Until recently, nuts were a taboo for people trying to lose weight, and all because of their fat content - 45-47%. At first glance, this makes sense, since fat is the most concentrated source of calories - about 9 per gram. This is twice as much as a gram of carbohydrates or proteins provides.
However, recent research makes us doubt this maxim. Not all fatty acids act in the same way in terms of metabolism. For example, consider saturated fats, which (with the exception of coconut oil) are solid at room temperature. They are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes - in the first case, because they serve as a direct substrate (initial substance) for the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver, and in the second (type 2 diabetes), because they change the characteristics of cell membranes. , making them more rigid, and thereby hindering the action of insulin in them.
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Nuts are very low in saturated fat and have no cholesterol. They are rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which are incomparably healthier nutrients than their saturated counterparts. While the body does not have a direct dietary requirement for saturated fats, it does require two types of unsaturated fats: linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linoleic acid (omega-3). Especially a lot of alpha-linoleic acid in walnuts. In fact, only from them you can get all the amount of alpha-linoleic acid that the body needs.
Disputes about the benefits of nuts flared up quite recently, because ancient civilizations valued them even more than grain. For example, in Persia, pistachios were considered a delicacy. Even in the Book of Genesis, almonds are mentioned several times. It wasn't until the late twentieth century that nuts began to be criticized in the obesity debate.
Nuts are divided into two types: wood and earth. The latter, in essence, beans, have many of the nutritional characteristics of "real" nuts: 30 grams of nuts contain an average of 170 calories and 15 grams of fat (only 2% of which are saturated fats), but their beneficial properties are not limited to this.
Nuts and protection against cardiovascular disease
A number of studies have confirmed that nuts protect us from heart disease. In one, 30,000 Seventh-day Adventists were tested to see if 65 foods were associated with CVD among believers. The main defenders against CVD turned out to be nuts. Compared to those who consumed nuts less than once a week, nut eaters (consuming 1-4 times a week) showed a 25% lower risk of CVD mortality. Those who consumed nuts more than 5 times a week had an even lower risk - by 50%! The protective properties of nuts appeared in both men and women and did not depend much on other risk factors, such as body weight and blood pressure.
A women's health study conducted in Iowa, involving 40,000 older women, confirmed the protective effect of nuts against cardiovascular disease - the greater the consumption of nuts, the greater the protection. This is a very important result, as women lose the natural protection against CVD that estrogen provides as they age.
A large-scale survey of hospital workers found that regular consumption of nuts reduces the risk of sudden death from a heart attack. (1) Participating physicians who consumed nuts at least twice a week showed a significantly lower risk of sudden death. These findings echo data showing that certain fatty acids (especially omega-3s) stabilize vagal heart rhythm, a major culprit in sudden cardiac death.
A number of studies have shown that walnuts can improve the picture of blood lipids. They lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol in the blood, which favorably affects the state of the cardiovascular system. Scientists attribute this property of walnuts to the alpha-linoleic acid they contain.
Another experiment compared diets rich in either almonds or olive oil. (2) Like many nuts, olive oil contains monounsaturated fats and is a staple of the Mediterranean diet. However, the almond group showed a 16% drop in total cholesterol and a 19% drop in LDL. Similar changes were not observed in the olive oil group. The level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (good cholesterol) in the first group remained unchanged.
How nuts protect our cardiovascular system remains a mystery. Although they have a beneficial effect on blood lipids, this alone cannot explain the 50 percent reduction in the risk of death from CVD among people who consume nuts several times a week. For example, each percent reduction in LDL levels reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 1.5%. Studies have shown that nuts lower LDL levels by up to 16%, which means that the reduction in CVD risk should not be more than 24%. Something else in nuts protects our heart.
Nuts and nutrition
Nuts contain approximately 14-26% protein. Plant proteins are sometimes criticized by nutritionists because their amino acid profile is worse than that of animal proteins such as eggs or milk. However, in some aspects, the value of vegetable protein exceeds that of the animal. The amino acid array of plant proteins helps lower blood lipid levels better than animal protein. The protein in nuts is similar in structure to soy protein.
Nuts are rich in the amino acid arginine, which protects us from CVD by being a direct dietary precursor to nitric oxide synthesis. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure, prevents structural changes in the arteries that precede atherosclerosis, and inhibits the formation of blood clots, one of the main culprits in most heart attacks and paralysis.
