To Your Health
December, 2022 (Vol. 16, Issue 12) |
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Cut Calories With Almonds?
By Editorial Staff
It sounds counterintuitive that almonds – high in fat like other nuts – would actually help you cut calories, but it's true. Yes, almonds are high in fat, although it's 80 percent monounsaturated fat and only five percent saturated.
That means they're healthier for you than say, eating a burger with the same total fat, but much higher saturated fat percentage. And yes, that high fat content means added calories, since every fat gram equals nine calories (whereas a protein or carbohydrate gram only equals four calories). But here's where it gets interesting:
Eating almonds can help you cut calories because even though the almonds are relatively high in calories (about 160 calories for a handful), you end up eating fewer calories overall compared to eating an energy-equivalent carbohydrate snack instead. Why? According to researchers, whose findings appear in the European Journal of Nutrition, it's because eating almonds influences the production of specific substances that influence satiety (feeling of fullness) and slow down digestion. If you feel full, you consume less food (and thus fewer calories). If you digest food slower, you tend not to eat as much, either.
On a basic level, it also makes sense that eating almonds would be preferable to a carbohydrate snack for weight loss. After all, almonds are low carb; they're primarily protein and fat, both of which burn / digest slower than carbohydrates. Talk to your doctor for more information about the health benefits of almonds and other nuts; and how to incorporate them into a daily meal plan to maximize your health and maintain / reach your ideal weight.
