Control Weight Gain By Including A Handful Of Nuts In Your Daily Diet Says Research

Other than having cardiovascular benefits, eating a variety of nuts particularly Brazil nuts can help control weight gain too says a research conducted by the American Heart Association. Two studies were conducted one of which studied the effects on body weight on eating nuts and peanuts during a long term. The other showed if Brazil nuts increase the feeling of being full as well as improve glucose and insulin responses.

Eat Nuts To Control Weight Gain

The result of the studies were that a daily serving of any nut or peanuts was linked with lesser risk of weight gain and also that substituting one serving of red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts or potato chips with a serving of nuts was linked with less weight gain. “People often see nuts as food items high in fat and calories, so they hesitate to consider them as healthy snacks, but they are in fact associated with less weight gain and wellness,” said Xiaoran Liu, Ph.D., first author of the study and a research associate in the nutrition department of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Once people reach adulthood, they start to gradually gain about one pound a year of weight, which seems small. But if you consider gaining one pound over 20 years, it accumulates to a lot of weight gain,” she said. “Adding one ounce of nuts to your diet in place of less healthy foods — such as red or processed meat, French fries or sugary snacks — may help prevent that slow, gradual weight gain after you enter adulthood and reduce the risk of obesity-related cardiovascular diseases.”

“While both Brazil nuts and pretzels increased a sense of fullness after they were eaten, eating Brazil nuts stabilized postprandial (after eating) blood glucose and insulin levels, which may be beneficial in preventing diabetes and weight gain,” said Mee Young Hong, Ph.D, R.D., senior author of the study and professor in the School of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University in San Diego, California. “Our study allows researchers and clinicians to consider the possible beneficial role of Brazil nuts to help people feel full and maintain a healthy level of glucose, reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes,” she said.