If you’re looking to reach your weight loss goals more quickly, include this ultimate snack in your diet.
Studies have shown that incorporating nuts in your diet might help you accelerate your weight loss journey.
Research published in Nutrition Research Reviews in February 2024 suggests that nuts like almonds, peanuts, pistachios, and walnuts in a calorie-restricted diet may prove to be a star snack in achieving your weight loss goals.
For years, nuts had been widely believed to contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss, but Bonnie Taub-Dix, creator of the Better Than Dieting website, shattered these views and described how people start to stay away from fats in order to lose weight but actually end up replacing them with sugar laden, fat-free products that do not help waistlines.
University of South Australia research shows that nuts may boost weight loss in calorie-restricted diets and can even enhance it. The study analyzed seven randomized controlled trials on weight changes and glycemic control in energy-restricted (ER) diets.
None of the trails found negative impacts of nuts in diets; rather, four of the seven studies showed that those who included 42–84 grams of nuts in their ER diets resulted in greater weight loss of 1.4–7.4 kg as compared to ER diets without nuts.
This was likely due to nuts’ ability to effectively reduce hunger.
Nuts are primarily composed of unsaturated fats and help reduce the risk of multiple diseases, including heart disease.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend 30 grams of nuts on most days of the week for adults, and the calorie and fat contents for an ounce (28 grams) serving of commonly consumed nuts are listed below.
- Cashews: 183 calories and 18 grams of fat.
- Almonds: 161 calories and 14 grams of fat.
- Walnuts: 183 calories and 18 grams of fat.
- Pistachios: 156 calories and 12 grams of fat.
- Macadamia nuts: 204 calories and 21 grams of fat.
- Peanuts: 161 calories and 28 grams of fat.
