Why Nuts Promote Weight Loss

Written by Shoshana Pritzker Thursday, 29 September 2011 17:47

Why Nuts Promote Weight Loss

Eating nuts to lose weight doesn’t make any sense. They are calorie dense and high in fat. Only one ounce of mixed nuts contains 174 calories and 15.9 grams of fat. Why do nutritionists recommend nuts as part of a healthy diet? Richard Mattes and Mark Dreher from Purdue University, in a review of literature, concluded that nuts contain many healthy nutrients and antioxidants that prevent degenerative diseases such as coronary artery disease and cancer.     Large population studies found a link between high nut consumption and reduced body fat. Nuts prevent hunger and are poorly absorbed in the gut. They also increase the energy cost of digestion and improve dietary compliance during weight loss. Nuts are valuable for weight loss, as long as you don’t eat too many of them. (Asia Pacific Journal Clinical Nutrition, 19:137-141, 2010)