How to Lose Weight with Health Nuts

These nutritional nuts can help you lose weight, among other benefits.

For as long as you keep the portions small, nuts and seeds, deemed nutritional superstars by researchers at Tufts University because they carry all the nutrients and energy required for life to sprout, can help you lose weight.

A Purdue University study found that peanuts kept participants’ hunger at bay for over two hours, while low-fat snacks life rice cakes kept them satisfied for only half an hour. Nuts can control your hunger because of their high fiber, protein and fat content.

However, nuts will on the pounds if you eat large amounts on top of your regular diet. Weight-loss savvy people eat nuts as a replacement for something they normally eat, like a mid-afternoon snack. Another warning: Don’t rationalize that a brownie with walnuts is “healthy” for you just because it contains nuts.

One serving of nuts equals one ounce, which has approximately 7 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, and 160 calories.

A handful goes a long way towards improving your health. A Harvard University study found that women who ate a handful of nuts five times a week had a 1/3 lower risk of heart attack and 20% reduced risk of developing adult-onset diabetes compared with women who did not eat nuts.

A 2002 study showed that men who ate nuts two or more times per week had a 47% reduced risk of sudden cardiac death and a 30% reduced risk of coronary heart disease death.

Many of these health benefits are credited to the monosaturated and polysaturated fat found in nuts, which can increase HDL or good cholesterol.

Depending on the type and variety, nuts are good sources of thiamin, niacin, phosphorous, zinc, folate, selenium, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, iron and vitamin E. Almonds have been eaten since Biblical times. Sweet almonds are the kind that are eaten, while bitter almonds are used to make almond oil. They are a very good source of vitamin E, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, a mineral that may help to prevent prostate cancer and is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.

Cashews are always sold without their shells because the interior of the shells contains a toxic substance that is used as a varnish and insecticide. Cashews are a very good source of copper, which can help lower blood pressure.

Chestnuts have the distinction of being the nut with the lowest amount of fat. While most nuts get 75% of their calories from fat, only 8% of the calories in chestnuts are derived from fat.

Hazelnuts are especiall high in manganese, providing 80% of the recommended daily allowance in just one handful. Macadamia nuts are also a good source of manganese, which aids in the production of sex hormones and is necessary for healthy skin, bones, and joints.

Peanuts are actually not nuts, but legumes. They are good for man’s sexual wellness because they help in the formation of nitric oxide, which is a substance that dilates arteries, including the ones that supply blood to the genital area. Peanuts also contain the same anti-oxidant found in red wine that can help to keep your heart healthy.

Pecans contain gamma tocopherol, a unique type of vitamin E that may be protective against prostate cancer.

Pili nut is also called the Philippine nut. The fat is the pili nut is similar, some scientists even say superior, to that of olive oil, while the protein is the same as that found in soybeans and peanuts.

Pistachio shells split naturally as the nuts mature. They are a good source of iron.

Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, particularly alphalinolenic acid (ALA), which helps prevent abnormal heart rhythms. In people who have already suffered a heart attack, ALA has been shown to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. They also contain ellagic acid, a compound with anti-cancer properties.

Perhaps the old saying about an apple a day should be changed to “a handful of nuts a day keeps the doctor away.”