall.

Tips for use

Below are a few simple rules that will maximize the effectiveness of nuts in reducing weight:

1. Preferred types of nuts. In order to reduce weight, you can eat any variety (even the most high-calorie) nuts. The following have proven themselves well: walnut, nutmeg, cedar and Brazil nuts, as well as peanuts, cashews, almonds and macadamia .
2. Method of admission. The greatest amount of antioxidants and vitamins (which are also important for weight loss) is observed in fresh (raw) nuts that have just been peeled from the shell and partitions. Any heat treatment (drying, roasting) reduces the biological potential. It is also not recommended to take nut butter or milk for the purpose of weight loss.
3. Prolonged chewing. Long-term work of the chewing muscles increases energy expenditure and leads to a more efficient destruction of fiber, as a result, it will quickly saturate the body and suppress appetite.
4. Combination with other food. Nuts are in perfect harmony with cottage cheese, dried fruits, honey, oat flakes and other cereals. Such combinations can enhance the lipolytic effect and improve athletic performance. It is also important to remember that dietary fiber inhibits the absorption of fats and reduces the calorie content of other dishes saturated with fats.
5. Reception time. Nuts are recommended to eat in the morning for breakfast or in the afternoon. Dinner in the evening (especially at night, before going to bed) is unacceptable.
6. Dosage. The daily dose of nuts for adults and children over the age of 14 ranges from 30-50 grams. They must be added to the menu by reducing the proportion of other products and strictly normalize the overall energy value of the diet.
7. Sports exercises. No diet will completely remove fat accumulations in the body without harm to health if it is not supported by active feasible physical training.

Conclusion

1. Thus, nuts, despite their high energy value and abundance of fats in the composition, can be used to reduce weight.
2. They depress the hunger centers in the brain and activate the processes of destruction of their own fat deposits.
3. Additionally, they block the absorption of some fats (including their own), which plays an almost decisive role in controlling eating behavior.