Walnuts, pecans, and almonds contain varying amounts of omega-3 fats, which reduce elevated triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood. In addition, they prevent arrhythmia, which can result in sudden death.
A high fiber intake reduces the risk of CVD, and nuts range from 4% to -11% by weight, of which 25% is lipid-lowering soluble fiber. Nuts are one of the most important sources of alpha-tocopherol | (vitamin E), a dietary antioxidant that helps prevent CVD. Almonds and hazelnuts are higher in alpha tocopherol, while walnuts and pecans are high in gamma tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that is more powerful than the alpha version in protecting against prostate cancer.
Folic acid (one of the B vitamins) lowers blood levels of a potentially toxic metabolic by-product called homocysteine. Some studies suggest that nearly half of all cardiovascular disease is due to elevated homocysteine levels, which are also linked to Alzheimer's disease. Nuts are rich in folic acid, and peanuts contain 4 times more. (3)
Nuts are rich in minerals. A 30 gram serving provides 8% to 20% of the body's daily requirement for magnesium (an important protector against CVD), which is also required for protein assimilation, proper functioning of insulin, and over 300 other enzymes. The same 30 g contains 18% of the body's daily requirement for copper. The lack of this mineral leads to a decrease in the level of HDL (good cholesterol) in the blood. Copper is essential to maintain the structural integrity of the aorta, the large artery that exits the heart. Prolonged copper deficiency can lead to aortic rupture and sudden death, as well as bowel cancer.
Many of the phytochemicals in nuts, including flavonoids, resveratrol, illagic acid, luteolin, isoflavones, tocotrienols, saponins, plant sterols, and tannins, are beneficial in one way or another.
Fat? No nuts!
Research shows that contrary to popular belief, nuts are more associated with weight loss and stabilization than weight gain. As the famous bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda said: "Fat burns fat!" Although 40 years ago his statement seemed heresy to everyone, today it is confirmed by experts. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats promote fat oxidation by being precursors of substances known as eicosanoids. The popular Zone Diet relies entirely on controlling eicosanoid synthesis by manipulating insulin release.
Nuts help optimize body composition and induce satiety, which ultimately leads to a reduction in total calories and, as a result, weight loss. How does this happen?
- The body does not absorb all the energy available in nuts. When five healthy subjects ate 76 grams of peanuts daily for four to six days, their bodies excreted 18% of their dietary fat. Although the fiber consumed also removes fats, nuts do so regardless of other fiber sources. This is either due to the way the nuts store fat or the fiber content they contain.
- Nuts provide satiety by suppressing appetite. This effect is especially noticeable in whole nuts. Nut oils provide more calories and are easier to digest.
- According to Vince Gironda, the unsaturated fats found in nuts increase diet-dependent thermogenesis, where calories are burned for heat instead of stored as fat. One study found that eating peanuts for 19 weeks resulted in a 19% increase in resting energy expenditure. (4)
- Unlike other types, the fats found in nuts do not interfere with glucose metabolism and do not cause insulin resistance. In fact, some studies have shown that, due to their magnesium content, nuts help fight type 2 diabetes.
So, can you eat nuts in unlimited quantities? Not really. Small amounts will help you reduce your food portions, but the rather high calorie content of nuts can make you fatter if you consume them unwisely. Famous Muscle Beach powerlifter Bill "Peanuts" West got his nickname because when he came to California, he was so poor that he ate only peanuts. This diet, along with his training enthusiasm, added a significant amount of weight and muscle to him.
Recently, scientists at the University of Texas developed a genetically modified peanut that contains 70% more oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid) than a natural nut. Oleic acid helps lower LDL levels, although without affecting HDL. Such an achievement will help make nuts an even healthier food. Don't fall for the popular belief that nuts are bad. To refuse their regular use is at least stupid!
- Albert, Cm., et al. (2002). Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the Physicians" Health Study. Arch Intern Med, 162:1382-87.
- Spiller, G.A., et al. (1998). Nuts and plasma lipids: an almond-based diet lowers LDL-C while preserving HDL-C. J Amer Coll Nutr. 17:285-90.
- lper, C, et al. (2003). Peanut consumption improves indices of cardiovascular disease risk in healthy adults. J Amer Coll Nutr. 22:133-41.
