8 Best Nuts You Must Eat For Weight Loss
Dieting and weight loss proved to be difficult for so many people. Having the right information about what to eat and how much you eat is as important as exercising. Adding nuts to your diet is very beneficial to your health as it contains protein, vitamins, healthy fats, fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and many beneficial phytochemicals(Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. In laboratory studies, many phytochemicals act as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals and removing their power to create damage.) and it is also low in simple carbohydrates, nuts stimulate your body to burn excess fat and shed extra pounds. But be wary of the amount you intake as it is an energy-dense food. It may have a high caloric value.
In one of the largest studies to date about nuts, researchers found that eating several small servings of nuts each week may significantly lower your risk of heart attack or stroke and it can also reduce your cholesterol levels and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels in people who have diabetes. Adding nuts to your diet is not only beneficial to your health but it will help you in your weight loss journey as it is rich in protein and fiber.
1. Almonds
Adding almonds to your diet may possibly be one of the best choices you can make. According to the results of a study, choosing almonds as opposed to carbs like white bread or muffins may reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing belly fat, the dangerous type of fat that can encircle our organs. Almonds are low in carbs but high in protein and fiber, the two nutrients that increase feelings of fullness, thereby reducing your overall calorie intake.
1ounce of almonds per day is recommended as a study shows that 1ounce of almonds every day with a proper diet led the participants to shed weight. 1oune is equal to 23 almonds(29 grams and may differ in size) which contain 3.3 grams of dietary fiber and 6.5 grams of protein with a total of 177 calories per ounce.
2. Cashews
Cashew nuts are rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants that promote health. Intake of cashews promotes good cholesterol levels in your body which helps to reduce bad cholesterol levels and leads you to shed some pounds and reduced the risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke in the long run. Cashew is also rich in magnesium. Magnesium is essential for regulating the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates which may help you lose weight.
4–5 cashews are recommended per day(7.5 to 8 grams). It contains 0.3 grams of dietary fiber, 1.2 grams of protein with a total of 45 calories per 8grams.
3. Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are rich in fiber and protein, both of which are essential for losing weight. Moreover, they are also a good source of selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and thiamine, all of which are said to be helpful in weight loss. Brazil nuts also contain L-arginine that is efficient in the fat-burning process. A single nut contains roughly 60 to 96mcg of selenium where other nuts averagely contain 1mcg. Selenium is essential for your thyroid functions and influences your immune system and cell growth.
70mg of selenium per day is recommended and 400mg of selenium is the limit your body can handle more than that would cause some serious problems like bad breath, fever, nausea, liver, kidney, and heart problems. An overdose of selenium could even cause death.
So take 3 brazil nuts per day and twice or thrice a week. It provides you with 1.1 grams of dietary fiber, 2.1 grams of protein, and a total of 99 calories for 3 Brazil nuts.
4. Walnuts
Walnuts contain important phytochemicals, as well as high amounts of polyunsaturated fats that enhance both brain health and function. Adding walnuts to your diet would decrease the risk of heart diseases and cancer, keeps your digestive system healthy, and may promote weight loss when taken in a small quantity. The best time to have walnut is before any two meals daily. Take 7–8 walnut halves and drink a glass of water after 15 to 30 minutes. You will feel fuller and will eventually eat less food.
7–8 Walnut halves contain 0.9 to 1.1 grams of dietary fiber, 2.2 to 2.5 grams of protein, and a total of 93 to 106 calories.
5. Pistachios
Pistachios are rich in fiber, minerals, and unsaturated fat that can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check. It also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In a 12week weight loss program, two groups of people in which group 1 ate 50 grams of pretzels and group 2 ate 50 grams of pistachio per day as an afternoon snack resulted in twice the reduction in body mass than group 1.
50 grams of pistachio contains 5.2 grams of dietary fiber, 11 grams of protein, and a total of 285 calories. Plan your diet accordingly as it is high in caloric value. Try to be wary of your maintenance calorie level.
6. Peanuts
Peanuts are a good source of omega-3, protein, fiber, vitamin E, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Research has shown that eating peanuts may help you manage your weight better. As they are rich in Protein, Fiber, and Healthy fats. They will help you feel full and prevent you from overeating. They are also associated with a number of health benefits, particularly for the heart. Peanuts help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. They can also stop small blood clots from forming and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Peanuts are great libido boosters especially for men, as they are rich in L-arginine. This amino acid helps improve sexual function in men by relaxing blood vessels and studies have also found that L-arginine may help with erectile dysfunction because of this effect on the blood vessels.
You can eat 30 to 60 grams of peanut per day. 30 grams of shelled peanut contains 2.5 grams of dietary fiber, 7.3 grams of protein, and a total of 176 calories.
7. Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are very rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidant compounds, and healthy fats. They may also have health benefits, including helping decrease blood fat levels, regulating blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and improving blood sugar levels. Adding hazelnuts to your diet promotes metabolism in your body which in turn leads to weight loss. A study shows that hazelnuts could reduce levels of harmful cholesterol in our bodies. And also the researchers also noted no increase in participant's body weight.
30 grams of hazelnuts per day is recommended. It contains 2.8 grams of dietary fiber, 4.5 grams of protein, and a total of 193.8 calories.
8. Pecans
Pecans are rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It is also a good source of minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium which helps in improving heart functions and prevent your body from heart diseases. Most of the healthy fats of pecans are monosaturated fats. Monosaturated fat-rich diets can help with weight loss but they should be taken in small amounts for a long period to get a positive result.
1ounce of pecans(28 grams)are recommended per day. 28 grams of pecans contains 2.7 grams of dietary fiber, 2.6 grams of protein, and a total of 193 calories.
conclusion
We often try to avoid tree nuts when we want to lose weight but, the reality is that there are some nuts that can actually boost your weight loss when taken in limited quantity consistently. As you can see the above-listed nuts are not only beneficial in promoting weight loss but makes your body healthy and prevents many critical diseases. So it would be a great benefit for you to add nuts to your diet. But remember, It is very important to exercise portion control. If you didn’t do that then it may backfire on you and lead you to weight gain.
Try to add all these nuts to your diet for each day with different nut for seven days and do it consistently with a proper diet and workout so you may get a good result. If you follow these 2 things properly you can shed 0.7 to 1.1 kg per week depending upon your diet and workout plans. If you’re into a protein diet then the results may differ a little as the shredded weight will be less because high protein diets with proper workout and sleep promote muscle growth, which ultimately leads to weight gain. But that’s not a problem because you will lose fat and gain new muscles at the same time. I wish you good luck on your weight loss journey.