- Alper, S.M., et al. (2002). Effects of chronic peanut consumption on energy balance and hedonics., IntJObes. 26:1129-37.
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nuts- unique gifts of nature, which contain a lot of useful substances for the human body. In no case should you be afraid of nuts, even despite their high calorie content and high fat content! In this article, I will tell you what nuts are the most useful, what you can eat when losing weight, and most importantly - in what quantity and in combination with what products.
1st place – Walnut
2nd place - almonds
3rd place – hazelnut
4th place - cashew
I must say right away that this rating is my personal subjective opinion, and this does not mean that it should be the same for everyone. As I said earlier, nuts are a very healthy product created by our nature, and each of the varieties has its own unique properties, so choose your favorite nuts and eat healthy.
But before that, let's figure it out what is the use of nuts for our body, how many calories do they contain and how many you can eatnuts for weight loss.
The benefits and calorie content of nuts
Walnut
Walnut contains a whole palette of useful substances.
Scientists, due to the rich composition of the walnut, call it the "tree of life."
This healthiest nuts for the body. They are recommended for use in violation of the functions of the thyroid gland, diseases of the nervous system and heart. Often, nuts are used even for complications with the stomach, liver and kidneys. And yet, despite the high calorie content of these nuts (654 calories per 110 g), they do not contain saturated fat at all, which is suitable for weight loss. And alpha-linolenic acid, which belongs to the class of omega-3 fatty acids, makes this nut variety the most beneficial to consume. I wrote about the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in the article ““, you can read it, because there I tell in great detail what benefits this class of acids has for our body. Omega-3s are found primarily in marine fish oils, but also in plant foods such as flax seeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and walnuts. It is for this reason that I believe this walnut most useful and necessary for everyone who wants to always be healthy, slim and have a good memory.
Almond
Almonds are called elite nuts. It is not a stone fruit. The main feature is the calcium content in large quantities - 264 mg per 100g! For this reason, this walnut is considered the best for supporting human bone tissue in good condition for many years.
Almonds are recommended to be eaten for diseases of the circulatory system and heart, as it contains large amounts of phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Almonds also help in the fight against insomnia, as it acts on the nervous system as a sedative.
These nuts improve health in gastritis, hypertension, ulcers, anemia, eye diseases, and urolithiasis. But it is important to know that almonds are considered one of the heaviest nuts for the body, so I do not recommend eating them every day.
Hazelnut
Hazelnut - more one of the healthiest types of nuts. First of all, it is advised to those who have cardiovascular diseases, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, anemia and arterial hypertension. It contains paclitaxel (an anti-cancer substance), which can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, so hazelnut is a well-known natural remedy in the world in the prevention of cancer.
The nutritional value of the Lombard nut is 628 calories per 100 grams. It is rich in vitamin C and A, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Cashew
Often, cashews are included in the diet menu. It is an excellent source of folic acid and healthiest nuts for women. The product contains anti-inflammatory and analgesic components, including with their help you can relieve toothache and menstrual pain.
There are 553 calories in 100 grams of cashews.
Pine nuts
Pine nuts effectively help in cleansing the kidneys, liver, gallbladder. For nursing mothers, experts advise eating 2 tablespoons of pine nuts a day, as this contributes to better lactation and more nutritious breast milk. In folk medicine, shells and kernels are used to treat gynecological diseases.
Pine nuts contain a lot of vitamin B4 or choline in another way, which is responsible for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), normalization of fat metabolism, stimulation of the lipolysis process (fat breakdown) and short-term memory. And this vitamin is very important for men's health, as it increases the activity of spermatozoa (note to all men and their wives).
There are 673 calories in 100 grams of these nuts.
Peanut
Peanuts are a good prophylactic for gastritis, cancer and heart disease. It helps the nervous system, helps to fall asleep faster and calm down when overexcited. Beans are high in veryuseful substances for the body- antioxidants - which favorably affect the preservation of your youth and beauty.
Peanuts make a very tasty peanut butter, which I personally adore. It is done very simply. See the recipe for homemade peanut butter below, and you can read about the health benefits of peanut butter.
There are 576 calories per 100 grams of peanuts. It is rich in calcium, iron and magnesium.
What kind of nuts are there
Question « what are the healthiest nuts" refers not only to the choice of the product, but also in the way it is consumed.
I recommend everyone, without exception, eat nuts only in raw or dried. There is no need to fry nuts, they will not benefit the body, but will only harm your figure. During heat treatment, heating with high temperatures lost valueany nuts, but healthy polyunsaturated fats such as linolenic (Omega-3), linoleic (Omega-6), oleic acid (Omega-9) and other polyunsaturated fatty acids form chains of very toxic and harmful substances.
If you really want to preserve the taste sensations, then you can simply dry the nuts slightly in a pan, and you should do this only with those nuts in which the content of Omega 3 fatty acids is the lowest. This can be done with peanuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts and cashews.
Is it possible to eat nuts when losing weight: how much and which ones are better
Remember that nuts are quite high in calories and contain an average of 55-60% fat. Their main feature, like all fatty foods, which few people know about, is a gradual feeling of fullness. Yes, nuts are very satisfying, but before you feel that you are already full, it takes some time. And this is far from 2, 3, 5 or even 10 minutes. In order for fatty acids to begin to be absorbed, it takes much more time, which is why very often people eat, eat, eat, and saturation does not come and does not come, but as soon as it comes, it turns out that a 200 gram pack of nuts like it wasn't. Familiar situation?
My my favorite nut I had peanuts as a child, as I remember now, if I had to go somewhere for a long time by train or bus, I bought a large package of peanuts and ate it at a time !!! And only half an hour later, having eaten a 2-day norm of my fats, I felt unrealistic heaviness and even nausea. Still would. Thank God, now my appetites are not the same, and it will be very difficult for me to eat even 100 g of nuts at a time, but anyway, to prevent possible overeating, I always pack my norm of nuts for the day into bags and take it with me on the road. It is better to play it safe once again than to suffer later both from heaviness in the stomach and from remorse.
The main thing is to know the measure, and this applies to everything, not just nuts. Even the most best and healthy nuts can become enemies of your figure if you use them in excess of your daily allowance. What is the norm?
When losing weight, the norm of nuts is 20-30 grams, depending on the type.
While maintaining weight, the daily norm of nuts is 30-40 grams.
The reception time of nuts is until 17:00. This is due to the fact that they are rather heavy food for the body, and it needs at least 2-3 hours for their processing and complete assimilation.
IMPORTANT!
With excessive slagging of the body from eating fatty, salty, sweet foods, canned foods, fast food, alcohol, etc. liquid is poorly excreted from it, and when a large amount of nuts is consumed, this liquid will linger even more, which will lead to additional edema and weight gain.
But for people who watch their diet, nuts act just the opposite: they have thermogenic properties, helping to speed up metabolic processes in the body and burn fat faster.
Turns out that nuts - one of the most usefulproducts for weight loss, but this is provided, if you know HOW, WHEN and IN WHAT QUANTITY should they be consumed.
What is the best combination of nuts
The most successful combination of nuts - with fruits and vegetables. Vegetable fats are more easily absorbed by the body if they are accompanied by fiber, since it passes through our digestive tract in an almost unchanged form, and the main forces for digestion will be concentrated on nuts.
How to choose the right nuts
First of all, you need to pay attention to the shelf life of the product and its storage conditions. Fresh nuts always have a rich, bright smell. If the nuts have been in open space for a long time, they will have a bitter taste.
The product should not be wet, a prerequisite for the peel is its safety. Walnuts must be chosen ripe (you can split them for testing), because it is at this moment that the maximum amount of useful substances is concentrated in them. It is recommended to choose a shell thickness of no more than 1.5 mm without holes, cracks and chips.
If you buy already peeled nuts, then make sure that they do not have any mold and cobwebs. The color of the nuts should be natural. If the nut turned white or, conversely, turned black, then this is a sign that the nut has been lying for too long, and it is most likely no longer suitable for consumption.
So let's sum it up. When answering a question, what nuts are the most beneficial for the body, you should focus on the way they are used, their quality, expiration date, usefulness for your body, knowing your personal health characteristics, but most importantly, you should not feel heaviness in the stomach from eating nuts. And remember that nuts and weight loss can be allies in the fight against extra pounds with the right combination.
Sincerely yours, Yaneliya Skripnik!
